Nyack

Although only a 35-minute car ride from Manhattan, the Hudson River village of Nyack retains a small-town charm. Elegant mansions and Victorian stunners mix with modest homes as well as delightful shops and fine restaurants. For a scenic drive with glimpses of the river, take Main Street to North Broadway and turn left to follow it north to Hook Mountain.

The arts have long played an important role in Nyack, the birthplace of realist painter Edward Hopper. Today Hopper's house is a community cultural center and exhibit space. Nyack was also the longtime home of stage actress Helen Hayes, for whom a thriving local theater is named.