Day Trip from NYC
 

I may have access to a car for this Saturday day and am thinking about using it to get out of the city. Where would you go on a day trip out of Manhattan? I am open to any and all suggestions. Thinking along the lines of old houses, antiquing or hiking just about anything that will get me out of the city into seeing the first hints of green and something that would be pleasant to spend the day by myself.

For a short drive, try Tarrytown(Westchester) or Cold Spring(Putnam county). Historic houses to tour, shops, restaurants

Kykuit, the Rockefeller Estate, but not sure it's open yet. Check their website.

Kykuit is not open yet but some of the other homes in the area are.
http://www.hudsonvalley.org/

Thanks for the suggestions, and thanks for checking on the opening days. When I did a little looking myself, I also found that since it was March, a lot of things hadn't opened yet.

Cold Spring is a great day trip. It's on a beautiful spot on the Hudson River. You can walk right down to the river and see West Point on the opposite shore. The main street is lined with galleries and restuarants. And there's pretty countryside outside the town.

Hudson, NY, is another good day trip, though farther away.

In the other direction, Princeton, NJ, is close enough for a day's visit. The university campus is beautiful, they have a great little art museum, and the town is very attractive.

I would suggest Cold Spring or Hudson, NY.

Teddy Roosevelt's home at Sagamore Hill - or FDR's at Hyde Park. The former can be combined with a trip to Jones Beach or robert Moses State Park - great off season as long as it's not TOO cold. And you can see all sorts of shore birds and sometimes seals.

Ridgefield, CT - attractive colonial town with extremely interesting and well-regarded modern art museum - the Aldrich Museum. Main St. is lined with beautiful old homes (some renovated and some not) and a wide sidewalk that makes a nice walk. Downtown shopping is small, locally owned shops in a several block radius. Great food either at The Inn (used to be called the Elms, on Main street) or the West Lane Inn.

I would go up to the NY Botanical Gardens and see the Orchid Exhibit and walk the grounds. Then I would pig out on Arthur Avenue :-)

I debated the NY Botanical Garden but it is not cost effective with a car because parking costs at least $10 and I think I can pay less than that round trip on Metro North. But I did consider that.

Thank for all the wonderful suggestions, I have filed them away for the future.