By Taylor Smith

Located about 90 miles north of New York City and 160 miles southwest of Boston, the Hudson Valley is steeped in history as rich as its soil. The area was initially home to Algonquian-speaking tribes before being settled by Northern Europeans at the start of the 17th century. It was Henry Hudson who first sailed down the dramatic river that now bears his name. Much of the area was then turned into fruitful farmland, supplying vast amounts of produce and meat to New York City. It wasn’t long before the magnetic quality of this land attracted painters like Frederic Edwin Church, Thomas Cole, and others of the Hudson River School. Writers Edith Wharton and Washington Irving set many a vivid tale in the Hudson Valley. The area also nurtured great political thinkers like Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Robert Livingston.

Modern-day visitors will remark on the many Hudson Valley estates, such as Montgomery Place, Clermont, Olana, Mills Mansion, the Vanderbilt Estate and the Roosevelt home. Other attractive features include the Culinary Institute of America, Cary Arboretum, Innisfree Garden, wineries, productive farmland, antique shops, romantic inns, and high quality restaurants.

LOWER HUDSON VALLEY

Peekskill

Located on a bay in Westchester County, Peekskill sits on the East side of the Hudson River. Peekskill contains two National Register Historic Districts – the commercial downtown area and the residential Fort Hill neighborhood near Main Street. These districts contain well-maintained 19th century residences and buildings in various architectural styles.

Located 25 minutes from Peekskill is Glenmere Mansion (left), a 35-room Tuscan villa with panoramic views of Glenmere Lake. Visitors often come to Glenmere for a weekend stay or simply to tour the property. Guest bedrooms are outfitted with modern luxuries and comfort, while original architectural details have been preserved throughout. The Spa at Glenmere reflects the opulence and heritage of the Gilded Age with everything from an Herbal Steam Room to a Dry Heat Sauna.

Tarrytown

Maybe it’s the 38-minute train ride from Manhattan or the fact that Forbes named Tarrytown one of the USA’s 10 prettiest towns that makes Tarrytown so attractive to visitors. Tarrytown has transformed in the last decade from a tired, industrial town to a hopping New York City suburb.

Drawing its produce from the surrounding fields and pastures, Blue Hill at Stone Barns is a restaurant and Center for Food and Agriculture in nearby Pocantico Hills. This working four-season farm highlights the rich agricultural resources of the Hudson Valley. Notably, there are no menus at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Rather, guests are offered an expertly prepared feast of whatever is available in the gardens. This is truly, farm-to-table.

The Lyndhurst Estate (left) is an 1838 Gothic Revival-style mansion. Designed and owned by railroad developer Andrew Jackson Davis, it is considered to be the best example of Gothic Revival architecture in the nation.

A second significant historic site is Sunnyside, the residence of Washington Irving, who penned the classic, haunted tales, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle, both of which were heavily inspired by his Hudson Valley home. Irving’s final resting place is located at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, NY.

MID HUDSON VALLEY

Cold Spring

Picture Cold Spring and you’re likely to envision an idyllic setting where you can paddle your kayak along the Hudson River and admire the fiery autumn hues on Storm King Mountain. Amazingly, you can hop on a train from Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan and arrive in Cold Spring in just 75 minutes. If you are in the mood to explore the great outdoors, stop by Hudson Valley Outfitters for advice on local trails and guided kayaking trips. They’ll be sure to give you some suggestions for the day.

Boscobel (right) is a restored Federal-style home turned museum with exquisite gardens, trees laden with quince and apple, and sweeping views that extend down to the mighty Hudson River. Filled with decorative arts from the early 19th century, the museum tour gives visitors a taste of the history, culture, and environment of the homes original residents.

Beacon

Thanks to Dia:Beacon (a world-class modern art museum), the town that was once referred to as “the hat making capital of the world” is now an international art and music center (the famous folk singer Pete Seeger lived here). Visitors will be struck by the abundance of small art galleries, bakeries, and coffee shops.

In May 2003, Dia Art Foundation opened Dia:Beacon (right), a museum that houses hundreds of works of art from the 1960s to the present. Dia:Beacon occupies a nearly 300,000 square foot space that is the former site of a Nabisco box printing facility. The museum contains works by revolutionary artists like Joseph Bueys, John Chamberlain, Walter De Maria, Dan Flavin, Cy Twombly, Andy Warhol, Robert Whitman, and others.

New Paltz

Visitors come to New Paltz for a variety of reasons. The town is home to SUNY New Paltz (part of the State University of New York system) and swells with students each fall. The area also has many bracing hikes thanks to the Shawangunk Ridge, the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail and an abundance of glacial lakes.

Historic Huguenot Street consists of seven stone houses, a church, and a burial ground built around 1717 by the village’s original founders, the French-speaking Huguenots. The street sits astride the Wallkill River, which had been the home of generations of Native Americans. The Huguenots of New Paltz were Protestants from Northern France and what is now Belgium. Some of their original farms still survive, such as Locust Lawn, the grand home of Congressman Josiah Hasbrouck.

Hyde Park

All that is within me cries out to go back to my home on the Hudson River. — Franklin D. Roosevelt

Hyde Park was the hometown of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. His estate, Springwood, is now owned and maintained by the National Park Service as a National Historic Site. Visitors can tour the presidential library and walk through FDR’s and his wife Eleanor’s personal living quarters. Both FDR and Eleanor are buried in the rose garden on the estate.

The Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site (right) is one of the oldest estates in Dutchess County. For more than two centuries, the property was home to some of the wealthiest and most prominent New Yorkers and figures of the Gilded Age. There are some 6,500 pieces of art at the Vanderbilt Mansion, which can be viewed during one of the weekly tours.

Last winter, the Culinary Institute of America opened the Bocuse Restaurant, replacing the Institute’s original teaching restaurant, Escoffier. The new, airy bistro-style setting is managed by Paul Bocuse, a Lyonnaise chef whose specialties include black truffle soup with a puff pastry lid and roasted rack of lamb with sunchoke puree and local vegetables.

Rhinebeck

For its small size, Rhinebeck has a great number of attractions. The internationally recognized boarding school, the Millbrook School, is located 25 minutes away and Bard College is situated in nearby Annandale-on-Hudson. There is also the Rhinebeck Antique Emporium where you are sure to find some historic treasures.

New Yorkers were captivated when Chelsea Clinton chose Rhinebeck as the location for her 2010 wedding. If you bring your own mountain bike or hiking shoes, you can follow the eight miles of wooded trail that run parallel to River Road. The trail leads you past some of the area’s most scenic riverfront estates and onto the artistically endowed campus of Bard College. While at Bard, be sure to visit the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts (right), a high-impact metallic building by Frank Gehry that resembles a bird taking flight.

The town of Rhinebeck is also home to the Omega Institute, a 195-acre educational retreat. Omega offers health-oriented classes that target mind, body, and spirit. Classes that lead to reiki certification, gluten-free chef status or awaken your psychic abilities are the norm here. There is also an Omega Wellness Center where guests can treat themselves to acupuncture and various forms of massage.

UPPER HUDSON VALLEY

Hudson

The town of Hudson must have some magical, intangible quality since it’s been home to many world-class artists like musician and composer Philip Glass and performance artist Marina Abramovic. From Hudson, you can pick-up the Ethan Allen Express towards Rutland, VT, the Maple Leaf rail line towards Toronto, the Empire Service railway towards Buffalo, and the Adirondack railway heading towards Montreal. Understandably, the town is at a bit of a crossroads.

Olana (right) is the hilltop home of Frederic Church of the Hudson River School of painting. The 250-acre estate offers breathtaking views of the Hudson River. Visitors will remark on the Moorish inspired designs. Paintings by Church and other period artists can be viewed during the weekly tours.

Catskill

The village of Catskill is surrounded by the Catskill Mountains. Many people come to this region for quality hiking, camping, skiing and fishing. While only two hours from Manhattan, the Catskill Mountains feel truly rustic. Test your skiing skills at the top of a black diamond slope at Belleayre Mountain or lose yourself to the rhythms of fly fishing in the Beaverkill River.

The Thomas Cole House, also known as Cedar Grove, is a National Historic Landmark that includes the home and studio of painter Thomas Cole of the Hudson River School. Cole resided in the home from 1833 until his death in 1848 and painted many scenes of the Catskill Mountains surrounding his home. Such paintings can be viewed during the tour.

Thomas Cole’s “A View of the Two Lakes and Mountain House, Catskill Mountains, Morning” is shown here.