Cos Cob is one of the historic villages of Greenwich, a stretch of about four and a half square miles in the town's southwest corner along the Mianus, with neighbors like Riverside and Old Greenwich nearby. It keeps the shape that drew the artists: a small harbor on Long Island Sound, the river sliding past old houses, and a quiet, painterly light that has not really changed in more than a century.
The colony faded by the 1920s, but its home was saved. The Greenwich Historical Society bought the Bush-Holley House in 1957 and opened it as a museum the next year; in 1991 it was named a National Historic Landmark. It still tells two stories — the New Nation and the Art Colony — and hangs works by Twachtman, Hassam, Lawson, and MacRae in its galleries, so the painters who once boarded here are still on the walls.
Why People Visit Cos Cob
Cos Cob offers art heritage and green escapes in a small, walkable village. Visitors pair the Bush-Holley House and its Impressionist collection with river paths, harbor overlooks, and quiet historic streets. It is tranquil, residential, and close to the water, with year-round appeal in its parks, paths, and public spaces. History and everyday life sit side by side here, from the saltbox over the harbor to the trails along the Mianus.
