abram

The park didn't speak to us, wasn't particularly beautiful, and didn't seem all that poetic. We may just be too unsophisticated.

goddesstogo

imdonehere, we're tough -- we can take it! We're actually going to do this trip in a 25-year-old sportscar and will do as much of the driving as possible with the top down. We're used to driving like that through October. We just bundle up and crank up the heat. It's fabulous!

IMDonehere

Have a wonderful time. One of the charms of Storm King is that the sculptures are not near one another and each has a chance to breath.

________________
Inaka, yes Fodor's can be nippy in October, but it is snarky the other 11 months.

goddesstogo

goddesstogo

OK! I've printed off all your suggestions and this weekend we'll sit down with a map and a calendar and work out a route so that I can start booking places to stay! I'll let you know the route once we've settled on it, just to check it with you and see if we've made any huge mistakes.

Thanks again, everyone!

Inakauaidavidababy

I've yet to make it to the Blaze, but could be fun, if you're in the area

http://www.hudsonvalley.org/events/blaze

HowardR

The Blaze is interesting, but it wouldn't make my A list! It's best for young children.

Inakauaidavidababy

I simply thought it could be a nice evening event with so few evening events, if they happen to be in the area. Tarrytown also has a theatre that may have something of interest if you make it that far south.

http://tarrytownmusichall.org

goddesstogo

I'm happy to note all your suggestions. A lot will depend on where we decide to stop and how that shuffles up with the calendar. For example, one of the things I really wanted to do was to surprise my SO with a cooking lesson at the CIA but there's so single class during the time we'll be there.

HowardR

Once you've got a handle on your schedule, I suggest you get back to us with that info and we just might be able to give some "fill-in" suggestions!

goddesstogo

Absolutely, Howard -- I'm counting on you all to help me finalize the details!

PhillyFan

Hi GTG. We just got back from a week in the Hudson River Valley and the Catskills and I think you will really enjoy a visit here - we were surprised at how much there is to see and do!

Here are my recommendations:

OLANA - we didn't do that this time, we visited last year and my husband and I were both fascinated at Church's house.

MILLBROOK, NY:

WINGS CASTLE - this was so interesting! We saw so many amazing homes and mansion, but this one was my favorite. Eclectic, fascinating, and the owners were just interesting people! Just check the times tours are available bc it's limited in the Fall.

INNISFREE GARDENS - these gardens were designed on ancient eastern principals and it was fun to roam around here and discover the different terraces, rock formations, mist garden, etc.

If you are so inclined, there is a nearby winery in this area, too, but we didn't visit that.


FDR MUSEUM & PRESIDENTIAL LiBRARY - Wow. We found this fascinating.

WALKWAY OVER THE HUDSON, Poughkeepsie - this is the longest pedestrian bridge in the world and it is a great place to walk. This was one of my husband's favorite things we did.

WOODBURY COMMONS OUTLETS. Don't laugh! This was not the typical outlet mall you can see in probably hundreds of places around the US. This outlet complex did have the typical outlets you would find in those, but this was the only place I've seen outlets for: Barneys New York, Jimmy Choo, Prada, lululemon, and Tori Burch.

CULINARY INSTITUTE. We neglected to make reservations here - do that! Even so, we had a terrific lunch at their Apple Pie Bakery and Cafe.

goddesstogo

Great info, Phillyfan, thanks! Where did you stay over? Inns? B&Bs? Should I wait for your trip report?

HowardR

How could I forget Innisfree Gardens in Millbrook! Definitely put that on your A list! It is great!

goddesstogo

Howard, I just printed that off half an hour ago!

goddesstogo

I've been working on this all day. Phew! It's a lot of info to wade through.

OK, this is a very (VERY) rough first draft, with questions:

1. We start off from Toronto and drive to Great Barrington/Stockbridge. Now, that's a 7-ish hour drive, so I'd want someplace nice to stop along the way, either for lunch or dinner an overnight. Suggestions?

2. Explore Stockbridge/Norman Rockwell Museum; explore Great Barrington. Stay there overnight or move along?

3. Drive to Hudson; Olana; lunch. Drive to Rhinebeck/Hyde Park area.

4. There seems to be a lot to do in the Rhinebeck/Hyde Park area so I think this would be a two day stop. Vist FDR home/library; Vanderbilt mansion; have a meal (probably lunch) at the CIA; visit Innisfree at Millbrook on the way to...

5. Poughkeepsie. Walk over the Hudson and back. Lunch or dinner at Lola's. Stay over here or move along?

6. I have a bit of a blank space here till Tarrytown. Tarrytown will probably be a two-day visit. Will go to Kyuit and maybe Sunnyside. Will go to the Tarrytown Theatre if we can get tix. We have friends in NYC so maybe they'll drive up for a visit.

7. Start north again up the west side of the Hudson. I haven't gone through all my paperwork yet but will probably stop at Nyack. What's there?

8. Leave Nyack and drive to New Windsor; see Storm King. Not sure about staying over because we're going to have to head home. Drive from somewhere to Ithaca (about 5 hours); visit in Ithaca and stay over.

9. Drive home to Toronto.

So that might be about 5 overnights. My SO only wants to be away for 5 days but I'm going to try to convince him we need 6. Am I taking too much time for visits and travel. Do I need this many overnights?

I'd also like to leave a bit of time for unscheduled stops if we see a nice place or something interesting along the way. And if we meet a fall fair or market, I'd like to do that as well, although I know they generally happen on weekends and we'll only have one of those.

As I say, this is the very earliest stage of planning. What do you think so far?

maxima

Poughkeepsie and Hyde Park are about 6 miles apart. We recently spend 2 nights in the area, and went to FDR's house, the FDR presidential library/museum, had lunch at the CIA, Valkill and the Vanderbilt Mansion. You could easily spend 2-3 days in this area depending on what you want to see. All of the house tours are given at specific times and are guided by National Park rangers. You can book in advance or just go to visitor's center at each site.

All of the CIA restaurants are closed on Sunday. If you want to go to any of the 3 main restaurants reservations are essential. The menus are posted on the CIA website, and you can make a reservation online. There is a free parking garage right next door to the restaurants on the campus and other visitor lots as well.

goddesstogo

Thanks, max. I thought that Hyde Park and Poughkeepsie were close but I didn't realize it was just minutes. I don't think we can spend three days there; likely it will have to be two but we can include Poughkeepsie on the drive out, I guess.

I think we'll just do a casual lunch at the Apple Pie Bakery Cafe at the CIA and I didn't see anything about reservations for that restaurant though it's clear on the others. I'll check about that, though. I know the tours require timing so I'm trying to leave as much else as I can a little more loosey-goosey.

Vttraveler

I regret that we were not able to visit the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site when we were in Hyde Park a few years ago. I hope to make it back to see Val-Kill. The area really has a lot to see, certainly more than enough for one day.

Nyack has the Edward Hopper house which is also on my to-do list.

PhillyFan

GTG - we stayed in Poughkeepsie to explore the stuff there, and the Hyde Park sites. We didn't realize Millbrook was about a 30 minute drive from here - we did those sites on our way north.

I think you need 6 days. We were 6 nights and our house to this area (via a drop off of my son to his camp) was about 7 hours to the Harriman, NY area.

We stayed all at Hampton Inns except for Hudson, NY where we stayed at a great B&B, The Inn at Hudson, which was in a former mansion. The house is filled with interesting stuff and our room was large and airy and NOT like the Hampton Inn!

Hudson, NY appears to have seen better days, and while it's a great location to visit Olana, Rhinebeck has much more charm. The stores on their main street are not open much during the week - some were only open Thurs - Sat - and many were closed on the Wed. evening we were there.