Great location to tour historic sites nearby!
MANHATTAN TO THE MID-HUDSON VALLEY
Two hours north of Manhattan, there’s a place where working farms still exist, antiques really are bargains, and pies win prizes.
From Manhattan, northern Dutchess County is a 2 1/2-hour drive up the Taconic State Parkway to Route 199 and Red Hook or via the NYS Thruway, exit 19- Kingston. Amtrak service between New York and Albany stops in Poughkeepsie and Rhinecliff. Metro-North, the commuter train offers the Hudson Line into Poughkeepsie.
MID-HUDSON THINGS TO DO, PLACES TO SEE
In Northern Dutchess many Gilded Age estates are now National Park Service properties; some are open to the public year-round.
Montgomery Place River Rd., Annandale-on-Hudson; This Classical Revival mansion is worth a visit; the walking paths are extensive, enjoy the gardens that bloom all summer. Come fall, there’s apple-picking in the orchards and a bustling farm stand that sells heirloom varieties of fruit and locally produced goods. (Walking distance from Shepherd’s Knoll)
Mills Mansion State Historic Site Old Post Rd, Staatsburg; This 1896 Beaux-Arts mansion was designed by McKim, Mead & White as a showplace for the fall social season. The grounds are surrounded by 1,000 acres of state park with trails along the Hudson.
Vanderbilt Mansion Rte. 9 Hyde Park; In 1895, Frederick William Vanderbilt purchased 676 acres along the Hudson and began building this mansion, designed by McKim, Mead & White. (Vanderbilt kept a full-time staff of 40 here, even though he and his wife lived there just three months a year).
Franklin Delano Roosevelt National Historic Site Museum & Library Rte 9, Hyde Park; Recognizing his place in history, FDR willed his house (and the 290-acre estate) to the American people in 1943.
Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site Rte. 9G, Hyde Park; The simplicity of Eleanor Roosevelt’s retreat, 1/2 miles from FDR’s house, reflects her unaffected personality. The humble stone cottage has hosted many throughout the years.
Samuel F.B. Morse Historic Site, Locust Grove 370 South Rd, Poughkeepsie; Purchased by inventor-artist Samuel Morse in 1847, Locust Grove has beautiful gardens, a good collection of 18th- and 19th-century English and American furniture (Federal, Queen Anne, Chippendale) in the main Tuscan-style villa, and an exhibition of Morse’s work. Visitors can try sending messages on model telegraph machines.
DUTCHESS COUNTY FRUITS, VEGETABLES, FLOWERS & MORE” ITINERARY
Mead Orchards (www.meadorchards.com ) – Take a scenic drive to 15 Scism Road in Tivoli, near Bard College. A family-run, 180-acre fruit orchard and vegetable farm around since 1916. They grow nearly 40 varieties of apples, as well as peaches, pears, plums, cherries, strawberries and other berries. You also can choose from their wide variety of delicious greens, summer vegetables, winter squashes, pumpkins and decorative gourds.
Greig Farm in Red Hook (www.greigfarm.com) – just 10 minutes from Shepherd’s Knoll. Pick your own fruit and vegetables. Lose yourself in the 500 acre working farm for a surely unique and memorable experience.
Clinton Vineyards (www.clintonvineyards.com) – Set against a backdrop of trellised vines and beautiful rolling hills, this member of the Dutchess Wine Trail is located at 450 Schultzville Road in Clinton Corners.
BIKE RIDING LOOPS – RED HOOK, RHINEBECK, BARD COLLEGE AND TIVOLI
There are numerous benefits to cycling in Dutchess County. We have many country lanes for you, your family and friends to explore. Here are two map routes where Shepherds Knoll can be your home base, central launch point.
Bike Route 1: Red Hook – Bard – Rhinebeck Nearly twenty miles of tree-lined roads with gentle hills (index 2.2) Country estates along the way.
Bike Route 2: Red Hook, Tivoli, Bard College, Rhinecliff Thirty five miles also of gentle to moderate hilliness (index 2.5) through farm country.