Where would be a good day trip (leave early, come back early evening via the railway) from NYC if we wanted to see wintry weather and a piece of history? How far cd. you travel by train? Do upstate small towns get more snow than the city?
Thanks!

West Point located about 50 miles north of NYC. There is usually more snow north and west of the city. You would go by bus.

Rhinebeck, NY area. It's a quaint walking-around town with little shops and restaurants. And it's right near Hyde Park where the Franklin D. Roosevelt Home, Vanderbilt Estate and Culinary Institute of America are. As far as getting there and around, you can take Amtrak to Rhinecliff (the next town up). You'll need a cab to get into Rhinebeck and then out to the mansions. When are you planning on coming? It's been VERRRRY cold lately.

How about Saratoga Springs NY? This is a very charming small city at the foothills of the Adirondaks. I'm sure they have lots of snow and cold, but I'm not sure about train connections.

Saratoga is on the Amtrak routes from NYC to Montreal and Vermont. The earliest train arrives at 11:56 weekdays and 1:21pm weekends. Last trains back to NY depart 3:33pm weekdays, 3:55 SaSu, and 6:52 Sun. It really is a nice town to visit, but not for a single day. I'd recommend Rhinebeck too, or I hear good things about Cold Springs (or is it Cold Brook?) just south of Poughkeepsie, and served by the Metro North trains - costing much less than Amtrak. Albany could be a place for history, museums, galleries, and winter weather. We've had more snow already this year than our average yearly snowfall (Albany).