Hudson Valley to Stockbridge, MA/Berkshires
 

Hello

For a general sightseeing drive & stay, how many days/nights would be appropriate for the above path? This is likely to be a trip that is "go go go" during the day with the relaxation/leisurely meal in the evenings. Not so much a "hang out and go swimming and nada during the day time". We'd cover a lot of ground during the day, probably.

And, how many "base camps" would you have? For instance, would you stay in one hotel during the Hudson Valley part, doing day trips from there (West Point, various villages, the CIA for a meal, etc) and then move on to another single lodging for the northern part?

What do you think, four days/nights?

This would start and end in NYC - which would probably be another three nights, estimated...

Thanks!

You might be interested in this thread that I started in anticpation of our Hudson Valley trip a year ago.

http://fodors.com/community/united-s...y-262177-2.cfm

The first question is: Where in the Hudson Valley would you start....the lower portion in Westchsster County or further north? In makes a difference, as there are many worthwhile sites all along the route.

Hi, thank you SF and Howard!

We'd start in NYC and drive. If going all the way to Stockbridge is too ambitious we can cut that part out. This would likely be a Saturday arrival in NYC, a few nights, leave Monday after lunch... drive... then back in NYC on Saturday with Sunday departure after brunch. Is that enough time?

Those times are flexible. No planes or trains to catch until Sunday afternoon (of departure date).

Yes it's enough time. You won't see everything, but you'll see a lot. We left Connecticut on a Sunday evening, and returned to NYC Thursday late afternoon, spent the evening in the city, and flew home Friday morning.

R u plnning just to stay in Stockbridge in the Berkshires? A week in the Berkshires & HV areas is fine. I think a week in HV alone while certainly doable, would be a bit much for me. For the HV I would stay half at the lower end and half at the upper end. U can certainly stay in one base, but its a lot of driving back and forth which I prefer to avoid.

I'm sure you'll get a lot of suggestions. While I won't attempt to plan out a full itinerary for you, I'll offer the sites that are on my 3 favorites:

*Kykuit, the Rockefeller estate in Pocantico Hills (adjacent to Tarrytown. For me, this is the best of all the estates. I recommend the joint tour of the mansion and the magnificent grounds.

*Storm King Art Center in Mountainville (adjacent to Cornwall0. This is magnificent sculture park and museum.

*Olana--the home, studio and estate of Hudson Valley artist Frederic Church, located in Hudson.

Do a google search on all three. Also check these two websites for help in your plannng: hudsonvalley.org and hvnet.com.

When is the trip? Lodging in the Berkshires (and even nearby parts of the Hudson Valley)is expensive and often has 3 night minimums (worse on weekends, but the problem can persist midweek) in the summer due to the popularity of the Tanglewood festival. It's a good idea to check what's available in the areas you're considering before you spend too much time sorting out what you're going to visit when.

Thank you again.

SF and yestravel - my vacations tend to be fairly active - we'll cover a lot of ground. Not very good at relaxing for very long - usually by evening is great. I'll look for two bases. We might have time to nip up and see Stockbridge, at least, even if it's just to visit.

Howard, thank you for those tips. Once I get a list together I will start connecting dots...

nyer - most likely September although not sure if it will be early or late. If the Berkshires are too much of a hassle we'll just drop them. Three nights in NYC is also part of this and if going too far afield makes this a slog we will shorten it. But I do hear it's very pretty there. So we will see...

If you come at the end of September, you have a chance of hitting the area at its most scenic, thanks to the fall foliage. If make it two or three weeks later, it'll be even better!

I would love to take this trip.

We have done a lot in the Berkshires and some in the Upper Hudson Valley (Hudson to Saratoga) but haven't made it to the southern end.

Stockbridge is a great place to stay, easy to get to Great Barrington, Hancock Shaker Village etc. I'm pressed for time at the moment but can fill in sites if others don't recommend them.

I will say that speed enforcement throughout this area is "vigorous" without suggesting that the towns are precisely speed traps. Be cautious.

And the most vigorous speed enforcement is coming through South Egremont on rte 23. (Coming from NY state you are coming down a hill and it is very easy to get going faster than the 35 mph limit!)

coming up rte 7 through Conn to Mass --a winding road with many views of the Housatonic River. In West Cornwall there is a covered bridge. If you are into photography, stop in the village and there are many places to catch different views of the bridge. Kent has several good places for lunch. Kent Falls is a park with places for picnic and a short hike will take you to the falls. You will come through Great Barrington with lots of good places to eat, good stops for photography, motels, and B&Bs, etc. Next town Stockbridge, home to Norman Rockwell Museum, Mission House (17th century life house and gardens), Naumkeg (home of the Choates and 19th century life), Chesterwood (Home of Daniel chester French, sculptor of Minute Man statue in Lexington and Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial-lovelyhome, gardens and woodland walk.

South of Gt. Barrington in Ashley Falls section of Sheffield--Ashley House--from where Mumbet, a slave in Col. Ashley's house, walked to Stockbridge to enlist the help of Judge Sedgwick in obtaining her freedom. Bartholomews Cobble wildlife center has lovely walks with lots of wildflowers. Walk goes through woods and over a meadow. Views of the river and farms through the trees. Birds and other wildlife abound.

Over the line in NYstate, Hudson River valley. Frederick church's estate Olana--already mentioned. Rhinebeck has an air museum. Hyde Park, FDR's home; a Vanderbuilt Cottage, a slight detour off rte 22 is BashBish Falls, a 20 min. hike from the parking lot. Tarrytown, has Washington Irving's home and Lyndhurst another 19th c. pile.

Great minds think alike, Irishface. Egregious South Egremont is certainly one of those to which I referred.

Good morning!

Howard, dates aren't set yet. October would be a great time, but there's a decent chance this will be earlier in September - IE late summer rather than early fall. But there are always other times, too!

Ackislander, thank you for the thoughts.

Irishface, thank you! I am tentatively thinking of our northern base being Rhinebeck, and it sounds like you've mapped out a full day to spend during our stay. A long day (probably 150 miles RT?) but a good one.

Eleanor Roosevelt's cottage, Valkill, is a great place to visit. Also, Edna St. Vincent Millay's house near Chatham, NY, offers tours now too. Fascinating places.

There's a good culinary institute in Rhinebeck, I think.

Bk,ark

Hello everyone

Quick update; we are home.

We were in the HV for 72 hours and only on the eastern side of the Hudson. We thoroughly enjoyed everything below.

We visited Sleepy Hollow Cemetery as well as the Marc Chagall and Matisse windows in the Union Church of Pocantico Hills. We did not visit Kykuit. Tuesday it was closed and Friday we did not have enough time.

We stayed at the Journey Inn in Hyde Park and it was lovely. It is directly across the street from the Vanderbilt estate, in fact, I walked the grounds each morning before breakfast. An invigorating way to start the day - especially since the mornings had the crisp feel of fall to them.

We spent a good chunk of our time at the FDR home and library. Did not make it to Val-Kill or Top Cottage. I was very moved by everything we saw there. It's a good thing they offer the two day pass because we took part of two days to see what we did.

We dined one evening at Bocuse, the CIA's French restaurant.

We had a brief visit to Rhinebeck and drove down to the water at Rhinecliff. We intended to come back but did not have time. The lighting was perfect in the evenings.

We spent a morning visiting Garrison/Cold Spring/Boscobel with a brief stop on the Bear Mountain Bridge for some photos. I also got some good photos of West Point from across the water.

We walked the Hudson river span/walkway one perfect afternoon. The weather was perfect just about the entire trip, in fact.

Thank you to everyone for their advice. We would have enjoyed a longer stay but Manhattan beckoned...

Glad you enjoyed the HV -- so much to see there. We've been up there twice now and have only scratched the surface. We stayed at the Journey Inn last summer - nice place.

My compliments, flygirl. You really covered a high percentage of the best the lower Hudson Valley has to offer. Too bad you misssed Kykuit. YOu'll have to include that along with some of the sites on the west side of the river--especially Storm King Art Center--on your next visit......And, you will come back, right?
If you had asked recently about what to see, the FDR museum would have been added to my A List. The facility completed a $25 million renovation in June and did an incredible job. For anyone living in or coming to the area, I strongly urged a visit there, even if you'd been there in the past. It's fantastic.

Thanks for reporting back. Sounds like a busy but not frantic trip!