Wender·Vista
Mohonk Mountain House gardens
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileNew York
on the Shawangunk Ridge above New Paltz, in the Hudson Valley

Mohonk Mountain House gardens

— — a garden that has watched a lake for a century and a half.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A Victorian castle hotel on a glacial lake in the Shawangunks. The formal gardens spread south of the porch — beds of dahlias and salvias, herb knots, ornamental cabbage holding the geometry into November — set against the cliffs and the long view down to New Paltz. Quaker-quiet, even on a Saturday in July.

from the studio
Mohonk Mountain House gardens
— bring it home

Mohonk Mountain House gardens, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Mohonk Mountain House gardens

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Mohonk Mountain House sits on the Shawangunk Ridge above New Paltz, New York, on a small glacial lake at about 1,250 feet of elevation. The seven-story Victorian hotel opened in 1869, built by Quaker brothers Albert and Alfred Smiley, and is still owned and run by the Smiley family today. The property covers 2,200 private acres, contiguous with the 8,000-acre Mohonk Preserve and Minnewaska State Park, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

— the season

The formal gardens keep a Victorian planting schedule. Tulips and pansies arrive in late April; the show gardens, herb beds, and dahlia rows peak from July through September; ornamental kale and cabbage hold the geometry well into November. The Shawangunk maples turn the third week of October in most years — the same week the hotel typically books out a year in advance. A working vegetable garden behind the greenhouses still supplies the dining room.

— informed by Mohonk · Gardens
— the visit

Day visits to the grounds and gardens require an advance reservation, and the gate house at the foot of the mountain road sells a limited number of day passes. Overnight rates are all-inclusive of meals and most activities and ran roughly 600 to 900 dollars per person per night in 2024. New Paltz is about ninety minutes north of New York City by car, and the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail passes the base of the ridge.

— informed by Mohonk · Day Visits
— where
United States · New Paltz, Ulster County, New York
— elevation
381 m · 1,250 ft
— position
41.7662° N · 74.1577° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
1 km S
Mohonk Preserve
nature preserve
8 km SW
Minnewaska State Park
state park
10 km E
New Paltz
Hudson Valley town
1 km N
Sky Top Tower
stone observation tower
N
Mohonk Mountain House gardens
Mohonk Preserve
Minnewaska State Park
New Paltz
Sky Top Tower
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Mohonk Mountain House gardens — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

The Quaker brothers Albert and Alfred Smiley bought the inn on Lake Mohonk in 1869 and expanded it over the following decades into the present seven-story Victorian hotel. The Smiley family still owns and operates it.

Yes, with an advance reservation. The gate house at the foot of the mountain road sells a limited number of day passes that include garden, grounds, and trail access. Same-day walk-ins are not guaranteed.

Tulips and pansies show in late April, the dahlia and herb beds peak from July through September, and ornamental kale and cabbage carry the design into November. Fall colour on the Shawangunk maples lands the third week of October most years.

The Shawangunks run north-south through Ulster County, New York, west of the Hudson River. Mohonk sits on the northern end above New Paltz, about ninety minutes north of New York City by car.

Yes. Mohonk Mountain House and its surrounding cultural landscape were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

— about the piece in your home

It's been a meaningful gift for our customers with Hudson Valley ties — people who honeymooned at Mohonk, who climb at the Gunks, or who drive up for foliage every October. A Small or Medium with a handwritten studio note carries well.

The greens, garden-bed reds, and grey stone read well in English country, new-traditional, and warm cottagecore interiors. It also sits comfortably in a quieter palette of cream walls, walnut, and antique brass.

Cutting gardens, dahlias, and Victorian formal beds are the textures grandmillennial and English-country rooms lean on, and the artwork picks them up. A Large above a console reads as the room's quiet anchor.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large is the easiest answer. For a longer console or a wider wall, a 4-tile Mural reads with more presence; a 9-tile Mural is the choice for a full feature wall.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and built for vertical installation behind a sink or in a shower. The Glossy finish is best kept to dry rooms.

A microfibre cloth with water is enough. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure and lives beneath the finish, so there is nothing on top to scrub off.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to the studio in Knoxville. We don't license stock art and we don't reprint other photographers. The eye is Reid Wender's, the hand-finishing is in-house.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

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