WEIRD PLACES: Getting Abducted at The Pine Bush UFO & Paranormal Museum
Whenever I travel, I research areas of interest that may be close by dealing with UFOs, the paranormal, and cryptids. During a recent trip to Mount Upton, New York, I made a side trip to visit The Pine Bush UFO & Paranormal Museum in Pine Bush, New York.
For those that don’t know, the Hudson Valley in New York was the site of one of the biggest UFO flaps in the United States. Thousands of people witnessed football field-sized triangular objects moving slowly through the area. According to the witnesses, the objects were silent and moved much slower than known aircraft. Though the actual flap is overs, objects are still seen to this day.
The Pine Bush UFO & Paranormal Museum opened in 2021, at a time when opening a new business was questionable because of the pandemic. When I arrived, I could barely contain my excitement. Businesses like this are few and far between. My biggest fear was that it was going to be cheesy and of low quality. Boy was I wrong.
As soon as I entered to lobby and saw the amazing gift shop, I knew I was in for a treat. I was greeted by Lance, who helps run the museum. He is very personable and after talking to him throughout my visit, I learned that we shared many common interests. Thanks to it being slow at the time of my visit, Lance was able to spend more time with me than he may have been able to if it had been busy.
As soon as I entered the museum itself, I chuckled to myself and smiled ear-to-ear. My first thought was “This is amazing!” I took my time going through each exhibit, reading every bit of information and taking in every video. It was the perfect blend of reported facts and entertainment.
The first section of The Pine Bush UFO & Paranormal Museum details the Pine Bush/Hudson Valley sightings. Though not every encounter is covered, what is shown is more than enough to convince you that there is something to this. One of my favorite aspects of this section were the recreations of the various craft seen. The best one to me was the triangular craft model hanging on the ceiling.
The next area features everyone’s favorite cryptid, Bigfoot. I was unaware that Bigfoot had been sighted in this area, so this was an added treat. Hearing the actual audio if a Bigfoot screaming was interesting and fun.
The next two sections featured paranormal stories, another possible cryptid, and a great display about Betty and Barney Hill, the victims of the first reported alien abduction. The display is very creative and well done, featuring narrative from Kathleen Marden, the niece of Betty and Barney. This adds even more credence to the story.
The Pine Bush UFO & Paranormal Museum is a picture-free zone, which means no photos allowed. Though lack of pictures in a blog can be detrimental to the piece, I totally understand this rule. For this museum to continue to thrive, it relies on paid admissions and sales in the gift shop. If anything can be seen for free, people may then decide not to go because they saw the museum in pictures.
In the last section is the only place where pictures are allowed to be taken. A beautifully constructed set, featuring a platform surrounded by aliens, allows you to appear as though you have been abducted by aliens. Lance was nice enough to take my pictures since I was visiting alone.
To say that I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to The Pine Bush UFO & Paranormal Museum is an understatement. Lance also made my time there more personal by checking on me periodically, telling me stories and offering background on the museum as well. The museum can be found at 86 Main Street, Pine Bush, New York. Their phone number is (845) 524-4272 and they offer guided tours on weekends. On occasion they also offer gallery lectures and during October they also offer Halloween attractions.
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