Beware: A Giant Head Is Watching You On an Upstate New York Road

Do you ever get the feeling someone is watching you? It’s for real on a portion of New York's Taconic State Parkway, which is both a two-hour drive north from New York City and southeast from Utica in Central New York.

The 19-foot hollow plaster head on a hillside is the art work of Roy Kanwit, who lives in Spencertown, about 30 miles southeast of Albany. He makes sculptures that are scattered all over his yard. For an entrance fee of just $10, you can go see and interact with them. The outdoor museum is known as The Taconic Sculpture Park and it's open seasonally and by appointment at 518-392-5757.

In addition to the head (which has a ladder inside that you can scale and peer out the top at the majestic Catskills mountains), there are snakes, castles, serpents, dragons and more. Just don't climb ON the giant head. Roy doesn't like when you do that.

Here's a quick gallery of pics from the park (check out the detailed inscriptions on the stone stairs at the park's entrance):

Kanwit has sold a lot of his pieces. He's said in the past that he'd part with the head for $100,000, but so far he's had no takers. His first piece of art was carved out of a bar of Ivory soap when he was 18.

The Taconic Sculpture Park is kind of famous. But you may need some patience finding it. If you blink, you'll miss the signs. And don't be confused if you find yourself winding up a desolate and dusty dirt road. That means you're close to the physical address: 221 Stever Hill Road, Chatham, New York, 12037.

It's just another cool Empire State spot in our Explore CNY series helping get through the COVID-19 madness.