A ‘Must-Stop’ on the NYS Thruway: Mohawk Valley Welcome Center

The Mohawk Valley Visitor Center between exits 28 and 29 on the New York State Thruway is a great place to stop for refreshment, relaxation, and a history lesson. Good to see, after its rocky beginning.

The facility was shut down just seven months after its grand opening in August of 2016. The initial plan, to make it just a seasonal showcase of New York State attractions and foods, was revamped and improved to allow for a year-round schedule.

A state police office and a playground were added, there's now a patio with special bricks honoring our region's heroes, and the interior has interactive kiosks and expanded display cases with memorabilia depicting key moments, inventions and people that helped shape the Empire State in general and the Mohawk Valley in particular.

Taste NY is another element of the rest stop's features, and it's modeled after 65 other spots around the state, where you can sample the food and beverages that are native to New York.

The welcome center also highlights three of our state's important forms of transportation--the thruway, the Erie Canal, and the New York railroad, which runs right past Lock E-13, on the north side of the canal.

The Mohawk Valley Welcome Center is located in the Montgomery County hamlet of Randall, and is accessible from the westbound side of the Thruway. It's open every day from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. Here's a complete list of all 66 "Taste NY" locations across the state.