With vineyards, great food and art, New York’s Hudson Valley is great for a gal-pal weekend or a romantic getaway. Here’s how to do it!
Where is it?
The Hudson Valley is about a 2.5 hour drive from New York City. There are so many cool and/or quirky towns to discover including New Paltz (check out my post on New Paltz ), Poughkeepsie, Hyde Park, Rhinebeck, Saugerties, Woodstock.
When did we go?
We went for a 3-day weekend at the beginning of November. It was after the leaf-peeping, but before the weather got too cold.
Where’d we stay?
We stayed at Hilton Homewood Suites in Poughkeepsie. It was clean and centrally located to all of the things we wanted to do.
What did we do?
Here’s our itinerary:
Day 1:
Mostly a travel day. After I picked up my pal at the airport, we drove up to the Hudson Valley and checked in to our hotel. Then, we had dinner at the 1915 Wine Cellar in Poughkeepsie. It was amazing! My pal had Faroe on Farro – Faroe Islands Salmon with farro. I had Takumi’s Best – fried tofu with black rice and carrot ginger puree. I know, I know, tofu… but it was fantastic! We had homemade gelato from a local creamery for dessert - and the creamery owner was there! The chef chatted us up, too! The menu changes seasonally, so I can’t wait to go back to see what they have for other seasons! Attire – Very casual. Jeans are perfect.
Day 2:
Starting the day in Poughkeepsie, we headed to the Vassar College’s Loeb Art Center. It’s a free museum that has an extensive collection of art from the Hudson River School. The Hudson River School is not an actual school, it’s the mid-19th-century American art movement that featured landscapes. The docents at Loeb were unbelievably knowledgeable and generously shared that knowledge with us.
After the Loeb, we visited Vassar’s Chapel, where an organist was practicing. So cool.
We ate lunch at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park – it’s a beautiful campus that's home to the premier culinary school in the U.S. There are several campuses of the CIA, but we went to the Apple Pie Bakery. I’ve been to the CIA a number of times and it’s always delicious! The CIA campus restaurants are run and staffed by culinary students and faculty. The menu varies, but like I said, it’s all delish! I had a focaccia pizza and my travel buddy had curried chicken. We splurged on Burnt Basque Cheesecake for dessert. Of course, I have no pics because we gobbled everything up before taking pics occurred to us! Attire: Anything goes…
After lunch, we made our way to Milea Estate Vineyard for a tasting. It was a fantastic day, so we sat outside, took in the view, and enjoyed some wine.
Pro Tip1: Make reservations for vineyard tastings on tock, which many of the Hudson Valley vineyards use. Even in November, it was pretty busy, so having reservations was helpful.
Dinner: While we were at Milea, we asked for dinner recommendations, and they suggested Shadows on the Hudson, in Poughkeepsie. We were still stuffed from lunch so I had a panzanella salad and my travel pal had a Caesar Salad. It was fine. Attire: We went in jeans, but there were people dressed fancy, too.
Day 3:
Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie. It’s a railway converted into a pedestrian bridge that spans the Hudson River. The views are beautiful, but…
…Pro tip 2: If you’re afraid of heights, you might want to skip this.
After the walkway, we headed to The Franklin D. Roosevelt Historic Site in Hyde Park and walked around the grounds.
Pro tip 3: The grounds are free to access, but to tour the house, remember your National Parks Pass to avoid paying $15.
Winery/Lunch: We headed to Nostrano Vineyards in Milton, where we did double duty - tasting and lunch! We ordered a charcuterie board and listened to a two-piece band. It was lovely!
Reminder: See Pro Tip 1, especially if you’re ordering a charcuterie board!
Dinner: We ate in Poughkeepsie at Crew. It was fine, but I wouldn’t necessarily go back. I had a salad and I don’t recall what my friend had. Attire: Anything goes.
Day 4: Sleep in, then head on home!
There’s so much to do in the Hudson Valley, so I hope this inspires you to take a trip there!
P.S. If you're wondering why I don't have any photos - I deleted all of them accidently, except one...sigh...
