Manhattan to Hyde Park
 

Was thinking about a day trip from NYC, up to Hyde Park/FDR Library. There's also the Culinary Inst nearby for lunch?

Couldn't find one, but is there a tour of some sort to get us there and back? Or, how about one going up the Hudson- that would be cool!

I suppose we could get a car for the day but would prefer not to do that if possible. Thanks!

I'm not aware of any tours like this - and if there are any I would think only in summer or leaf peeping season. To see much in that area you really need a car.

(Have you looked at the web sites of the CIA and Hyde Park - it should have all the travel info.)

There are lots of tours. I see buses around all the time but not sure where they originate.

No boat ride from Manhattan that far north - too far for a day trip.

Train (MetroNorth RR) will take you as far north as Poughkeepsie, which is about 10min south of the CIA in Hyde Park. I recall seeing a zipcar parking there, or maybe it was a the Beacon station. I believe you need to be a zipcar subscriber to use their cars.

Really though, a rental car is the way to go. Speed, flexibility, and convenience.

ellenem, that is a nice tour, thanks for posting

that tour does look good. I also noticed on the nps site that one can take the train to P'keepsie, and then a shuttle will take you to FDR and Vanderbilt. But that doesn't start til May. Will have to weigh the bus trip vs renting a car. Maybe making it an overnight trip is the way to go- to go to Cul. Inst and FDR, and Vanderbilt!

Thanks, everyone.

If you want to rent a car, I'd actually suggest that you take MetroNorth to the North White Plains Station, where there is a Hertz rental outfit across the street where you can usually get car for about half the price of a rental in Manhattan. You can rent the car there, drive up to Hyde Park, have lunch at the CIA, and return the car and catch Metro North back into the city. It's certainly no more expensive than renting in Manhattan and allows you to do things at your own pace. If you do this on a weekday, then you can get a really good deal. On the weekends, you have to get the car back fairly early (around 3pm), so that's not as attractive an option. But then again, during the week you might get a good deal on a Manhattan car rental. It's not a bad drive up there.

good idea to rent a car part ways up. Or, we were just thinking of flying into the airport near White Plains, rent a car, and even spend a night somewhere and take our time visiting the three sites, then returning the car and taking the train to the city. (Instead of doing a day trip in the middle of our NYC visit.) What town would be a good place to overnight?