Mid-Hudson Valley

This central portion of the Hudson Valley [1] feels much like its hub. Most of the grand riverfront estates [2] for which the area is famous are located here, as are Vassar [3] and Bard Colleges [4], the historic town of Rhinebeck [5], the Culinary Institute of America [6], and a plethora of country villages, pick-your-own farms, public gardens, and excellent restaurants and lodgings. More than two million people visit Dutchess County every year.

The historic museum-estates are all in a 20-mile riverfront stretch between Hyde Park [7] in the center of the county and Clermont just over the border to the north. In 1990, this stretch was declared a National Historic Landmark District—the second largest such district in the United States. It contains some 2,000 buildings, only a handful of which are open to the public. These include Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s home (Springwood) [8], the Vanderbilt Mansion [9], Mills Mansion [10], Wilderstein [11], Montgomery Place [4], and Clermont. [12]

Of these, FDR’s estate is by far the most personal and popular, and can be combined with a visit to Val-Kill [13], Eleanor Roosevelt’s retreat. Between the two homes and the nearby FDR Library and museum, you’ll come away with a good sense of both the Roosevelts and the times in which they lived.

Of the other museum-estates, the Vanderbilt Mansion [9] is the most lavish, Montgomery Place [4] the most beautiful, Mills Mansion [10] the most cavernous, Clermont [12] the most elegant, and Wilderstein [11] the smallest and least known.

South of Hyde Park is the river city of Poughkeepsie [14]. While it’s fallen on hard times, it has interesting historic and cultural sites to offer. A few miles east of Route 9, the expansive rural countryside is dotted with small villages, wineries, produce stands, and horse farms. The entire Hudson Valley [1] is a major horse-breeding area, with about half of its 100 horse farms located in Dutchess County.