Plan Your Visit to Opus 40
Regular Visiting Hours: 10am to 5pm, Thursday – Monday until September 28. Friday – Monday until October 12. Saturday – Sunday until November 7. Closed for the Season after November 7. Last Entry: 4pm.
Explore Opus 40 with our free digital guide available through Bloomberg Connects! Created to enhance your experience, our guide includes historical insights about Harvey & Barbara Fite, the construction of Opus 40, never before seen photos & videos, as well as info on events and tips on how to plan your visit.
Important Rules to Read Before Visiting:
Opus 40 is an earthwork sculpture that spans 6.5 acres and is part of a 63-acre outdoor sculpture park made up of walkable quarry trails, the Quarryman’s Museum, a gallery, gift shop and plenty of places to sit and marvel at the wondrous work of Harvey Fite.
We don’t recommend coming for less than an hour if you plan to experience the sculpture, gallery and museum. If you want to walk on the trails or have a picnic, you should allow even more time.
Please read through the items below to ensure a wonderful experience at Opus 40!
TICKETS & TOURS
We recommend that you buy tickets online prior to visiting.
General Admission Tickets: $20
Ulster County Residents: $16 (Please show proof of residency at check-in, such as a driver’s license or piece of mail, such as a utility bill.)
Seniors, Students, Veterans: $13
Children (6 & Under): $6
Members: Free
- Tickets may be purchased at the door via cash or credit card but please note that we do close sales when we reach capacity, so we advise you to get tickets in advance, especially during popular visiting times (holiday weekends, summer season, fall foliage).
Tour Tickets can be purchased when buying admissions tickets. To learn more about our Guided Tours, please visit the TOURS page.
HOURS & WEATHER
HOURS
- We are open from 10am – 5pm, Thursday-Monday until September 28. Friday-Monday until October 12. Saturday-Sunday until November 7. Closed for the season after November 7.
WEATHER
- Last entry is one hour before closing – 4pm
We are open rain or shine, but close (with full refunds to ticket-holders) for sustained downpours, dangerous winds, thunderstorms or snow events. We will announce all closures on the website so please check before you visit!
CHECK IN & PARKING
On regular open days, check in will happen at the Main Parking lot. Please show your ticket (on mobile is preferred) to one of our friendly stewards and they will help you orient on the site.
If you are parking in the ADA lot, please check in at the Gift Shop, located in the Museum Building and please consult our Accessibility section below.
SAFETY GUIDELINES
Exploring Opus 40 requires an intrepid and curious spirit. Guests should be prepared to navigate uneven terrain, steep inclines and declines, and be aware of sharp drops while being mindful that this is a work of art and as such, contains imperfections that in turn add to its perfection and deserves to be approached with reverence and care.
For this reason, visitors to Opus 40 enter and explore at their own risk.
Guests who do not follow the rules will be asked to leave the sculpture. This is both to protect our sculpture and to ensure visitor safety.
Running, jumping, dancing, prancing, twirling, climbing, skipping, and so on is not permitted on the Sculpture. If the spirit of creative embodiment moves you, please express yourself on the meadow or in the forest, not on the sculpture.
Everyone on the sculpture must walk carefully and with attention.
The bluestone sculpture has many uneven areas and steep drops. People with mobility or vision challenges may wish to bring a friend to assist.
CHILD SAFETY POLICY
Kids love Opus 40 and Opus 40 loves kids!
HOWEVER, we do require parental supervision at all times, for everyone’s safety.
Parents must follow our safety rules at all times. The safety risks and concerns are so important that we are only able to offer one correction to a family before they are asked to stay off of the central sculpture. With that in mind, please read this list thoroughly before coming to Opus 40, to make sure that the rules will work for your family.
All children UNDER 12 must be supervised at all times when on the sculpture OR they will be asked to leave.
Children UNDER 6 must hold a caregiver’s hands at all times.
All children must wear appropriate footwear on the sculpture.
On or near the sculpture, there is NO running or skipping, NO jumping or hopping, NO climbing or twirling! As in NONE.
No writing on the rocks or moving rocks.
There are many things you CAN do to enjoy this remarkable artwork. Just ask our docents! We have a play area, an Opus 40 activity book, art offerings and more!
SCULPTURE GUIDELINES
Leave the Stones Where They Lay
Each stone was hand placed by the artist Harvey Fite over a period of 37 years. Help us to preserve this remarkable earthwork by leaving the stones to rest where they are.
Honor Air Quality
There is absolutely no smoking or vaping on the sculpture, of any kind, for any reason. Guests who are observed to be smoking on the sculpture may be asked to leave the park.
No strollers are allowed on the sculpture.
GROUPS
We love to accommodate groups but kindly request you contact us in advance as failure to do so may result in delays upon arrival.
We offer a discount of 10% for groups of 15 or more. We also work with schools and libraries individually to provide discounts. For more information please contact us here.
ACCESSIBILITY
Exploring Opus 40 requires an intrepid and curious spirit. Guests should be prepared to navigate uneven terrain, steep inclines and declines, and be aware of sharp drops. Please note also that our paths and trails are unpaved. For this reason, visitors to Opus 40 enter and explore at their own risk.
PARKING
Upon entry, follow the signs to regular Parking or ADA parking. If you are parking in the ADA lot, please check in at the Gift Shop, located in the Museum Building.
EXPLORERS with LIMITED MOBILITY or VISION LIMITATIONS
Guests with mobility or vision limitations must be accompanied by a support person to ensure safety while walking on the uneven surfaces and staircases of the sculpture. Special care must be taken if using a walker or cane.
While wheeled chairs are not permitted on the sculpture, there are multiple viewing points and paths of access into select areas of the quarry. Please ask one of our Site Stewards to help you discover these routes.
QUARRYMAN’S MUSEUM
The only access to the museum is on the second floor of an old barn via a set of stairs.
PETS
We love dogs but only service dogs that are individually trained to do specific tasks for a person with a disability are allowed at Opus 40. We do not permit support animals. If you have any doubt about what category your dog is in, please refer to the comprehensive ADA Requirement definitions here.
WHAT TO BRING
Comfortable walking shoes, insect repellent, sun screen, and refillable water bottle are a great place to start! Please check the weather forecast on the day of your visit and bring whatever you need to be comfortable.
Portions of the sculpture are exposed and on hot, sunny summer days the stones can become very warm. Please consider a sun hat, sunglasses, and protective clothing or sunscreen to guard against sun exposure.
Picnics are permitted (and encouraged! see: Food & Drink) on regular open days. We have water, drinks and assorted snacks available for purchase in the Gift Shop if you need refreshment.
FOOD & DRINK
Please Note: Opus 40 is a Zero Waste Facility.
While garbage receptacles are available on site, we ask that you carry out all that you carry in.
Kindly leave all single use plastics at home.
You may bring a picnic during the day, along with blankets and camp chairs if needed. We have several seating areas on site, adjacent to the Gift Shop and the Main Meadow, that you are welcome to enjoy as well.
Picnics and coolers are not permitted at events when we have food and drinks available for purchase. While we make every effort to ensure that the majority of dietary preferences are accounted for in these offerings, it’s possible our vendors may not be able to accommodate your specific restrictions. In these cases, accommodations for small snacks will be granted. Thank you for supporting local businesses!
Alcoholic beverages are not permitted on-site. For select events, we will be vending adult beverages, but guests must purchase beverages through our licensed vendors.