L84SKY

After visiting NYC last month, we’ve got to get back to NY. We are planning to take a drive upstate, more questions about that later.

It looks like we will be making reservations in advance for Kykuit.

We love modern art, sculpture and architecture. There are 2 tours would suit us,
Classic Tour or the Grand Tour. On the Grand Tour we would see the second floor.

Has anyone been on the 2nd floor. The website says, “see the important paintings from Governor Rockefeller's collection.” Was it worth the extra 15 dollars? Do you remember what these paintings were?

Any other suggestions for the area?
And if there is a lot of other suggestions, how long would you stay in Hudson River area.

I'm also interested in paintings of the Hudson River School.

Thanks for your help.

captbuzz

You may be dissapointed. The tours are OK.
The wiews awsome.
If you are there you might as well
see it all.
There is a nice ride on Taconic parkway going north to Hudson and Rhinebeck.

L84SKY

Thanks, captbuzz.
Do we have to take the tour?
I didn't see anything on the website for just an admission.

HowardR

I totally disagree with captbuzz. The tours are excellent and well worth your time. In fac, you should try to make time for the tour of the gardens as well.
And, yes, you have to take a tour. It is the only way you can get onto the grounds.

joeyi

visited Kykuit over 10 years ago when it first opened and it was wonderful. i do not remember that they had separate tours then. we toured 3 floors of the house, including the basement that used to be a bowling alley and was converted to a gallery of Picasso's. the gardens are so beautiful so do not miss those. they also took us to an old carriage house that has some of Nelson's old cars in it.

L84SKY

Thanks for your responses.
It sounds excellent, modern art, sculpture and an antique car museum all things we love in one easy trip! It couldn't be better.

We'll probably do this first thing in the morning so we can have to rest of the day to explore the area.

HowardR

Responding to joeyi' comment about the tours, they increased and expanding the number of tours over the years. There are at least three different ones--the house, the garden and a combined one, I believe.
PS: The gardens are a photographer's paradise! (No photography allowed in the mansion.)

owlwoman

A suggestion for after the tour is to take a nice hike. We enjoy Rockefeller's generosity as the family has donated an enormous amount of land around the estate that is open to the public. We sometimes park at Stone Barns, take a long walk, then end up at the cafe for a late lunch. Stone Barns is on Rt. 448, a very popular place to visit, an actual working farm w/a fabulous restaurant.

Phillipsburg is interesting too and has a nice cafe as well as Lyndhurst. Take a look at this website for more ideas:

http://www.hudsonvalley.org/

HowardR

owlwoman is quite right about Rockefeller Park. It's a magnificent setting for an afternoon (or morning stroll). In addition the the Stone Barns area, you can also enter the park off Route 117 and walk around Swan Lake there.
We are indeed fortunate to have such a great outdoor facility in this area.

L84SKY

Thanks everyone. From the website you mentioned owlwoman, it looks like we could be entertained in this area for a day. I guess we'll stay the night around this area.

HowardR

Another helpful website: hvnet.com

L84SKY

Thanks Howard, that was more than helpful.
We had considered going to Storm King but I'm leaning towards
The Kendall Sculpture Garden at PepsiCo it sounds intriguing.

We're planning to take a close to a week and make it to Niagra Falls via Olana, Cooperstown, Finger Lakes etc. It looks like we have some interesting choices to make.

HowardR

Both Storm King and the Kendall Sculpture Gardens are well worth a visit. If I had to pick one, I think I'd opt For Storm King. It's just something very special and unique...and we love strolling all over the property enjoying the sculptures.

yk

Hi L84SKY-

I can offer no help or opinion, but could you please write a trip report when you return? Would love to hear what there's to see on the tour and what kind of paintings one can see!

I have heard great things about the PepsiCo sculpture park. I need to make a trip up there some time.

L84SKY

Oh Howard, you make this difficult (and I appreciate it). I went back and compared the 2 websites and it makes sense to see both. We may not get back to the Hudson for quite a while. Thanks! Storm King really does have quite a collection. There is so much to see along the Hudson and the Catskills that it could take days. If we don’t make it to Niagara Falls this trip, we’ll just have to hope they won’t erode by the time we get there.

Yk, I’ll be happy to write a trip report and include a full report about the 2nd floor of Kykuit.
I’m also excited about visiting the Hudson River School Art Trail. We can walk the trails and see the views today that are in so many of these paintings.

HowardR

L84SKY, yes, the lower Hudson Valley does indeed have a lot to offer....and it is indeed possible that you may never get out of thisnarea on your next trip.
If possible, I'd recommend seeing BOTH Storm King and the Kendall site. I didn't mean to demean Kendall. It's just that Storm King is so very unique and special to us.

owlwoman

Don't forget to stop at the Dia Museum in Beacon on the way upstate.

Yes, I feel very lucky to live in this area, we take advantage of all it's resources.

Storm King is very cool, again one of our day trips out of Tarrytown.

L84SKY

thanks owlwoman, reading about the Dia, lol, we may never leave the Hudson. It’s not like we have anywhere we need to be, this is a vacation.

Please tell me how long it takes to get from the lower Hudson to the Upper? What would be a good, convenient place to stay along the Hudson to enjoy all the art?

HowardR

Oh, how could I forget DIA, another lower Hudson Valley gem. Incidentall, there's a brief article about DIA in this month's Conde Nast Traveler.
As for a place to stay, the Tarrytown area is a convenient spot from which to make simple trips to the four sites mentioned. Beacon DIA is the farthest, but it's less than an hour's drive.

owlwoman

I agree, Tarrytown is a great place to stay (I'm a bit partial), very easy access to all highways north. That being said, there's a new Doubletree Hotel, a Marriott, Sheraton, the Tarrytown Castle if you want to splurge (it's an amazing place), the Tarrytown House, Springfield Suites, Hampton Inn, shall I go on ?

The Dia is about an hour north, Cold Spring is another of our favorite day trips and if you're coming in the summer, check out the Hudson River Shakespeare Festival held at Boscabel for a very different theatre experience. We never miss the shows there. One of our favorite things we look forward to in the summer. http://www.hvshakespeare.org/