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New York State: The Hudson Valley, The Catskills and the Adirondacks
by Meryl D. Pearlstein
Within a two to three hour drive of New York City, a world of arts, antiques, history and magnificent countryside awaits. Nearly two-thirds of the battles of the Revolutionary War were fought in New York State and many opportunities exist to visit important war sites. Arts and antiques communities thrive in the bucolic Hudson River Valley where painters such as Frederic Edwin Church and Thomas Cole immortalized the blue skies and lush valleys and mountains. Museums, festivals, galleries and performing arts offer a vibrant menu of events year-round. Offshoots of New York City's more free-spirited side flourish in the Catskill Mountains while the Adirondacks attracts history and racing buffs as well as lovers of the outdoors and times past. All in all, the towns of the Hudson River Valley, the Catskills, and the Adirondacks make for an exceptional getaway from the concrete canyons of the big city. Using several of these as vacation bases, wonderful itineraries can be constructed for a varied kind of holiday.
Closest to Manhattan, the Hudson River Valley towns of Rhinebeck and Cold Spring east of the river and New Paltz and Woodstock to the West embody the feeling of small town USA, albeit with differing personalities. In a way, the east side of the river emulates the east side of Manhattan, with a more sophisticated and polished feel. In contrast, the west side displays an edgier, funkier kind of artiness and terrain.
Rhinebeck, a center for arts, antiques and New Age experiences thanks to the presence of the Omega Institute, has become a well-established home for artists, writers and cartoonists. Cold Spring, also a haven for antiques lovers but with a strong orientation to hiking and kayaking, is even tinier but enjoys an exemplary small-town Main Street with ware-laden porches, old-time hotels, and a gorgeous view of the Hudson River and Palisades cliffs. Nearby Garrison and Beacon embody differing experiences: the first, an arts and theater community that has developed across from West Point, and the second, a blue-collar town undergoing rapid gentrification because of the opening of a major art museum a little over a year ago. Hyde Park, birthplace of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and site of other important historical mansions, is also the well known home of the Culinary Institute of America, which has spawned some of the country's most respected chefs.
Crossing the river further north is the town that gave its name to a generation and lifestyle that endures to this day: Woodstock. Together with Mount Tremper, Phoenicia and Kingston, this area of the Catskill Mountains is a cool respite that many view as frozen in time. Well-preserved buildings from the 1700s and 1800s and an artist and musician community that gets stronger every day attract travelers in search of romance and a more tranquil pace. Also hearkening back to times past with a comfortable sense of place and history are New Paltz, a college town with one of the country's most unusual lodgings, a strong arts and outdoor sports pedigree, and striking mountain and valley vistas; and High Falls, a beautiful village with imaginative shops and creative dining.
Past the Catskills, the Adirondacks were the scene of numerous important military events including the Battle of Saratoga, recorded in history texts as the turning point of the Revolutionary War; the Battle of Ticonderoga and the Battle of Fort William Henry. Each of these areas offers a glimpse at defining moments in American history. Important tourist areas nearby include Saratoga Springs with its racing, mineral springs and arts heritage and Lake George and Bolton Landing with water-oriented activities popular among families.
Because of their easy access by train, bus and car, you'll see day-trippers from New York City as well as New Yorkers and New Englanders looking for country escapes. Star spotting is common, too, and it's not unusual to bump into some of the area's more famous residents like Uma Thurman, Robert DeNiro, Julia Roberts, Bob Dylan and Kevin Kline.
Saratoga Springs and the Adirondacks
Before it officially grew up as America's first spa resort, Saratoga Springs attracted a very different group of spa-goers, Native Americans. Claiming more than 50 carbonated mineral springs, Saratoga Springs was subsequently discovered by Victorian society who gravitated to the restorative waters and spawned a burst of hotel and home development. Today the town offers an alternative to cushy destination spas. Several bathhouses offer soaks in the bubbling hot waters followed by a soothing wrap in a luxuriant hot sheet. You might recognize the newly restored and re-opened Roosevelt Baths from Robert Redford's "The Horse Whisperer".
Saratoga Spring's other claim to fame and the reason why August is such a crazy time in Saratoga Springs is racing. Home to the oldest thoroughbred racetrack in the country, founded in 1863, the urbane town comes alive with the horsy set from mid-July through Labor Day. A great way to start your day and people watch is to breakfast at the Race Track, stroll along Victorian-filled Broadway and its side streets, and return to the track in the afternoon to mingle with the high rollers. The equine theme pervades the town in shops like Candy-Gram of Saratoga Springs where you can buy horse-shaped chocolates and in restaurants like Sperry's where horse prints grace the walls.
There's another important side to Saratoga Springs, the arts side. Can't get tickets to an event in Manhattan? The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), by the Saratoga Race Course, is the summer home of the New York City Ballet and Philadelphia Orchestra and also the site of the Saratoga Chamber Music Festival. In addition to its classical offerings, SPAC presents concerts by top touring musicians like Sting and Annie Lenox this summer.
A full day can be spent visiting the many important historical sites in the area starting with the Saratoga National Battlefield in Stillwater where American forces defeated British General Burgoyne in 1777. Heading north to the Village of Lake George, visit Fort Ticonderoga, captured from the British in 1775 by Ethan Allan, and Fort William Henry, a restored fort from the French and Indian war.
Kids will love the theme parks in Lake George including Water Slide World, The Great Escape - Splashwater Kingdom, and Lake George Action Park. A more adult view of the lake can be had through Lake George Steamboats (518 668 5777). If you can break away from the kayaking, swimming and other water sports offered, continue north to the historic Sagamore Hotel, set on its own private 72-acre island. There you can play golf on a 1928 Donald Ross championship course or duck into a 21st-century European-style spa with a lakeview fitness center.
Woodstock, the Catskills and the Hudson River Valley
The Catskill region and adjacent Hudson River Valley comprise a number of beautiful towns with a strong bent for the arts and the outdoors. Beloved by the painters of the Hudson River School for their rich mountainscapes and valleys, the area quickly became a base for numerous art colonies with the most famous, Byrdcliffe, setting up grounds among the farmland in Woodstock in 1902. Others followed suit including arts associations and photography centers. Musicians also gravitated to the area, reveling in the creative vibe. Top-of-mind to this day, the 1969 Woodstock Art and Music Festival inspires pilgrimages to Bethel to view the site marker of this historical concert and to visit the many tie-dye purveyors in Woodstock. Craftsmen continue the tradition with shops selling lava lamps, candles and crystals.
The college town of New Paltz lays claim to having one of the oldest streets in the country. An early bastion for religious freedom, the town today draws students and others interested in the arts and in the beauty of its dramatic scenery. Hiking, rock climbing and biking are activities enjoyed by pretty much all visitors to the area.
Artiness and outdoorsmanship do not preclude having a penchant for luxury, however, and two of New York's grandest lodgings lie within the area. In sharp contrast to each other in both scale and tone, the quirky Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz and the Emerson Inn & Spa in Mount Tremper offer a taste of the "good life" past and present.
Driving the mountain roads, visiting charming High Falls shops like Linger and The Green Cottage, and immersing oneself in art and architecture can fill many happy days. There's a richness of creativity and positive energy that's simply breathtaking. And the glorious outdoors - here immortalized in paintings, sculptures and photos at every turn - is an integral part of the experience. Miles and miles of hiking trails, spectacular cliffs popular among rock climbers, and beautiful parks are all available for sportsmen of all levels. For easy walking or biking, there's the 12.5 mile Wallkill Rail Trail, a perfectly flat trail, from Kingston through Gardiner.
History buffs won't feel neglected either. Kingston, settled in 1652 by the Dutch and selected as the first capital of New York in 1777, has nearly two dozen original pre-revolutionary stone houses. The Stockade District displays a range of architectural styles from Colonial and Federal to Victorian and Italianate. New Paltz's Huguenot Street, reputed to be the "oldest street in America," is home to six original stone houses built by Protestants fleeing religious persecution in France. The Colonial Street Festival in August includes house tours as well as quilting, butter churning and musket firing demonstrations.
If art is your thing, there's no better place than Woodstock for gallery hopping where permanent art colonies like Byrdcliffe or the Woodstock Arts Association offer concurrent shows of works in a variety of media. On the first Saturday of every month, art galleries in Kingston schedule openings of shows and open their doors at night. An outdoor sculpture environment of sorts, Opus 40, is located in nearby Saugerties. This nearly 40-year work of sculptor Harvey Fite is a set in an abandoned bluestone quarry and sometimes offers concerts.
To see the nature close-up that has inspired so much of the paintings and photography in the Hudson River Valley and the Catskills, you can hike, tube, or bike the surrounding countryside. Town Tinker in Phoenicia (845 688 5553) rents tubes for floating down the Esopus Creek. Together, Mohonk State Preserve and Minnewaska State Preserve cover more than 18,400 acres with extensive networks for simple-to-difficult hikes, waterfalls, ponds, valley views and rock climbing. Try the Slide Mountain trailhead, a 2.7-mile trek to the summit of Tremper Mountain or a moderate hike to stark white Bonticue Crag, a valley overlook.
The history of the area extends beyond its well-known music festival. Kingston has guided tours of many buildings dating back to the 1700s plus the Senate House built in 1676. Architecture fans will love the Stockade District for its broad variety of styles. Tunnels, which were part of the Underground Railroad, are viewable as well. You can take a trolley tour around Rondout Landing, the commercial port part of the city, with buildings with iron grillwork balconies, antiques shops and boutique.
Searching for some spirituality? Tour Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery (845 679 5906) or try a class in Zen meditation at the Zen Mountain Monastery (845 688 2228).
Other Places to Go
Cross the river for some wonderful arts, historical and outdoors-oriented excursions.
Within a two to three hour drive of New York City, a world of arts, antiques, history and magnificent countryside awaits. Nearly two-thirds of the battles of the Revolutionary War were fought in New York State and many opportunities exist to visit important war sites. Arts and antiques communities thrive in the bucolic Hudson River Valley where painters such as Frederic Edwin Church and Thomas Cole immortalized the blue skies and lush valleys and mountains. Museums, festivals, galleries and performing arts offer a vibrant menu of events year-round. Offshoots of New York City's more free-spirited side flourish in the Catskill Mountains while the Adirondacks attracts history and racing buffs as well as lovers of the outdoors and times past. All in all, the towns of the Hudson River Valley, the Catskills, and the Adirondacks make for an exceptional getaway from the concrete canyons of the big city. Using several of these as vacation bases, wonderful itineraries can be constructed for a varied kind of holiday.
Closest to Manhattan, the Hudson River Valley towns of Rhinebeck and Cold Spring east of the river and New Paltz and Woodstock to the West embody the feeling of small town USA, albeit with differing personalities. In a way, the east side of the river emulates the east side of Manhattan, with a more sophisticated and polished feel. In contrast, the west side displays an edgier, funkier kind of artiness and terrain.
Rhinebeck, a center for arts, antiques and New Age experiences thanks to the presence of the Omega Institute, has become a well-established home for artists, writers and cartoonists. Cold Spring, also a haven for antiques lovers but with a strong orientation to hiking and kayaking, is even tinier but enjoys an exemplary small-town Main Street with ware-laden porches, old-time hotels, and a gorgeous view of the Hudson River and Palisades cliffs. Nearby Garrison and Beacon embody differing experiences: the first, an arts and theater community that has developed across from West Point, and the second, a blue-collar town undergoing rapid gentrification because of the opening of a major art museum a little over a year ago. Hyde Park, birthplace of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and site of other important historical mansions, is also the well known home of the Culinary Institute of America, which has spawned some of the country's most respected chefs.
Crossing the river further north is the town that gave its name to a generation and lifestyle that endures to this day: Woodstock. Together with Mount Tremper, Phoenicia and Kingston, this area of the Catskill Mountains is a cool respite that many view as frozen in time. Well-preserved buildings from the 1700s and 1800s and an artist and musician community that gets stronger every day attract travelers in search of romance and a more tranquil pace. Also hearkening back to times past with a comfortable sense of place and history are New Paltz, a college town with one of the country's most unusual lodgings, a strong arts and outdoor sports pedigree, and striking mountain and valley vistas; and High Falls, a beautiful village with imaginative shops and creative dining.
Past the Catskills, the Adirondacks were the scene of numerous important military events including the Battle of Saratoga, recorded in history texts as the turning point of the Revolutionary War; the Battle of Ticonderoga and the Battle of Fort William Henry. Each of these areas offers a glimpse at defining moments in American history. Important tourist areas nearby include Saratoga Springs with its racing, mineral springs and arts heritage and Lake George and Bolton Landing with water-oriented activities popular among families.
Because of their easy access by train, bus and car, you'll see day-trippers from New York City as well as New Yorkers and New Englanders looking for country escapes. Star spotting is common, too, and it's not unusual to bump into some of the area's more famous residents like Uma Thurman, Robert DeNiro, Julia Roberts, Bob Dylan and Kevin Kline.
Saratoga Springs and the Adirondacks
Before it officially grew up as America's first spa resort, Saratoga Springs attracted a very different group of spa-goers, Native Americans. Claiming more than 50 carbonated mineral springs, Saratoga Springs was subsequently discovered by Victorian society who gravitated to the restorative waters and spawned a burst of hotel and home development. Today the town offers an alternative to cushy destination spas. Several bathhouses offer soaks in the bubbling hot waters followed by a soothing wrap in a luxuriant hot sheet. You might recognize the newly restored and re-opened Roosevelt Baths from Robert Redford's "The Horse Whisperer".
Saratoga Spring's other claim to fame and the reason why August is such a crazy time in Saratoga Springs is racing. Home to the oldest thoroughbred racetrack in the country, founded in 1863, the urbane town comes alive with the horsy set from mid-July through Labor Day. A great way to start your day and people watch is to breakfast at the Race Track, stroll along Victorian-filled Broadway and its side streets, and return to the track in the afternoon to mingle with the high rollers. The equine theme pervades the town in shops like Candy-Gram of Saratoga Springs where you can buy horse-shaped chocolates and in restaurants like Sperry's where horse prints grace the walls.
There's another important side to Saratoga Springs, the arts side. Can't get tickets to an event in Manhattan? The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), by the Saratoga Race Course, is the summer home of the New York City Ballet and Philadelphia Orchestra and also the site of the Saratoga Chamber Music Festival. In addition to its classical offerings, SPAC presents concerts by top touring musicians like Sting and Annie Lenox this summer.
A full day can be spent visiting the many important historical sites in the area starting with the Saratoga National Battlefield in Stillwater where American forces defeated British General Burgoyne in 1777. Heading north to the Village of Lake George, visit Fort Ticonderoga, captured from the British in 1775 by Ethan Allan, and Fort William Henry, a restored fort from the French and Indian war.
Kids will love the theme parks in Lake George including Water Slide World, The Great Escape - Splashwater Kingdom, and Lake George Action Park. A more adult view of the lake can be had through Lake George Steamboats (518 668 5777). If you can break away from the kayaking, swimming and other water sports offered, continue north to the historic Sagamore Hotel, set on its own private 72-acre island. There you can play golf on a 1928 Donald Ross championship course or duck into a 21st-century European-style spa with a lakeview fitness center.
Woodstock, the Catskills and the Hudson River Valley
The Catskill region and adjacent Hudson River Valley comprise a number of beautiful towns with a strong bent for the arts and the outdoors. Beloved by the painters of the Hudson River School for their rich mountainscapes and valleys, the area quickly became a base for numerous art colonies with the most famous, Byrdcliffe, setting up grounds among the farmland in Woodstock in 1902. Others followed suit including arts associations and photography centers. Musicians also gravitated to the area, reveling in the creative vibe. Top-of-mind to this day, the 1969 Woodstock Art and Music Festival inspires pilgrimages to Bethel to view the site marker of this historical concert and to visit the many tie-dye purveyors in Woodstock. Craftsmen continue the tradition with shops selling lava lamps, candles and crystals.
The college town of New Paltz lays claim to having one of the oldest streets in the country. An early bastion for religious freedom, the town today draws students and others interested in the arts and in the beauty of its dramatic scenery. Hiking, rock climbing and biking are activities enjoyed by pretty much all visitors to the area.
Artiness and outdoorsmanship do not preclude having a penchant for luxury, however, and two of New York's grandest lodgings lie within the area. In sharp contrast to each other in both scale and tone, the quirky Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz and the Emerson Inn & Spa in Mount Tremper offer a taste of the "good life" past and present.
Driving the mountain roads, visiting charming High Falls shops like Linger and The Green Cottage, and immersing oneself in art and architecture can fill many happy days. There's a richness of creativity and positive energy that's simply breathtaking. And the glorious outdoors - here immortalized in paintings, sculptures and photos at every turn - is an integral part of the experience. Miles and miles of hiking trails, spectacular cliffs popular among rock climbers, and beautiful parks are all available for sportsmen of all levels. For easy walking or biking, there's the 12.5 mile Wallkill Rail Trail, a perfectly flat trail, from Kingston through Gardiner.
History buffs won't feel neglected either. Kingston, settled in 1652 by the Dutch and selected as the first capital of New York in 1777, has nearly two dozen original pre-revolutionary stone houses. The Stockade District displays a range of architectural styles from Colonial and Federal to Victorian and Italianate. New Paltz's Huguenot Street, reputed to be the "oldest street in America," is home to six original stone houses built by Protestants fleeing religious persecution in France. The Colonial Street Festival in August includes house tours as well as quilting, butter churning and musket firing demonstrations.
If art is your thing, there's no better place than Woodstock for gallery hopping where permanent art colonies like Byrdcliffe or the Woodstock Arts Association offer concurrent shows of works in a variety of media. On the first Saturday of every month, art galleries in Kingston schedule openings of shows and open their doors at night. An outdoor sculpture environment of sorts, Opus 40, is located in nearby Saugerties. This nearly 40-year work of sculptor Harvey Fite is a set in an abandoned bluestone quarry and sometimes offers concerts.
To see the nature close-up that has inspired so much of the paintings and photography in the Hudson River Valley and the Catskills, you can hike, tube, or bike the surrounding countryside. Town Tinker in Phoenicia (845 688 5553) rents tubes for floating down the Esopus Creek. Together, Mohonk State Preserve and Minnewaska State Preserve cover more than 18,400 acres with extensive networks for simple-to-difficult hikes, waterfalls, ponds, valley views and rock climbing. Try the Slide Mountain trailhead, a 2.7-mile trek to the summit of Tremper Mountain or a moderate hike to stark white Bonticue Crag, a valley overlook.
The history of the area extends beyond its well-known music festival. Kingston has guided tours of many buildings dating back to the 1700s plus the Senate House built in 1676. Architecture fans will love the Stockade District for its broad variety of styles. Tunnels, which were part of the Underground Railroad, are viewable as well. You can take a trolley tour around Rondout Landing, the commercial port part of the city, with buildings with iron grillwork balconies, antiques shops and boutique.
Searching for some spirituality? Tour Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery (845 679 5906) or try a class in Zen meditation at the Zen Mountain Monastery (845 688 2228).
Other Places to Go
Cross the river for some wonderful arts, historical and outdoors-oriented excursions.
Here are some top picks:
Cold Spring and Garrison
Cold Spring and Garrison
Cold Spring is blessed with an uber charming Main Street and Victorian homes with sweeping lawns leading to picture-perfect views of the Hudson and Storm King Mountain. You can meander through antiques and crafts shops before you wend your way to the gazebo by the river. Or, get "physical" and put in by canoe or kayak near the train station, a relatively serene part of the river and paddle south to the Constitution Marsh Audubon Sanctuary.
Easy hikes can be had at Little Stony Point, which leads to a sandy riverside beach with exceptional views of the Palisades. Across the street, you can follow a trail to Breakneck Ridge for more strenuous trekking. In Garrison, Manitoga (845 424 3812), the site of industrial designer Russel Wright's environmental 11-floor home, Dragon Rock, provides a self-guided tour of the grounds' four miles of trails. Three miles away, Boscobel restoration (845 265 3638), an 1808 Federal Period museum mansion along the river, also has hiking trails leading to a gazebo. For both golf diehards and hikers, the Garrison Golf and Country Club offers terrific views of the Hudson Highlands (845 424 3604).
On the more eclectic side, the Chuang Yen Monastery in Kent (845 225 1819) is the largest monastery in the eastern U.S. and has the largest indoor statue of Buddha in the Western hemisphere. Dia:Beacon (845 440 0100), opened in May 2003, houses an amazing collection of mid-20th century contemporary art in cavernous rooms in a former Nabisco printing plant. Andy Warhol and minimalists like Robert Ryman each have an entire gallery devoted to their work.
Refresh yourself at Cathryn's Tuscan Grill (845 265 5582) in Cold Spring or grab a prized seat at the terrace at Riverview (845 265 4778, www.riverdining.com) to gaze at the river and people watch. Book a room at the Hudson House Inn, a landmark since 1827 (845 265 9355, www.hudsonhouseinn.com).
Rhinebeck and Hyde Park
Rhinebeck has long been a favorite home for artists and writers whose muse is the gorgeous Hudson River Valley. With roughly a two-block long main street, the town is eminently walkable with very cool, somewhat dignified boutiques like Oblong Books and Music or Winter Sun/Summer Moon for clothing and candles as well as yoga and talismanic paraphernalia. Don't miss the wonderful Sugar Plum Boutique for original jewelry and cosmetics. Leave time for digging through Rhinebeck's many yard sales and for a one-mile hike at Poet's Walk in nearby Red Hook to a beautiful river overlook.
Rhinebeck's rich history dates to important historical figures like Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Benedict Arnold and Aaron Burr who were among the many guests at the 1766-vintage Beekman Arms (845 876 7077, www.beekmanarms.com), the country's oldest continuously operating hotel. Wilderstein (845 876 4818), home of the Stuckley family for more than 140 years, is a magnificent example of Queen Anne Victorian architecture with interiors by Joseph Burr Tiffany and landscaped grounds by Calvert Vaux of Central Park fame.
For something completely different, the Old Rhinebeck Aerodome (845 758 8610) houses a collection of 1930s planes that take to the skies on weekends in mock battles or for tourist rides (think Snoopy as you don your goggles). Stop for a bite at the cozy Le Petit Bistro (845 876 7400, www.lepetitbistro.com), or for an ice cream at Schemmy's, a local favorite (845 876 6215). There are two varying dining options at the yearling Terrapin (845 876 3330, www.terrapinrestaurant.com, set in a 180-year old former church and offering fare ranging from make-your-own-sandwiches to ahi tuna "scallops". Bread Alone (845 876 3108) is the place to go for coffee, hearth-baked breads, and terrific pastries.
An architectural must-see is the 108,000 square foot, Frank Gehry-designed Fisher performing arts center at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, just north of Rhinebeck, with its dramatic brushed stainless steel draping. The Bard Music Festival this year focuses on the works of Dmitri Shostakovich. (845 758 7900).
Traveling south along the Hudson, Hyde Park gives a glimpse into the homes of important historical figures as well as the estates of wealthy industrialists of the 19th century. The 54-room Beaux Arts Vanderbilt mansion with its lavish Italian gardens (845 229 9115); Val-Kill, the private residence of Eleanor Roosevelt; and Springwood, FDR's birthplace and home, are all open for home and grounds tours.
Also important, the Eastern branch of the Culinary Institute of America (845 471 6608), built on 150 acres of a former Jesuit seminary, invites guests to experience four different restaurants, each staffed by CIA students. Reservations are required well in advance. Who knows? You may meet the next Alfred Portale or Larry Forgione, two famous CIA grads.
Easy hikes can be had at Little Stony Point, which leads to a sandy riverside beach with exceptional views of the Palisades. Across the street, you can follow a trail to Breakneck Ridge for more strenuous trekking. In Garrison, Manitoga (845 424 3812), the site of industrial designer Russel Wright's environmental 11-floor home, Dragon Rock, provides a self-guided tour of the grounds' four miles of trails. Three miles away, Boscobel restoration (845 265 3638), an 1808 Federal Period museum mansion along the river, also has hiking trails leading to a gazebo. For both golf diehards and hikers, the Garrison Golf and Country Club offers terrific views of the Hudson Highlands (845 424 3604).
On the more eclectic side, the Chuang Yen Monastery in Kent (845 225 1819) is the largest monastery in the eastern U.S. and has the largest indoor statue of Buddha in the Western hemisphere. Dia:Beacon (845 440 0100), opened in May 2003, houses an amazing collection of mid-20th century contemporary art in cavernous rooms in a former Nabisco printing plant. Andy Warhol and minimalists like Robert Ryman each have an entire gallery devoted to their work.
Refresh yourself at Cathryn's Tuscan Grill (845 265 5582) in Cold Spring or grab a prized seat at the terrace at Riverview (845 265 4778, www.riverdining.com) to gaze at the river and people watch. Book a room at the Hudson House Inn, a landmark since 1827 (845 265 9355, www.hudsonhouseinn.com).
Rhinebeck and Hyde Park
Rhinebeck has long been a favorite home for artists and writers whose muse is the gorgeous Hudson River Valley. With roughly a two-block long main street, the town is eminently walkable with very cool, somewhat dignified boutiques like Oblong Books and Music or Winter Sun/Summer Moon for clothing and candles as well as yoga and talismanic paraphernalia. Don't miss the wonderful Sugar Plum Boutique for original jewelry and cosmetics. Leave time for digging through Rhinebeck's many yard sales and for a one-mile hike at Poet's Walk in nearby Red Hook to a beautiful river overlook.
Rhinebeck's rich history dates to important historical figures like Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Benedict Arnold and Aaron Burr who were among the many guests at the 1766-vintage Beekman Arms (845 876 7077, www.beekmanarms.com), the country's oldest continuously operating hotel. Wilderstein (845 876 4818), home of the Stuckley family for more than 140 years, is a magnificent example of Queen Anne Victorian architecture with interiors by Joseph Burr Tiffany and landscaped grounds by Calvert Vaux of Central Park fame.
For something completely different, the Old Rhinebeck Aerodome (845 758 8610) houses a collection of 1930s planes that take to the skies on weekends in mock battles or for tourist rides (think Snoopy as you don your goggles). Stop for a bite at the cozy Le Petit Bistro (845 876 7400, www.lepetitbistro.com), or for an ice cream at Schemmy's, a local favorite (845 876 6215). There are two varying dining options at the yearling Terrapin (845 876 3330, www.terrapinrestaurant.com, set in a 180-year old former church and offering fare ranging from make-your-own-sandwiches to ahi tuna "scallops". Bread Alone (845 876 3108) is the place to go for coffee, hearth-baked breads, and terrific pastries.
An architectural must-see is the 108,000 square foot, Frank Gehry-designed Fisher performing arts center at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, just north of Rhinebeck, with its dramatic brushed stainless steel draping. The Bard Music Festival this year focuses on the works of Dmitri Shostakovich. (845 758 7900).
Traveling south along the Hudson, Hyde Park gives a glimpse into the homes of important historical figures as well as the estates of wealthy industrialists of the 19th century. The 54-room Beaux Arts Vanderbilt mansion with its lavish Italian gardens (845 229 9115); Val-Kill, the private residence of Eleanor Roosevelt; and Springwood, FDR's birthplace and home, are all open for home and grounds tours.
Also important, the Eastern branch of the Culinary Institute of America (845 471 6608), built on 150 acres of a former Jesuit seminary, invites guests to experience four different restaurants, each staffed by CIA students. Reservations are required well in advance. Who knows? You may meet the next Alfred Portale or Larry Forgione, two famous CIA grads.
