Visit the Hudson River Valley, N.Y., one of three ways: on a budget, spending a bit more, or when the getaway calls for a splurge.
Trip tips: A 210-mile drive along the Hudson River Valley begins in the sleepy Victorian village of Nyack (a stone's throw north of Manhattan) to the state capital of Albany. The best time to visit is now through mid-June and September through mid-October. For more, visit vintagehudsonvalley.com, travelhudsonvalley.org, hudsonvalley.org.
Getting there: Frequent sale rates average $218 to New York City (nonstop on AirTran, American or Delta); $240 to Newburgh, N.Y. (connection service with Delta, United, US Airways) or $360 to Albany (nonstop on Delta).
BUDGET
Stay:
The Roosevelt Inn is a family-owned motel located in the historic town of Hyde Park, the birthplace of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The 54-room Vanderbilt Mansion is within walking distance. Rates from $89. 4360 Albany Post Road.
, www.rooseveltinnofhydepark.com.
Eat:
Treat yourselves to lunch at American Bounty, one of the five award-winning restaurants at the Culinary Institute of America, a teaching institution where America’s future chefs are trained (reservations mandatory, but not necessary at the Apple Pie Bakery Cafe). Starters and salads $7-$11; mains $16-$20. 1946 Campus Drive, Hyde Park.
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Experience:
Visit the United States Military Academy at West Point, the oldest military academy in the country. The museum displays military memorabilia and shows cadet life as it has been lived over the past 200 years. One-hour tours make stops at the Main Cadet Chapel, Trophy Point overlooking the Hudson River, Battle Monument and the Parade Field overlooking the Barracks and Central Area, $14. Two different two-hour tours, $15, visit additional points of interest. 415 Main St., Highland Falls.
, www.westpointtours.com. Cruise the scenic Hudson River aboard the Rip Van Winkle. During the two-hour tour, guides point out sumptuous estates, lighthouses and quaint sleepy villages surrounded by the beauty of vineyards, orchards and preservation sites; $21. 1 E. Strand St., Kingston.
, www.hudsonrivercruises.com.
MODERATE
Stay:
Guests of Hyatt House enjoy complimentary hot breakfast, an indoor pool, whirlpool and fitness center. This new concept hotel offers the H Bar, open daily from 5-10 p.m. featuring home-cooked comforts. Rates from $159. 100 Westage Business Center Drive, Fishkill.
, www.fishkill.house.hyatt.com.
Eat:
Stop in New Paltz’s Il Gallo Giallo Wine Bar for small dishes, salads and nibbles from $5-$13; paninis $10-$14; pastas $10-$19 or classic porchetta (roasted pork) $18. 36 Main St.
, www.ilgallogiallowinebar.com.
Experience: Tour Kykuit, a six-story stone hilltop mansion — home to four generations of the Rockefeller family. Stroll the exquisite gardens, underground art galleries with a collection of Picasso tapestries, and the cavernous Coach Barn with its collections of classic automobiles and horse-drawn carriages. The Classic Tour (suggested for first-time visitors) is $25 Wednesdays, Thursdays; $28 weekends. 381 N. Broadway, Sleepy Hollow. www.hudsonvalley.org. Afterward, cross the Mid-Hudson Bridge to the Shawangunk Wine Trail, one of the oldest wine-producing regions in America. Nine family-owned wineries are located along a lovely 30-mile loop. Stop along the trail at a thoroughbred horse farm, a honey farm, roadside stands and county fairs. Photo stop: Huguenot Street in New Paltz — it's America's oldest street with six stone homes built before 1720. www.shawangunkwinetrail.com.
SPLURGE
Stay:
Mohonk Mountain House, built in 1869, is a grand Victorian castle overlooking Lake Mohonk. This legendary resort is surrounded by thousands of acres of pristine forest and winding trails. On site is an award-winning spa, solarium, steam room, sauna, an outdoor heated mineral pool, indoor heated swimming pool, fitness and wellness activities and evening entertainment. Rates from $468 include meals, afternoon tea and numerous morning-to-evening resort activities. 1000 Mountain Rest Road, New Paltz.
, www.mohonk.com.
Eat:
TuthillHouse at the Mill, a National Historic Landmark, was converted from an old grist mill (circa 1778). Guests can stroll the beautiful grounds along the Shawangunk Kill River, followed by dinner on the deck or indoors. Starters $9-$14; mains $15-$32. 20 Gristmill Lane, Gardiner.
, www.tuthillhouse.com.
Experience:
Springwood Estate was the birthplace and lifelong home of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The Presidential Library and Museum features extensive displays on the lives and careers of Franklin and his wife, Eleanor. The Rose Garden is renowned and the final resting place of our 32nd president and his wife. Guided tours of the home, library and museum are $14, valid for two days. The extensive grounds, rose garden and burial site are free; open from sunrise to sunset; Hyde Park.
, www.nps.gov/hofr. Spend a spring evening under the tent at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival — a setting on the sweeping green lawns of Boscobel, an early-19th-century Federal mansion overlooking a beautiful stretch of the Hudson River and the Hudson Highlands beyond. Three productions are held from June through August. Tickets range from $34-$54. 1601 Bear Mountain-Beacon Highway, Garrison.
, www.hvshakespeare.org.
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