Vttraveler

Sounds like a great trip. We have only visited the Hudson a day or so at a time over the years (mostly as we were driving to/from eastern PA to visit family). I would like to spend a longer period there.

We are thinking of trying to meet my BIL from PA there in October so we could see Val-Kill and the FDR library which was being renovated a few years ago when we last were there.

Bedar

I hope you know that Saugerties and Rhinebeck are on opposite sides of the river.

Yonkers is a big city. That hotel is not in an "industrial" part. I'm from there and will be visiting sometime soon. Glad to hear about the hotel and others. Otherwise, would have to stay in Tarrytown or White Plains.

goddesstogo

I do know that Bedar but that's fine. It's under a half hour drive and we're OK with that. I couldn't get anything on the Rhinebeck side and I thought I'd better snap up the B&B in Saugerties while I could. It's on a great, very handy website called www.hudsonvalleylodging.com.

Vttraveler, I was very surprised in how the booking for Hyde Park goes. You have to book your tour in advance which is not surprising, but you have to go by their schedule which seems odd to me. Valkil is allotted 1.5 hours, while the FDR home/library is given only an hour, as is the Vanderbilt mansion. You have to give them an hour between each place, so we're starting early in the morning and don't finish till 4 or 5 (can't remember which).

When we went to the LBJ library in Austin, we spend hours there. I can't imagine doing both the FDR house and library combined in an hour. Plus, why would Valkil take a half hour longer than that?

Anyway, they must have their reasons. It just seems odd to me.

goddesstogo

Bedar, if you're looking for a place in Yonkers, I looked at this one too. It gets good reviews and seems to have been recently renovated.

http://www.royalregencyhotelny.com/

yestravel

I wonder if it's changed since last year at the FDR site? We did the tour of the house and then could go into the library and could spend as much time as we wanted there. I also don't recall the tour at Val Kill being longer than the FDR house tour. But I have to say I don't recall how long either tour was.

HowardR

yestrip is right. You don't have to book a tour of the library. That tour you booked, I believe, is just for the house. Do plan to spend at least an hour, probably more, in the library. It's really fantastic, especially since the recently completed total renovation and updating....and much more interesting than the house!

Inakauaidavidababy

Bedar,

How would you describe Executive Park/Drive between the pway and 9A in Yonkers? I think it is an executive industrial area but would love to hear another opinion.

goddesstogo

Well, it was all very confusing. I found the website confusing first of all because in one place it said the tickets were good for two days (which would have been great) but then I called and talked to someone on the phone and she didn't know anything about that.

I went back in online and when I tried to book times (they give you a schedule) for each of the three tours, I got a pop-up saying I couldn't do those times and had to leave an hour after each tour to get to the next one, which seems like a hugely long traveling time.

Just for fun, go into the site (http://www.nps.gov/hofr/index.htm) and try to book. You don't have to pay till the end so you can just leave it unfinished.

maxima

All Kykuit tours originate from the Visitor Center at Philipsburg Manor, located on Route 9 in the village of Sleepy Hollow. You have to park at the visitor center and a shuttle bus takes you to Kykuit. There are several different tours. Check the website and see what suits your interests and time schedule. Do try to see the Chagall Windows at Union Church.

Your Hyde Park day really packs a lot in.. If you find you can't do it all, or want to spend more time at the FDR museum, I would skip the Vanderbilt Mansion. You can drive on the grounds without seeing the mansion.

In Rochester, you may want to go to the photography museum at the George Eastman House.

yestravel

I went to the NPS site for FDR. I don't think it's saying you can only spend an hour or go by their schedule. I think you click on the times you want for each site-- the times are suggested amounts that it takes. Actually the hour is probably just the tour for Sringwood (the house) & you can go to the museum. It may be that tours are sold out for certain times. I clicked on 10 for Vanderbilt, 12:30 for FDR and 2:30 for Val Kil. The limiting factor appears to be that Val-Kill only has two times 10:30 or 2:30 so you have to wrok around those times.

Getting back to your car and driving to the next site, maybe 10-15 minutes tops, parking, walking to the site probably takes close to 30 minutes, so they're assuming you move slowly and allowing an hour. I did 10 at Vanderbilt, 11:30 at FDR house and 2:30 and i had no trouble with the dummy booking.

I will add that we had a lot of confusion witht he staff about Top Cottage. Long story, but each ranger gave us different info - so their is confusion among the staff about some things. Good luck!

goddesstogo

yestravel, when I tried to book the times I wanted, the website wouldn't let me move forward unless I changed times. The website shows you how many tickets are available for each of the three tours and none of them was sold out. Crazy.

I'm hoping that once we get there with paid tickets we'll be allowed to be more flexible. The Vanderbilt mansion is the part I'd skip. I'm really more interested in the FDR home and library although people say Valkil is interesting.

George Eastman House is a definite, maxima. I understand the hotel we're staying at, the Strathallan, is nearby. And thanks for the tip about the Chagall windows.

yestravel

I wouldn't count on changing your ticket times if it's busy. Why don't you do Val Kill in the am then FDR and a late day Vanderbilt? Is that possible?

goddesstogo

That's exactly what we've got, yt -- Valkil at 10:30, FDR at 1:30 and Vanderbilt at 4. I think that was the best I could manage with the bossy website. I don't mind spending the day doing that but it seems like a long space of time in between places (when the actual tours are just 1.5, 1 and 1 hours) and very little time actually IN the places.

HowardR

Whoa, I think you're not allowing enough time to truly experience both the FDR home and museum.

I'm also very confused. We've been to those sites many times and never had to to worry about booking tours, etc., especially for the library. You really don't need a guide for the library.

As far as the two-day thing, that thinking is that you may not be able to do both the FDR and Vanderbilt facilities in one day, so you have the flexibility to do it in two days. That's been a policy for many, many years.

If you only have time to visit the Vanderbilt property, but not the mansion, there is no charge for parking and walking around.

goddesstogo

Well, I agree, Howard (about not enough time). But based on what the live person on the phone told me and the bossy website, that's what we had to do. As I said above, one page on the website said the tix were good for two days but the next page made us purchase tickets for specific times on one day. That's when I phoned. The person on the phone said there was no two day thing and I had to buy tix for specific times.

I'm hoping that once we get there we can walk through with the tour and then browse on our own in each place. Or that the two day thing is real and the girl on the phone was wrong.

I find the whole thing very confusing.

HowardR

I'm still confused! Admittedly, that Monday is a Columbus Day holiday, which means it probably will be crowded, but I can't believe that it would be THAT busy the next day. I don't understand the person on the phone's insistence on booking everything for the same day.

Still, of all the times we've been there, we never had to make a reservation for the library. And, as I previously wrote, you can do a "self tour" of the library quite easily! In fact, I never knew there was a guided tour of the library! Are you sure about the guided tour of the library?

I suggest that when you get there, you PLEASANTLY tell them about the troubles you had on the phone. Maybe you can get their sympathy and get things changed.

yestravel

You can't browse thru either Val-Kill or the FDR house. You are only allowed in the houses with the guide. You can browse the grounds. We all spend differing times in libraries and such. For me your time is fine unless you think you really want to delve into FDR. We spent about 1 hour in the library which was fine and we walked around the grounds a bit for maybe 30 minutes. One could easily spend hours there if so inclined. For Val Kill we booked the tour onsite and spent maybe 45 minutes walking around outside and in some other building which I think was playing a film strip of Eleanor before the tour began. It was interesting but oviously didnt make a real impression of I would remember what the other building was.

Definitely talk with the NPS staff when you get there. They are very nice, just not real organized. If they have openings for other times they may let you change as long as its not fully booked. Typically Tuesdays and Wednesdays are less busy than other weekdays.

HowardR

yestravel is correct about tours being required for visits to the two houses. But, as I've mentioned twice, that is definitely not the case for the FDR library.

goddesstogo

thanks, yestravel, that makes me feel a little better about the day. I suspect the reason for the extra half hour at ValKil is the film strip.

maxima

The Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt (National Park Service) and the FDR Presidential Library and Museum (operated by the National Archives and Records Administration) offer an $18 joint admission ticket. These tickets are valid for 2 days.


If you purchase at ticket to the FDR Home/Library for $18 and a $10 ticket at Vanderbilt Mansion, Val-Kill or Top Cottage you will receive free admission at your choice of a third site (Vanderbilt, Val-Kill or Top Cottage). If you choose to visit all 4 sites, the 4th site is the regular admission of $10.


The museum is self guided, The FDR house, Valkill and the Vanderbilt are all timed tours with the national park service.

At Val-kill, there is a short film that starts the tour but if you don't get to watch it the tour then goes to the house. After your tour you can go inside Stone Cottage where there are some exhibits about Val-Kill Industries, and some short home movies of the Roosevelts. You can also walk to Top Cottage.

Given the tour times, you can space out your time at the FDR museum/presidential library, and allow some time for lunch as well. there is also a film at the visitors center at the FDR site. you can walk the grounds too.

I was there in July and did not have to pre-book any of our tours. it is possible that on a holiday weekend in October it may be more crowded. I do not believe that the library has any tours and you can spend as much time there as you would like.. the day we went we were there for about an hour in the morning had a lunch at the CIA and went back later that day on the same admission ticket.

Each house tour takes about an hour. Perhaps more time is allocated at Val-kill in the event you go to Stone Cottage or take a trail walk to Top Cottage and back.