As per my original post, I will be in the Hudson River Valley in July. I am going to a seminar and then my husband is joining me. I wouldn't usually pick July as a travel time. I mention a possible 2nd trip at a later date preferring to visit in the fall for all the things I can't see/experience this time. Thanks for the links. I didn't have the last one.

As always, thanks for the input. Keep 'em coming
Laurie

As for the other places in the Tarrytown area:
*Lyndhurst, the former home or railroad magnate Jay Gould is interesting and probably worth a stop.
*Definitely make dinner reservations well in advance at Stone Barns. They fill up rapidly. It's expensive, but I don't think as expensive at Equus at the Castle. The food is outstanding.
*when you go to Kykuit, you can easily see Philipsburg Manor, as that is where you must start at for your visit to Kykuit.
*Sunnyside and Van Cortlandt Manor are interesting, but don't come close to making the A-list!
*The Chagall windows are probably worth a stop, but I think the visiting hours are restricted, so check first.

On two visits to the area, we stayed in this very charming and affordable B&B in Hyde Park.

http://www.journeyinn.com/

Here are two good websites for the Hudson Valley:
www.hudsonvalley.org
www.hvnet.com

Thanks so much for the detailed answer Howard. I will check out making reservations for Stone Barns. If we visit Lyndhurst, Kykuit/Philipsburg, Stone Barns and the Church should I allow 1 1/2- 2 days?

Kagoo, I've already got that B&B on my list. I love the paint in the Tuscany Room. Gorgeous. Thanks for the rec. We do like to stay at B&B's so you truly get the feel of the area. (besides supporting locals)

So far I haven't had a suggestion for a winery. Is that something just the "tourists" do?

Thanks



I am so looking forward to this trip. I live in So. Cal.

Locals & tourists alike have been known to visit Millbrook winery.

http://millbrookwine.com/index.php

Locals have also been known to pick berries/fresh veggies, and also get artisanal cheese right from the farm.

Right now it's soggy, rotten strawberries & great snap peas. In July will be the height of blueberry season, and maybe some stone fruits like cherries (early), plums and apricots - since you're from CA those probably don't interest you.

Apple (& donut/cider) season doesn't start till the end of August, but you can save that for next trip in the fall.

What?! Blueberries, cherries, plums and apricots, oh my. Millbrook looks like fun. Thanks for the link. You mean cheese comes from a farm before the grocery store??? I will have to live on the edge.

I certainly like the apple cider enticement for the next visit in fall.

J62 I would love your suggestions for places to eat on/near the 9 from Cold Spring to Rhinebeck.

I'd also appreciate any other suggestions for B&B's.
Thanks

Cathryn's Tuscan Grill in Cold Spring would be an excellent restaurant choice.

Howard has my Cold Spring rec.

Here's the others, from South to North along Rt 9

Cold Spring:
#1 Cathryn's
#2 (distant 2nd but still good for steaks) Hudson House.

Beacon:
n/a

Fishkill: (Main St-Rt 52, just off Rt9)
#1 Il Barilotto (Italian). Strozapretti pasta is my favorite, or the risotto special.
#2 Sappore (steaks, grill, pasta)

Wappingers Falls
Aroma Osteria - same owner as Il Barilotto
Mojo Grill (off the beaten path in rural suburbia - not on Rt 9). The short ribs & the meatloaf are my favorites.

Poughkeepsie
Artist's Palate (downtown POK). High level of creativity - may not please a finicky palate.

Hyde Park
CIA (Escoffier (French), Caterina de Medici (Italian), or American Bounty), or Apple Pie Bakery Cafe for light lunch.

Rhinebeck
Terrapin restaruant / bar-cafe (2 different sides, the latter serves lighter fare but still v. good for a dinner)

Here are a few on the west side of the river

Newburgh
Il Cenacolo - never been but plan to try out soon.
there are also some on the waterfront that are ok, like Rivergrill. Location is nice, especially on a not-too-hot summer evening, food is ok but not remarkable.

New Paltz
Village Tea Room

You've gotten some great suggestions here. I live in Tarrytown, for what you'd like to do, I'd spend two nights in TT, then head up Route 9 to Cold Spring, Beacon (which has the DIA Museum), Rhinebeck, etc.

In TT, I believe Blue Hill @ Stone Barn is more expensive than Equus at the Castle, both are great experiences. Stone Barn has a little cafe for lunch, which in comparison, is very reasonable. So, if you're thinking of doing a little hiking around the property, it's a nice alternative.

Also, for staying, the Sheraton on Rt. 119 is one of their smaller boutique hotels, you could probably get a rate under $100/night and save the rest of your money for eating!

If you do a Boscobel/Cold Spring night, try not to miss Shakespeare on the Hudson, it is a very different Shakespeare experience and the use of the property in the production is quite imaginative.

Have a great time, this is truly one of the nicest regions (imo).

Thanks for the recs owlwoman, J62 and Howard, I am making my lists and checking them twice. I really feel good about the info everyone supplied on this post.

Check out activities and exhibits at Bard College, not too far from Rhinebeck. They sponsor a lot of unusual summer theatre programs and the grounds are interesting to explore.

Another question- The Friday my seminar ends my friend and I need a place to stay near Stewart Airport with shuttle service to the airport. I was reading reviews on TripAdvisor and it doesn't look good. Any good experiences with a hotel/motel with shuttle service to Stewart Airport Fodorites?

Three of the newer chain hotels near Stewart are Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, and Homewood Suites. Based on the consistent quality of the 3 chains at other places I've stayed around the US I think you'd be fine with any of these 3. Don't know if they have shuttle, but you can call them directly to ask.

We very much enjoyed two dinners at Terrapin in Rhinebeck.

You can make reservations at Blue Hill at Stone Barns at www. opentable.com

We happen to like Blue Hill in Manhattan (site of the Obamas' recent "date night" dinner) much better than Stone Barns. Dan Barber does his "sustainable" thing at both places, but the Manhattan location has much more ambience; the Westchester restaurant is literally in a barn, with no atmosphere whatsoever, but, at least the night we were there, a distinct barnyard "aroma," if you get my drift. Nonetheless, Stone Barns is quite popular.

We think Il Cenacolo in Newburgh is an absolutely terrific place; we've dined there regularly with our Hudson Valley friends over the pat several years, and we've never been disappointed. And, at a somewhat lesser price point, Terrapin in Rhinebeck is pretty good, too.

Wow, I totally disagree with your description of Blue Hill at Stone Barn, the restaurant does not have any type of "aroma". It has been beautifully decorated and they hold many "high end" weddings there. I think the ambience is quite nice and love the whole "farm" thing.

West of the river, you can go to Opus40 (opus40.org), an incredible work of sculpture in a quarry; Storm King (stormking.org), which has a new Maya Lin installation; and hiking at Mohonk Preserve (mohonkpreserve.org/index.php?hike). Mohonk Mountain House, which you can hike to from the Preserve (and pay Preserve day rates instead of Mountain House's, which are twice as much!) is not to be missed ... gardens, trails, rustic gazebos, a challenging rock climb called the Lemon Squeeze, and a rambling Victorian hotel worth gawking at but is off limits unless you stay there, very pricey/includes all meals.

You can also shop and eat in Woodstock, (yes, THAT Woodstock!) and perhaps something is going on in Byrdcliffe, an artist's community with theatre just outside of town. The Kingston Roundout area has river cruises, a few nice waterside restaurants, and interesting Maritime/Trolley museums.

East of the river, between Olana/Hudson city area and Kykuit/Pocantico area, there are multiple river mansions ... Montgomery Place, Mills Mansion (great grounds, you can walk along the river to a marina/environmental center on a woodland trail), Samuel Morse homestead, Vanderbilt Mansion, FDR home are all in Dutchess; Manitoga and Boscobel in Putnam; Lyndhurst in Westchester are a few of my favorites.

Two hidden gems near Rhinebeck: Wilderstein Mansion and Poet's Walk (park). Rhinebeck has good shopping and eating and is a beautiful town. It also has an art theatre, Upstate Films.

You can park at a little overlook at the end of Ransom Road in Highland and walk across the Poughkeepsie-Highland bridge for beautiful views ... and this fall, just north of that, a railroad bridge is being converted to the longest pedestrian bridge in the world, so come back!

Inland Dutchess, you can visit Innisfree Garden (innisfreegarden.org) and the Millbrook Winery as a side trip. Millbrook has a few nice restaurants, plus there's a nearby countryside restaurant there called Red Devon (reddevonrestaurant.com) that has great locally grown food.

Other Valley restaurants are at valleytable.com and click "guide". Lots of local restaurants are run by CIA grads. Other area info at www.ruralintelligence.com

A Millbrook resident, Ilana Papele Nielsen, puts out a "what to do in the area" guide each week: virtualhudsonvalley.com/events/

The Dutchess Tourism site has downloadable driving tours that are really good, and they'll get you through some beautiful back roads: www.dutchesstourism.com/dtours.asp

Hope it helps - I've lived here for a decade and love love love it. Come back in late August when the farmer's markets and roadside stands are groaning and go to the Dutchess County Fair ... or the fall when the river and the back roads are picture-perfect ...