Hudson Valley Drive Suggestions
 

We're thinking of doing the Hudson Valley drive second week of October and need some good specific guidance. I'll admit upfront that I'm being lazy and hope that someone here will give me something close to a real plan and I won't have to do much more work. I've download the Fodors HV drive suggestion but I really don't know what I'm reading when I read that or the HV websites. I'm happy to go back to those things but would like some suggestions from the fodorites first.

We have about 6 days, maybe 7, in total and will be starting from Toronto. We're happy with inns and B&Bs. My SO may play a game of golf or two en route but that's not a must. We like music, markets, nice small and mid-size towns. We'll be driving a tiny car with little room for bags, and we'll only be taking casual clothes so we really don't need posh digs or restaurants.

Any HV drive experts out there?

Thanks in advance.
gtg

Topping, as this is an area I've also been curious about and for some reason thought one had to take either a train or riverboat.

Don't miss Storm King.

Thank, jub.

For hopingtotravel: http://www.stormking.org/

Thank, jub.

For hopingtotravel: http://www.stormking.org/

How far south are you planning to go ? I'd visit Hyde Park, home of FDR, and Sunnyside, home of Washington Irving. near Tarrytown and the Rockefeller estate also near there.

We spent 6 days driving from Tarrytown to Kinderhook and back--great trip.
Some things we especially liked: Storm King, West Point, Olana, Manitoga, River cruise from Kingston, Vanderbilt Mansion & Roosevelt sites in Hyde Park, Walkway over the Hudson, Washington HQ, Kykuit, Boscobel, Minnewaska, Huguenot St
Things we didn't love: DIA: Beacon, Martin Van Buren home, Poet's Walk Park, Staatsburgh, Fort Montgomery, Maritime Museum in Kingston.
Places we didn't get to: Montgomery Place, Clermont, the Fields at Omni, Inisfree Gardens, Locust Grove, Wilderstein, Union Church, New Windsor Cantonment.
The CIA was closed while we were there, but we had wanted to book a tour and a meal.

We have visited 4 times and only stayed in the Rhinebeck/Hyde Park area, but have driven all over. Its easy driving on lovely country roads.

If you are interested in FDR don't miss Hyde Park with his home and library. Valkil, Eleanors place is also fascinating. Top Cottage is also interesting - the ranger sits on the porch with a small group and just chats about FDR & Eleanor.
http://www.nps.gov/hofr/index.htm

Storm King, Manitoga (http://www.visitmanitoga.org) and Olana (http://www.olana.org) are probably my favorites in HV. We did Locust Grove this past trip and it was an interesting glimpse into life during that era. I have heard the tour of CIA is really good, but we have never been.

We have stayed at Journey Inn in Hyde Park right across the street from the Vanderbilt Mansion. The grounds are great for walking. I didn't love the tour of the mansion, perhaps it was the tour guide. Valerie, the owner of Journey Inn gives great suggestions of things to do in the area.

The Walkway over the Hudson (http://www.walkway.org) is a nice walk with fabulous views up and down the Hudson River. You can enter it from either side of the river.

I've not come across anything fancy or posh in the HV. Rhinebeck is a nice small town with lots of shops and restaurants. The cafe at Terrapin is good, Market Street Restaurant is very good as is the Local. A great lunch spot is Matchbox Cafe right outside the main part of Rhinebeck. Wonderful bakery stuff and good sandwiches and salads.

Have fun! Its a beautiful area with tons to see and do.

Thank you so much! This is exactly the kind of personal input I was hoping for. It's quite different from the helpful but general information you get on websites.

We really enjoyed a one night stop in Ithaca on the way to NYC last September. The town is cute/lots of good restaurants and the Cornell campus has some interesting attractions including the Johnson Art Gallery, the Ornithology Lab if you're a bird nerd and lovely waterfalls in the general area. Also a great looking craft beer route.

We stayed at the cheap and cheerful Super 8 Motel which was fine and had a delicious lunch at the Mahogany Grill (on N. Aurora - nice walking area).

We spent a week at a cooking course at the CIA - they have some day classes if that interests you. They have several restaurants on site including a casual one.

Rhinebeck is cute (north of Hyde Park). Also a slight diversion on your way home could be Stockbridge Mass - home of the Norman Rockwell museum.

Have a great trip!

The Berkshires are lovely too. Great Barrington is worth a night or 2.

We stayed here: http://thebriarcliffmotel.com/ Don't let the outside fool you, it was a roadside motel but is a nice B&B. The rooms aren't lush but are pretty and comfy. The breakfast was good.

Good info here:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-in-august.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...s-506432-2.cfm

Beautiful views and house -- http://www.olana.org/


Cute town -- http://www.redhook.org/

Book sooner rather than later, Leaf Peeping in October is big time and rooms go way in advance.

Agree on Great Barringtonn which is a cute town if you are venturing into the Berkshires. Last year we stayed at the Barrington which had just opened. http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/ma-gr...ton.html#img-5. Also agree on the Norman Rockwell Museum about 10 miles north of Great Barrington.

We used to live in the Hudson Valley and just returned from the Berkshires.

I concur with the rest that Storm King is a highlight. For a bite Cold Spring, Rhinebeck, or the CIA.

In the Berkshires, Great Barrington is nice as is Stockbridge. We liked Edith Wharton's estate called The Mount.

For a spectacular view of the Berkshires, find out which of the ski resorts has chair lifts rides in the off-season.

Might want to consider visiting the US Military Academy at West Point. Also Bear Mountain State Park - yes, there are quite few bears there - and in the area.

Thanks for all this -- there are some great ideas here!

Thanks, too, Deb, for pushing me to make reservations. I hope to get down to the specifics like that next week. I love the idea of CIA and maybe we can get a day class at the CIA. Love the idea of Storm King. Lots to love on this thread!

Maybe Ithaca will be our first stop. I really need to sit down with a map and a deck of sticky notes.

Thanks again, y'all.

Thanks for all this -- there are some great ideas here!

Thanks, too, Deb, for pushing me to make reservations. I hope to get down to the specifics like that next week. I love the idea of CIA and maybe we can get a day class at the CIA. Love the idea of Storm King. Lots to love on this thread!

Maybe Ithaca will be our first stop. I really need to sit down with a map and a deck of sticky notes.

Thanks again, y'all.

gtg - we left South Etobicoke at 8:30am and were sitting having lunch at 1:00pm. It was a lovely drive. Another (more famous) restaurant in Ithaca is the Moosewood Restaurant.

Last June (2014) my DH and I and our DP (dear puppy) spent a gorgeous weekend in the New Paltz area. We stayed at a dog-friendly B&B just a couple miles away. We enjoyed walking around New Paltz which is a bit touristy but we found a fabulous ice cream shop so we were happy. We also visited about 6 to 8 wineries over the 3 days. we used this website: http://www.hudsonvalleywinecountry.org/ .

I also vote enthusiastically for Storm King. I bet in October it will be beautiful with the trees changing.

If you're interested in hiking or walking, we also enjoyed Minnewaska State Preserve. http://parks.ny.gov/parks/127/details.aspx

I think it's a perfect length of drive for a start. I'm suddenly feeling like this is an actual possibility!

Is that the restaurant from the Moosewood vegetarian cookbook?