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The Hudson Valley

Vassar


  • Unsurpassed Natural Beauty

    Unsurpassed Natural Beauty

    In his history of the city of Poughkeepsie, James Smith lauded the Hudson Valley for "its mountains of wondrous grandeur, its fruitful plains, and vales of rare scenic beauty. In varied natural scenery it is scarcely surpassed by any." The description is as apt today as when he wrote it in 1882. Located in the heart of the valley midway between New York City and Albany, Vassar College is an ideal base for exploring the Hudson Valley.

    Related Resources

    • Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area
      Information on approximately 89 Hudson River Valley Heritage Sites
    • Travel the Hudson Valley
      The Poughkeepsie Journal's site; listings of cultural events and entertainment, travel information, and more
    • Dutchess County Official Web Pages
      Dutchess County's online Travel guide.
    • Dutchess County Tourism
      A useful overview of the valley, with a directory of sites and services of interest to visitors
  • Franklin and Eleanor

    Franklin and Eleanor

    Designated a National Heritage Area by Congress in 1966, the Hudson Valley has more major historic sites per square mile than any other area in the U.S. In particular, it is a haven for Roosevelt scholars and history buffs. Springwood, pictured at right, Franklin D. Roosevelt's home and burial place, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum, and Val-Kill, Eleanor Roosevelt's home from 1945-1962, are all located in Hyde Park and are open to the public.

    Related Resources

    • Springwood
      Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s home
    • Val-Kill
      Eleanor Roosevelt’s home
    • The Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum
    • The Gomez Mill House
      Earliest surviving Jewish residence in North America, built in 1714 by Luis Moses Gomez
    • Huguenot Street
      18th-century stone houses built by French protestants who fled religious persecution in Europe and settled in the American colonies
  • The Great Outdoors

    The Great Outdoors

    The Shawangunk Mountain Range, a 50-mile ridge, 260 feet high, is considered one of the premier climbing areas in the East. The most popular climbing cliffs are just across the river from Pougheepsie on the Mohonk Preserve, outside the village of New Paltz. In the village, you can hire a climbing instructor, rent or buy gear, and learn to rappel. If you're not quite up to dangling from the end of a rope, how about jumping out of a plane? Try tubing on the Esopus or hiking in the Catskills or on the Appalachian Trail.

    Related Resources

    • The Gunks
      Information on climbing in the Shawangunks
    • EMS Climbing School
      Eastern Mountain Sports Rock Climbing and Ice Climbing School
    • Skydivetheranch.com
      IAF (Instructor Assisted Freefall) Program
    • Town Tinker Tube Rental
      Whitewater tubing on the Esopus
    • Catskillguide.com
      Online guide to hiking in the Catskills
  • Down on the Farm

    Walkway Over the Hudson

    The world's longest elevated pedestrian bridge, the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park is a railroad bridge converted into a pedestrian park spanning the Hudson River. At 1.28 miles long it connects the Dutchess County and Hudson Valley Rail Trails with new sections added as they are completed.

    Photo: Victoria Gemme '13

    Related Resources

    • Walkway Over the Hudson
      Information about visiting the walkway, the history of the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge, and park information.
    • Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park Information
      The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation site.
    • Dutchess County Rail Trail
      There are three sections of the rail trail open in Dutchess County. Additional sections are underway.
    • Hudson Valley Rail Trail
      The Walkway Over the Hudson connects to the Hudson Valley Rail Trail on the west side of the Hudson River.
  • The Art Scene

    The Art Scene

    The Hudson Valley's scenic beauty and its proximity to New York City create an alchemy that appeals to both artists and patrons. The valley's newest gem is Dia:Beacon, a former factory converted into a museum to house the Dia Foundation's renowned collection of major works from the 1960s to the present. Located right on the river, within easy walking distance from the Beacon train station, Dia:Beacon is a destination for visitors from all over the world.

    Related Resources

    • Dia: Beacon
      The Dia Art Foundation’s world-renowned collection of art from the ‘60s to the present
    • The Storm King Art Center
      Five hundred acres of landscaped lawns, fields, and woodlands provide the site for sculptures by internationally renowned artists
    • The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College
      With a permanent collection spanning the history of art from ancient Egypt to the 21st century
    • Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art
      Operates a 12,000 square foot exhibition space and is the primary sponsor of the Peekskill Project, an annual, city-wide exhibition of site-specific artwork
    • Tallix Foundry
      Tallix's five acre compound offers 85,000 square feet of work space, and provides casting and fabrication for sculptors
  • Down on the Farm

    Down on the Farm

    Have you ever been to a real, old fashioned county fair? For a week in August, the state's second largest agricultural fair takes place in Rhinebeck, just north of Poughkeepsie, at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds. During September and October, harvest festivals abound, and the apple picking is the best there is. Call ahead to find out when the picking starts for your favorite variety.

    Related Resources

    • Dutchess County Fairgrounds
      Dutchess County Fair and other annual fairs and festivals
    • Grieg Farm
      Red Hook, NY (just off route 9 North), Apple and pumpkin picking
    • Barton Orchards
      Poughquag, NY, Apple and pumpkin picking
  • A Birthplace of Environmentalism

    A Birthplace of Environmentalism

    The modern environmental movement won its first major battle in 1965 when the U.S. Court of Appeals blocked Con Edison from building a giant hydroelectric plant on the river at Storm King Mountain. That wasn't the end of the battle, however. To carry on the fight, Pete Seeger built the Clearwater sloop and carried the message up and down the river. In 1980, Con Edison finally waved a white flag and agreed to donate the land to be used as a park. Today, Clearwater is one of many preservation organizations in the valley, protecting the river and open spaces.

    Related Resources

    • The Clearwater Hudson River Sloop
      Conducts environmental education, advocacy programs, and celebrations
    • Scenic Hudson
      A nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the Hudson River
    • The Institute of Ecosystems Studies
      A research and education center in Millbrook, New York, with wonderful display gardens
    • Mohonk Preserve
      6,500 acres in the Shawangunk Mountains with cliffs, forests, fields, ponds, streams, and waterfalls
    • Innisfree Garden
      A 150-acre public garden constructed on principles of the ancient art of Chinese landscape design
  • Let us entertain you

    Let Us Entertain You

    Built in 1869, the Bardavon Opera House is the oldest continuously operating theater in New York State. In the 19th century, it was known as the Collingwood Opera House, and Vassar students often performed there. In fact, the first American production of Sophocles' Antigone in the original Greek was performed on the Collingwood stage by Vassar students. Today the Bardavon is the county's leading performance venue for touring artists and home to the Hudson Valley Philharmonic.

    Related Resources

    • The Bardavon Opera House
      Home of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic
    • Rhinebeck Center for the Performing Arts
      Theatrical events
    • Upstate Films
      Independent and foreign films
    • The Powerhouse Theater
      A summer season of new works by some of today’s top playwrights, co-produced by New York Stage & Film and Vassar College
    • Kaatsbaan International Dance Center
      Residencies and performances by national and international dance companies
  • Millionaires’ Row

    Millionaires' Row

    The fabulous mansions that grace the banks of the Hudson River range in style from Olana, the Persian-inspired palace of Frederic Church, one of the principal painters of the Hudson River School of landscape painting, to the neoclassical mansion of Frederick Vanderbilt, the grandson of shipping and railway magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, the wealthiest man in America in his day. The mansions are owned and operated either by the National Park Service or New York State's Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, and are open to the public.

    Related Resources

    • The Vanderbilt Mansion
      The estate of Frederick Vanderbilt
    • The Mills Mansion
      The home of Ogden and Ruth Mills
    • Locust Grove
      The home of Samuel F. B. Morse, inventor of the telegraph and the Morse Code
    • Clermont
      The home of the Livingston family, including Robert Livingston, Jr., one of the five men who authored the Declaration of Independence
    • Montgomery Place
      Home of Janet Livingston Montgomery, widow of Revolutionary War hero General Richard Montgomery
  • The Big Apple

    The Big Apple

    An hour-and-a-half on the train from Poughkeepsie, and you're in the heart of Manhattan—Broadway, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, Madison Square Garden, the Museum of Natural History, Central Park, Fifth Avenue, Greenwich Village, and the best Chinese food this side of the Sierra Nevada.

    Related Resources

    • Metro-North Railroad Schedules
    • NYC Transit subway and bus maps and schedules
    • Listing of New York City youth hostels
    • Nytoday.com
      What to see, where to eat, where to stay, etc.
    • Timeout.com
      What to see, where to eat, where to stay, especially if you’re a college student
    • Nytix.com
      Discount Broadway tickets and free tv show tickets

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