New York Poughkeepsie Area-Things to do

kymom99

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My son is going to be working at a national historic site near Poughkeepsie, NY. Any suggestions as to things to do in the general area? I see there are a number of state parks and hiking opportunities in the area. He will probably venture farther on days off to see the more well known sites.
 
Hyde Park. Walkway over the Hudson. Olana. Clermont State Park. Montgomery Place. Bannerman Island. Vanderbilt Mansion. Lake Taghkanic State Park. Just to name a few.
 
Hyde Park. Walkway over the Hudson. Olana. Clermont State Park. Montgomery Place. Bannerman Island. Vanderbilt Mansion. Lake Taghkanic State Park. Just to name a few.
Thank you. He actually is working at the Vanderbilt mansion. And the FDR home. I’ll look into the things you mentioned. I hear it’s a beautiful area. I’ve been to Connecticut and Massachusetts, but not that part of New York.
 

For some other historical interests, there is the New Windsor Cantonment and West Point.

The town of New Paltz is interesting, and the Mohonk Mountain House is near New Paltz. You can go and hike the grounds as a day visitor (you will not be allowed inside the Mountain House itself, but the grounds have lots of great hiking trails).

Bear Mountain has a lot of hiking and interesting things to see.
 
For some other historical interests, there is the New Windsor Cantonment and West Point.

The town of New Paltz is interesting, and the Mohonk Mountain House is near New Paltz. You can go and hike the grounds as a day visitor (you will not be allowed inside the Mountain House itself, but the grounds have lots of great hiking trails).

Bear Mountain has a lot of hiking and interesting things to see.
New paltz is where I think we might stay when we get into town when moving him up there. I like Hampton inns and there’s one right there.
 
The town of New Paltz is interesting, and the Mohonk Mountain House is near New Paltz. You can go and hike the grounds as a day visitor (you will not be allowed inside the Mountain House itself, but the grounds have lots of great hiking trails).

You can actually get reservations for breakfast or lunch. It's worth the price as then you will be able to drive up to the parking lot in back of the Mountain House and walk around the Mountain House & Lake. Otherwise, the hike UP to the Mountain House, and back down, is about 4 miles each way. It's a beautiful walk, but it is STEEP.

There are lots of beautiful waterfalls, mountains and places to visit west of the Hudson River. It IS the Catskill Mountains. 🥰 There is Minnewaska State Park. The waterfall at Lake Awosting is in a commercial on TV now. I forget the product the commercial is for, as I'm always looking at the waterfall. I think it's a granola bar. (This waterfall should not to be confused with High Falls, NY, which also has great falls.)

There's Hunter Mountain in the winter for skiing.

Woodstock is an interesting little town.

So is Rhinebeck. Many celebrities live up there, also in Cold Spring & Pawling. Samuel's Sweet Shop in Rhinebeck is owned by Jeffrey Dean Morgan & wife, Hilarie Burton, with Paul Rudd & wife, Julie.

Rt 9 in Poughkeepsie and Wappingers Falls is where the main shopping malls are. Kingston has shopping malls too.

Bash Bish Falls State Park is near the intersection where the borders of the three states: NY, CT & MA meet.

In the Fall, one can take a leisurely scenic boat ride up the Hudson from NYC to just below the Mid-Hudson Bridge in Poughkeepsie and back down. There are other boat rides along the Hudson.
 
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Also, about 2 hours north is Lake George and Saratoga Springs, famous for their race track and in their performing arts center in the summers.
 
If you get a chance, watch the movie, The Last of the Mohicans, the Daniel Day Lewis version. While the movie was actually filmed in NC, the book/movie is set in NY state. My BFF and I, while watching the movie, were marveling at how they got the flora & fauna, mountains and waterfalls that so look like our beloved NYS mountains, which we had hiked and roamed for so long.
 
Congratulations on the nice news, pretty sure there are lots of music festivals and such up that way as things warm up.
 














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