3 Best Sights in Hudson Valley, New York

Nature and art blend seamlessly throughout the home, studio, and 75-acre grounds of mid-20th-century industrial designer Russel Wright. Boulders protrude through the ground floor of Dragon Rock, Wright's experimental home and a National Historic Landmark. It is built on a rock ledge and spans 11 levels; fist-size stones serve as door handles. Four miles of paths weave through a landscape that appears natural but is actually a studied design of native trees, rocks, mosses, and wildflowers. The 90-minute tours take in the buildings and woodlands; wear comfortable walking shoes.

High-style period furniture and collections of crystal, silver, and porcelain fill this restored 1808 mansion, now a museum of Federal-period decorative arts. Built by States Morris Dyckman, a descendant of one of New Amsterdam's early Dutch families, the house originally stood in Montrose, some 15 miles south. It's open by tour only, but the grounds are reason enough to visit.

An extensive boardwalk leads you deep into the reeds and rushes of this lush, wildlife-filled tidal marshland. In winter the boardwalk is a prime lookout spot for bald eagles. Tromp through the 280-acre sanctuary's bluffs and woodlands, or visit the educational center, where a 500-gallon aquarium offers an up-close look at fish, crabs, and other resident wildlife. Note: parking is quite limited.