I will be visiting New York City next December and would like to rent a car for one day and drive out of the city for sight-seeing, etc.

Any suggestions?

North along the Hudson, up one side and down the other. How far you go is up to how much time you want to spend. The further you go, though, the nicer it is -- too much for a one day trip, so you'll have to turn around at some point.

Hi RedETogo! Well, I'm wondering what the "etc" is If the weather is good, you could drive up to Bear Mountain and go hiking. The drive is very scenic - offering views of the Hudson along the way.

http://www.hudsonriver.com/bearmtn.htm

Or you could go to West Point and visit the museum.

http://www.usma.edu/Museum/

It really depends on what you want to see/do and how the weather will be in December. But I think these two locations would be a full day.

Have fun!

As the two previous posters have noted, there is a lot to see and do in the Hudson Valley. If you pass along some information on what you'd like to see and do, we could refine the recommendations a lot more.

December is not exactly the best time for day trips out of NYC - because much of what there is to see/do on Long Island, Hudson Valley, Catskills etc is distinctly weather sensitive.

That said, there are a host of historic houses within an esay drive from the city - from Teddy Roosevelt's on LI to Franklin Roosevelt's, Rockefeller properties and a lot of Dutch Patroon/Colonial properties in Tarrytown/Westchester etc. New Paltz also has a number of original colonial stone houses.

If you give more ino on your interests we could make specific suggestions.

Or drive east out Long Island to the Hamptons. You could have an early dinner in the village of East Hampton or Montauk and then head back to the City.

I agree that December is not a good month for day-trips.

We enjoyed Hyde Park which has the FDR home and Culinary Institute of America (and the Samuel Morse house and museum, as in Morse code, but we didn't stop there).

Historic homes and sites would probably top the list of things to do as well as beautiful scenery.

Thanks for the input so far.

How far away is the Hudson Valley-how long to get there?

Long Island & Hamptons--how long does it take to reach there from Midtown Manhatten?

Also, are there sites of historic interest and what kind of scenery in that area?

The New York in December is going to be an annual event for a group of us and I'd like to explore regions around New York every year to get a flavor of more than just the city.

Well the Hudson river runs aloang the West side of Manhattan - so technically it is the end of the Hudson valley. If you drive north you will get to the first historic houses in about 45 minutes or so. Then its up to you how far you want to go/what to see. None of the things mentioned are more than about 2 hours away.

Long Island is across the East river from Manhattan. Although mostly semi-urban (Brooklyn and Queens - boroughs of NYC) at first and then more suburban (Nassau and Suffolk counties) you can find interesting sights (Teddy Roosevelt's House, Old Bethpage reconstruction) starting a little more than an hour's drive from the City. For the Hamptons/Sag Harbor/wineries etc its more like two hours drive.

Drives out of the city are generally not very scenic, but particularly not at that time of year. The expanse b/w just outside the city and the scenic destinations are pretty awful or just highway.

For historic homes, the Rockefeller estate Kykuit, north of the city, would have to top the list I think. There are day trips by boat but not sure if those run in December and not sure when Kykuit closes for the winter. You can also get there by train and there are other estates nearby. Look at http://hudsonvalley.org/ and the Kykuit website.

A restaurant called Blue Hill at Stone Barns has been opened at the Rockefeller estate Pocantico and is supposed to be unbelievable. I think there may be tours of both Rockefeller Esates. I found mention of the following

a "Rockefeller Estate Life Tour", which will include a visit to Kykuit, the Rockefeller house and gardens and a "Farm-to-Table Tour," which will take visitors to the 18th century farm of Philipsburg Manor before seeing the progressive 21st century agricultural operation at the Stone Barns Center.

Old Westbury Gardens on Long Island is another possible destination. They have some special events/displays around Christmas
http://www.oldwestburygardens.org/
You could combine this with a stop to Teddy Roosevelt's House Sagamore Hill in Oyster Bay. There is also some major mall shopping nearby (Roosevelt Field in Westbury)

emd's idea of Hyde Park and the Culinary Institute is an interesting idea.

While there are some small historic homes to tour (on weekends) in the Hamptons, none rival the grandeur of the ones already mentioned. Many of the grand houses in the Hamptons are still being used and are in private hands The Hamptons holds a different kind of charm. It is a 2-3 hour drive though and I'd say the areas either north of the city or the Old Westbury stop which is only about 1 hour and a bit would be a better use of tim(e at that time of year.

Some other ideas...If December weather prevents you from traveling too far, you can visit the NY Botanical Gardens. They have a lovely train and floral display in the Conservatory beginning in December. Their conifer garden is especially spectacular to stroll through. Right next door, is the Bronx Zoo and in the evening they off a Holiday Lights display.

that should be...they *offer* a Holiday Lights display.

mclaurie is correct about putting the Kykuit estate high on the list. Unfortunately, it is closed from November through April.
However, there are a lot of other worthwhile sites to see along the Hudson, starting with Lynhurst (the Jay Gould Estate, which was used in the filming of Dark Shadows) in Tarrytown.
Check out these two websites:
http://www.hudsonvalley.org
http://www.hvnet.com

PS: The Stone Barns is indeed an excellent restaurant. However, keep two things in mind:
*It's very popular and reservations must be made well in advance.
*It's expensive.

HowardR: Have you been to Blue Stone Barns? I have heard "mixed reviews" from friends. Just wondering what you thought.

The food is good. Service and ambiance are excellent. I'm not sure if it was worth the price.

What about the end of March? Still too cold to do much? We have already been up the Hudson, so we were thinking about the Hamptons for one night. If so, any place in particular to stay?

If you don't want to drive but would like a view of the Hudson River area, try visiting the Cloisters, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum.
The Cloisters
Address: Fort Tryon Park, New York, NY, USA Phone: 212/923-3700
By subway, take the A train to 190th Street and Overlook Terrace and then take the #4 bus to Fort Tryon Park - the Cloisters. Or simply take the #4 (Madison Avenue) bus all the way to the Cloisters.

jag1jag1, the Hamptons is best seen with a car. There is either train or bus service to get back and forth from the city, but once you're there, a car is really best. The nices places to stay are b & bs or Inns. March is still a bit cold but certainly doable. If you're willing to rent a car, you might consider stopping at Teddy Roosevelt's home Sagamore Hill on the way out, and/or the gardens at Old Westbury (although not sure how much there is to see at that time of year). Otherwise, the trip is pretty boring. The Maidstone Arms in East Hampton is a lovely Inn.