The rustically beautiful Hudson Valley is one of the most picturesque settings one can find in America. It is a dynamic blend of culture and nature combined with small-town charm that makes this a wonderful experience.
This area has most recently become the farming haven for many of New York’s finest chefs, so one traveling there can count on finding amazing farm to table culinary experiences. Antiquing, History, art, musicians even new age spirituality are all abundant in the happening Hudson Valley! Below you will find a list of my favorite small towns and just a taste of what they have to offer.
Hudson NY:
Like many of the small towns along the Hudson River, the town of Hudson has reinvented itself. Warren Street, Hudson’s main street, is lined with gutted old brick vintage storefronts and walkups. The locals are quite friendly happy to stop and chat. What once was a once-bustling late-18th-century whaling village and a bawdy 19th-century industrial city, now this charming rustic town is a place where NY designers own high end antique stores and art galleries. There are over 50 antiques shops and galleries as well as wonderful restaurants and a healthy dose of performance arts.
Rhinebeck NY:
I love the authentic feeling that looms in Rhinebeck. American flags are abundant on the front porches and people wave at you as they drive by. It is a village of approx. 3,000 with a very All-American traditional way about it. However, Rhinebeck also has its bohemian influences. Concerts and festivals run from May to November (and at Christmas, too), and twice a year a teeming crafts fair takes over the Dutchess County Fairgrounds north of town.
If you are into New Age, the 140-acre campus of the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies is a short drive out of town. In Hyde Park, also just outside of town, you will find the famous Culinary Institute of America. This institution has deluged the Rhinebeck area with first-class chefs and is definitely worth a tour. Last but not least, allow yourself plenty of time with one of the greatest American presidents at the FDR Presidential Library and Museum. Also located in Hyde Park and set on 290 sprawling acres, the Library and Museum encompass a visitors center, the Roosevelt family estate, the presidential gravesite, and the Library and Museum proper.
This area has most recently become the farming haven for many of New York’s finest chefs, so one traveling there can count on finding amazing farm to table culinary experiences. Antiquing, History, art, musicians even new age spirituality are all abundant in the happening Hudson Valley! Below you will find a list of my favorite small towns and just a taste of what they have to offer.
Hudson NY:
Like many of the small towns along the Hudson River, the town of Hudson has reinvented itself. Warren Street, Hudson’s main street, is lined with gutted old brick vintage storefronts and walkups. The locals are quite friendly happy to stop and chat. What once was a once-bustling late-18th-century whaling village and a bawdy 19th-century industrial city, now this charming rustic town is a place where NY designers own high end antique stores and art galleries. There are over 50 antiques shops and galleries as well as wonderful restaurants and a healthy dose of performance arts.
Rhinebeck NY:
I love the authentic feeling that looms in Rhinebeck. American flags are abundant on the front porches and people wave at you as they drive by. It is a village of approx. 3,000 with a very All-American traditional way about it. However, Rhinebeck also has its bohemian influences. Concerts and festivals run from May to November (and at Christmas, too), and twice a year a teeming crafts fair takes over the Dutchess County Fairgrounds north of town.
If you are into New Age, the 140-acre campus of the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies is a short drive out of town. In Hyde Park, also just outside of town, you will find the famous Culinary Institute of America. This institution has deluged the Rhinebeck area with first-class chefs and is definitely worth a tour. Last but not least, allow yourself plenty of time with one of the greatest American presidents at the FDR Presidential Library and Museum. Also located in Hyde Park and set on 290 sprawling acres, the Library and Museum encompass a visitors center, the Roosevelt family estate, the presidential gravesite, and the Library and Museum proper.
Woodstock NY:
Just across the bridge from Rhinebeck lies Woodstock, the hippest town of them all. Woodstock was large artists' colony for years, well before the famous 1969 concert. I would suggest stopping at Overlook Mountain Bikes and renting a bike for your tour around town and you’ll fit right in! The shops and eclectic emporiums are plentiful on Tinker Street and there are art galleries galore. Also, be sure to tour the museum. Scenic vistas and babbling brooks meet you around every corner. Take a dip in the Tannery Brook swimming hole or sit back and just enjoy the people watching. You are bound to see John Lennon and Jerry Garcia lingering around!
Beacon NY:
This hip little town set in the hills of the Hudson River Valley is definitely on the move! Consider Beacon revitalized thanks to the Dia: Beacon the country’s largest museum of contemporary art. There is a sudden bloom of mod white spaces, which art is the front and center. Streets are lined with cafes and shops making Beacon a cool place to contemplate the idea of creativity. And on the second Saturday of each month, galleries stay open late and the locals and tourists hang amid live entertainment. Another fun thing to do is to get a bird's eye view of the valley with Blue Sky Balloons. Both morning and afternoon flights are available.
I enjoy a journey on the Woody Guthrie sloop, a wooden sailboat that is a replica of the Hudson River ferry sloops. Rides are free, but you will need to have an appointment. Also, stop in at the Muddy Cup coffeehouse, with its Victorian-inspired chairs in brushed gold and red velvet, for a cup of hot “white” chocolate and a lemon square or try the Chill Wine Bar, a new restaurant with a light menu. And for a bit of local flavor visit the Piggy Bank Restaurant, a lively barbecue restaurant in a former bank building. It is one of the few originals!
Just across the bridge from Rhinebeck lies Woodstock, the hippest town of them all. Woodstock was large artists' colony for years, well before the famous 1969 concert. I would suggest stopping at Overlook Mountain Bikes and renting a bike for your tour around town and you’ll fit right in! The shops and eclectic emporiums are plentiful on Tinker Street and there are art galleries galore. Also, be sure to tour the museum. Scenic vistas and babbling brooks meet you around every corner. Take a dip in the Tannery Brook swimming hole or sit back and just enjoy the people watching. You are bound to see John Lennon and Jerry Garcia lingering around!
Beacon NY:
This hip little town set in the hills of the Hudson River Valley is definitely on the move! Consider Beacon revitalized thanks to the Dia: Beacon the country’s largest museum of contemporary art. There is a sudden bloom of mod white spaces, which art is the front and center. Streets are lined with cafes and shops making Beacon a cool place to contemplate the idea of creativity. And on the second Saturday of each month, galleries stay open late and the locals and tourists hang amid live entertainment. Another fun thing to do is to get a bird's eye view of the valley with Blue Sky Balloons. Both morning and afternoon flights are available.
I enjoy a journey on the Woody Guthrie sloop, a wooden sailboat that is a replica of the Hudson River ferry sloops. Rides are free, but you will need to have an appointment. Also, stop in at the Muddy Cup coffeehouse, with its Victorian-inspired chairs in brushed gold and red velvet, for a cup of hot “white” chocolate and a lemon square or try the Chill Wine Bar, a new restaurant with a light menu. And for a bit of local flavor visit the Piggy Bank Restaurant, a lively barbecue restaurant in a former bank building. It is one of the few originals!
-Tammy Zacks, General Manager-Group Travel, Meetings, and Events
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