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Bear Mountain Bridge Hudson Valley

The Best Things to Do in New York's Hudson Valley

Where to stay, eat, and explore north of New York City.

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Accessible from Manhattan in as little as an hour by car or Metro-North railroad, the Hudson Valley is the closest getaway that allows one to feel truly removed from the quotidian routine of city life.

This year, the unseasonably warm weather means outdoor destinations like the Storm King Art Center sculpture park and the Walkway Over the Hudson, the longest footbridge in the world, are accessible well into the prime months of fall foliage. Hudson Valley Restaurant Week, which begins October 30 and runs through November 12, provides yet another excuse to visit the beautiful region. Here are some of its top destinations.

For the Sculpture Fan Who Loves the Great Outdoors: Storm King Art Center

Storm King Art Center
Wendy Stone / Contributor//Getty Images

More than 100 sculptures—many by some of the world's leading artists— are arranged around 500 acres of fields, hills, and woodlands at Storm King. See works by Alexander Calder, Sol LeWitt, Richard Serra, and more as you walk, bike, or ride a tram around the property.

Open Wednesday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., September 3 through October 31, and from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in November (closed on Thanksgiving Day, and open at 9 a.m. on weekends in September and October). 1 Museum Road, New Windsor. 845-534-3115.

For the Sophisticated Foodie: Blue Hill at Stone Barns

Centrepiece, Rehearsal dinner, Floristry, Table, Restaurant, Flower Arranging, Floral design, Interior design, Flower, Branch,
© Blue Hill Farm Images/Photo by Jonathan Young

You haven't truly experienced farm-to-table dining until you've eaten at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. The ingredients come from the farm literally outside the dining room walls, and chef Dan Barber turns them into some of the best meals anywhere on the planet (the restaurant is on San Pellegrino's list of the top 50 restaurants in the world). There is no menu for the restaurant's "multi-taste feast featuring the best offerings from the field and market," which is $258 per guest exclusive of beverages and tax.

Open Wednesday through Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m., and on Sundays 1 to 7:30 p.m. 630 Bedford Road, Pocantino Hills. 914-366-9600. (As the restaurant's website states, "Blue Hill at Stone Barns is an elegant restaurant. Jackets and ties are preferred for gentlemen.")

For the Adventurer: Orvis Sandanona

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Orvis Sandanona is the oldest permitted shotgun shooting club in the country. In addition to a 20-stand sporting clays course, which Esquire called one of the best in the nation, the 400-acre Millbrook destination also offers fly-fishing and wingshooting schools. Private lessons are available for novices and those who just want to up their accuracy. The main lodge on the property dates to Thomas Jefferson's presidency, but it's been updated with a full Orvis shop and catering facilities.

Open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 3047 Sharon Road, Millbrook, 845-677-9701.

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For the Booze Connoisseur: Tuthilltown Spirits

Barrel, Distilled beverage, Winery, Wine cellar, Drink, Whisky, Keg, Brewery, Alcohol, Bottle,
Tuthilltown Spirits

The Hudson Valley is fast becoming a destination for foodies. In addition to charming restaurants serving delicious fare, the region is home to quite a few distilleries and vineyards worth a visit. Tuthilltown Spirits, in Gardiner, is New York's first whiskey distillery since prohibition. In 2005 it brought the tradition of small batch spirits production, which previously existed among the more than 1,000 farm distillers who produced alcohol from New York grains and fruits, back to the Hudson Valley. Now the distillery makes everything from whiskey (the new Hudson Maple Cask Rye is especially tasty) to gin to liqueurs. An on-site restaurant, Tuthill House, is a good place to fill your stomach after a tasting.

Tours ($15 per person, including a sample flight) run Saturday and Sunday every hour from 12 to 5 p.m. 14 Grist Mill Lane, Gardiner. 845-255-1527.

For the Wine Sophisticate Who Loves Country Air: Millbrook Winery

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Millbrook Winery

Now widely considered to be the best winery in the Hudson Valley, Millbrook Winery began with a few plantings of vinefera grapes plants by John Dyson on his father's farm in 1982. Based on that success, Dyson bought a 130-acre former dairy farm and started with chardonnay, pinot, and cabernet franc. Riesling and an Italian varietal called Tocai Friulano have since been added to the offerings.

Open daily year-round from 12 to 5 p.m. 26 Wing Road, Millbrook, 845-677-8383.

For the Museum Fan with a Green Thumb: Kykuit

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© Mick Hales

What was once the private Rockefeller family retreat from New York City is now a six-story museum surrounded by gardens filled with Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller's collection of 20th-century sculpture (artists represented include Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore, and Alexander Calder, to name a few). Seeing what's underground, an expansive art gallery that was essentially the governor's "man cave" and features Rockefeller's collection of Picasso tapestries, might be just as appealing to many. Also on the grounds is the large Coach Barn, which displays the family's classic cars and horse-drawn carriages.

Admission by timed tour only (see more info here), 381 North Broadway, Sleepy Hollow. 914-631-8200.

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For the Contemporary Art Enthusiast: Dia:Beacon

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© Richard Barnes

Dia:Beacon, which opened in 2003 in a nearly 300,000-square-foot former Nabisco factory along the banks of the Hudson River, showcases Dia Art Foundation's collection of art from the 1960s to the present. The contemporary art museum has transformed the town of Beacon into an arts destination all its own where galleries abound. Above: Gerhard Richter, installation view, Dia:Beacon, Riggio Galleries.

3 Beekman Street, Beacon. Hours: January to March: Friday to Monday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m; April to October: Thursday to Monday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; November to December: Thursday to Monday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For the Spa Lover: Glenmere Mansion

Glenmere Mansion Spa
Glenmere

The 8,000-square-foot spa at Glenmere Mansion, a Relais & Châteaux property in Chester, includes a Carrara marble hammam, bathhouse, and five treatment suites (couples can take advantage of one featuring side-by-side soaking tubs and treatment tables). The extensive offerings include traditional Turkish rituals—in one, therapists use handmade Kessa mitts to exfoliate your skin as you lie on a heated marble "belly stone" ($195 for 60 minutes). The effect is so transporting you may forget you're only an hour outside of New York City.

For the Adrenaline Junkie Who Doesn't Like to Share the Road with Cars: Walkway Over The Hudson

Walkway Over The Hudson
Fred Schaeffer

Walkway Over The Hudson is a former rail bridge that was turned into a non-motorized pathway in 2009 connecting Highland and Poughkeepsie. Spanning 1.28 miles, it's the longest elevated pedestrian bridge in the world.

Open year-round, weather conditions permitting (closed in the event of lightning or ice), from 7 a.m. to sunset. Highland Entrance: 87 Haviland Road. Poughkeepsie Entrance: 61 Parker Avenue.

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Where to Stay

Glenmere Mansion
Glenmere

While the Hudson Valley is doable as a day trip, if you want to visit more than two or three destinations it's better to stay overnight in the region. Here are two options:

The Mohonk Mountain House, a sprawling Victorian-era resort, has been family-owned and operated since 1869. It's set on a lake and surrounded by 85 miles of hiking trails. All meals are included, and there's a 30,000-square-foot spa so you can really indulge if you so choose. 1000 Mountain Rest Road, New Paltz. 855-274-4020

Glenmere Mansion (above) is a more intimate alternative, with just 18 rooms in a Tuscan-style mansion set on a 150-acre plot that was developed as an estate in the Gilded Age. It's now among the finest places to stay in the entire Hudson Valley, with gardens designed by Beatrix Farrand, America's first female landscape architect and Edith Wharton's niece. Its upscale restaurant, the Supper Room, offers both an impressive dinner tasting menu (à la carte options are also available) and a popular prix-fixe Sunday brunch. 634 Pine Hill Road, Chester. 845-469-1900.

What to Drive

Audi A5
Courtesy

On a nice day the seductively sweeping roads of the Hudson Valley deserve to be conquered in a convertible, preferably something like the sporty Audi A5 Cabriolet (above), whose folding roof that can be raised at speeds up to 31 miles per hour. And for a drive up to the top of Bear Mountain State Park, which offers 360-degree views of the Hudson River Valley, having a 550-horsepower supercharged V-8 under the hood—like the one in the Jaguar F-Type R—makes getting up there even more fun.

Headshot of Sam Dangremond
Sam Dangremond
Contributing Digital Editor

Sam Dangremond is a Contributing Digital Editor at Town & Country, where he covers men's style, cocktails, travel, and the social scene.

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