HUDSON VALLEY THREE DAY IMMERSION – Poughkeepsie, Rhinebeck, and More

DAY ONE  

From Poughkeepsie, start by touring the sites at Hyde Park – the mansion, grounds and gardens built by the 19th century millionaires of the Vanderbilt family; and the nearby estate of four-term USA President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  Continue enjoying world-class refinement with a trip to the Culinary Institute of America.  Four restaurants staffed by students at this elite training school for chefs are open for lunch from 11:30-1:00 – be sure to reserve online. Digest your lunch with some exercise: the Walkway Across the Hudson takes you high above the river to watch the boats. If you prefer golf, Poughkeepsie’s beautiful McCann Golf Course is open to the public. They rent golf clubs and carts for convenience. For dinner, choose river views and casual seafood at River Station, or stay upscale with dinner at Crave Restaurant and Lounge.

DAY TWO   

Choose from a day with shopping and a spa – Woodbury Commons in the morning,  followed by a relaxing spa afternoon and dinner at Buttermilk Falls Inn. It’s a truly sustainable experience: their beautifully landscaped farm produces many of the herbs, greens, honey, eggs and dairy products served in the restaurant, as well as the botanical oils used in spa treatments.  Solar and geothermal energy are used to heat the sauna, steam and pools.

Alternately, visit the US Military Academy at West Point, then return to Poughkeepsie for lunch on the Mystere, a double deck ship that cruises the Hudson River. If you feel ambitious, hire a hot air balloon from one of the two local companies that operates flying balloons, for an experience you will never forget.

DAY THREE

Go north today, for an outdoors adventure with architecture, art, horses, and sailing.  Begin with a fresh breakfast from Bread Alone in Rhinebeck, a town popular with students from Bard College, Marist College, and Vassar, as well as fashionable people who escape the stress of Manhattan in the summer.  From there, drive north on route 9GS towards Olana Historic Site, the breathtaking estate of American landscape painter Frederick Church.  At Olana, be inspired by the “dreamlike” mansion, the huge landscape painting exhibits, and the panoramic views of the Hudson River.  Picnic on the grounds of Olana or head to the town of Hudson for lunch and another stroll.  The afternoon is for watching elite horse jumping competitions at Horses In The Sun, which you reach by crossing the Hudson River on route 23 and traveling south to Saugerties.  The final adventure will be with Tivoli Sailing: champagne and crab, while you watch the sunset from a sailboat on the river.  A room at the Diamond Mills Hotel, overlooking the Saugerties waterfall, promises a sound sleep.