Bard College, NY

Simon's Rock at Bard College, commonly called Simon's Rock, is a private liberal arts college in Barrytown, New York. Bard College is part of, and adjacent to, Bard College in neighboring Annandale-on-Hudson. Both are in Red Hook. Bard College makes sense once you see how its past, landscape, and current gathering spots overlap. The useful thing to know about Bard College is that its older landmarks and current settings belong to one connected place. That is, it is an early college entrance program. The college's founder, Elizabeth Blodgett Hall, had formerly been headmistress at Concord Academy, a private girls' school. Many young students, she thought, are ready to pursue college-level academic work before the usual system asks it of them.