A Tour Through The Hudson Valley

Touring the scenic byways of the Hudson Valley is an exhilarating journey through farms, historic sites, picturesque cottages, magnificent homes, wonderful gardens and breathtaking panoramas.
There’s a wonderful trail that runs through Dutchess County and passes through the Hyde Park historic sites, Rhinebeck and Red Hook. Also along the way, you’ll be able to stop at farm stands that offers fresh produce and refreshments to make your trip more enjoyable.
You’ll be starting at Hyde Park Town Hall going north on Route 9 to the Vanderbilt Mansion site. Once at the mansion site, you may wish to take the tour of the marble mansion built by Frederick Vanderbilt and completed in 1899. The mansion’s interiors were partly decorated by Ogden Codman, author of "The Decoration of Houses," one of the first books to note the correlation between interior decoration and architecture.
As you head further north into Staatsburg you may want to stop at an orchard along the way. Then — if you’re still up for mansions — stop at the Mills Mansion, a 100-year-old 79 room Beau Arts "country estate" opulently furnished with lush Flemish tapestries, gilded plasterwork, marble, and oak paneling. You’ll marvel at the mansion’s paintings, period furnishings and Oriental objects d’aRoute.
Eleven miles into your trip you’ll arrive at Rhinebeck. Stop at Beekman Arms, the oldest continuously operating hotel in the United States, at the corner of Route 9 and Market St. Many places may claim it, but yes, George Washington did sleep here. The hotel’s restaurant features American regional cuisine, with everything prepared from scratch. Adjoining the restaurant is the historic Beekman 1766 Tavern.
After leaving Rhinebeck you’ll experience miles of lush Hudson Valley countryside. Following our trail, you may wish to visit the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, where you can thrill to the pioneering days of aviation. Watch vintage bi-planes perform aerial acrobatics and even engage in mock dogfights with other planes. You can even fly over the countryside in a vintage bi-plan.
After you’ve resumed your road tour, you may wish to stop at the Greig Farm in Red Hook, the most northern portion of our tour, for apples, cheeses, pies and other refreshments to send you on your way back to Hyde Park. If you’re up to it, you may even pick your own apples.