3 Days in the Hudson River Valley

3 DAYS IN THE NY HUDSON VALLEY: FISHKILL, NEW PALTZ, POUGHKEEPSIE, AND HYDE PARK

The purpose of this 3 day adventure Tuesday, Sept. 15- Thursday, Sept. 17 was to go to the Walkway over the Hudson.  Around this, we created a fun-filled trip.  The weather was again perfect.  We will never have another summer weather- wise like this one, and we have been super lucky!!!   This trip we did a lot of driving around from place to place.  Not far drives (less than 30 minutes each time), but generally we try to stay in the main area and walk as much as practical.  For a Hudson Valley trip it is not logical.   We also noticed that in this area many places were closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, rather than Monday because there are a lot of NYC travelers that extend weekends.  There were places we wanted to get to that were simply not open.  I would guess this is mainly due to COVID. 

Minnewaska State Park Kerhonkson   We arrived about 11AM, brought a picnic lunch and spent about 3 hours hiking.  The highlights of this park are the beautiful Minnewaska Lake, the incredible rock formations, and the Awosting Falls.  The falls were pretty, but due to the dryness they were not as spectacular as they could have been. (Had a tumble the day before...thus the mask!!)

Clemson Brewery  New Paltz  After the park we came here for a tasting.  They have a beautiful outdoor patio, and we enjoyed a flight of beer and a glass. Nice little college town, and beautiful views.

We checked into our hotel in Fishkill: Quality Inn and Suites.  It was OK.  Traditional hotel, that was clean. 2 mornings our room telephone had a wake up call at 5:15 AM...so that somewhat colored our thoughts of the hotel.  The second morning we saw an incredible sunrise due to the California wildfire smoke, so that was nice anyway.  Obviously, the staff was not super helpful in solving the wake up issue...so there's that.  Other than waking up at a ridiculous hour on our vacation...we did not let it spoil our trip whatsoever.  Now, it's really funny...it was NOT those 2 mornings!!!

The Tomato Cafe Main St. Fishkill  Dinner our first night was in Fishkill.  We did drive, but it was not too far from our hotel. This is the #1 restaurant in Fishkill...and it definitely did not disappoint. We ate outside on the back patio and until we were just about to leave we were the only ones out there.  There are definite pluses to traveling mid week. This place has a name that makes it sound like some kind of upscale vegetarian place, but that is not what it is all about!!  It had a large menu, and everything we ate was fabulous.  All of the servers were men, and the place had a completely awesome vibe!! Saw an incredible sunset from our table.

Walkway over the Hudson River  The next morning we drove to Poughkeepsie to walk over the Hudson.  Parking was supposed to have a charge...but the machine was broken, so we parked free.  It was a great day to walk the bridge.  There is a loop trail that walks along the driving bridge and back to the parking lot, but Al did not feel completely safe in the area around the parking area.  So...we crossed the bridge and walked a little on the New Paltz side.  It was beautiful.  Not too many people.  Easy to social distance, but masks were worn when distancing couldn't occur. We loved seeing the beautiful views!

Millhouse Brewing Company  Poughkeepsie  Drove  here for lunch after walking the bridge.  Excellent beers.  We did a flight, had lunch and a couple beers.  They have lots of outside dining, and we were under a large tent.  We ended up buying beer here for us, as well as for our neighbor at home that was picking up our mail and paper while we were gone.

Home of Franklin D Roosevelt Hyde Park  This isn't actually open, but the grounds are absolutely lovely.  We wandered around for a while, then relaxed on a bench overlooking the Hudson Valley.  Complete serenity.  The rose gardens are beautiful.

Vanderbuilt Mansion Hyde Park  This also is not open.  It is a HUGE place...that I heard the Vanderbuilt's only lived in a couple months of the year.  The grounds are incredible with enormous trees.  Again, we found a bench to relax...and this time we overlooked the Hudson River proper, as well as the Valley.  Although neither of these places were open, we spent more time on the grounds than we would have if the mansions had been open.  Interesting, different perspective.  Someday we will return to see the insides of the homes. 

Hyde Park Brewing Company Hyde Park   This brewery did not open until Wednesday at 4...so we created some Hyde Park things to do waiting for this to open.  We did a flight and had some beers.  This had an outside patio, and our flight board was in the shape of FDR. We met  a super interesting couple from South Dakota...who actually live in an RV and travel the US.  They had recently spent a month in Maine.  It was interesting to hear their views of the area, from someone out of state.

The Dutchess Biercafe Fishkill  We drove back to Fishkill to have dinner again.  This place was so unique.  No indoor dining at this time.  The patio area is huge.  There was a lot of signage to make us think that on a weekend this place is super busy.  We ordered and paid at a window, then they bring it to your table. We were in the back of the patio, just the 2 of us at a table for  6 people.  Another incredible sunset from our table!!

The next morning we checked out of the hotel and headed home.  On the way to the Hudson Valley we had seen a sign advertising a brewery.  I checked it out on Trip Advisor, and we decided to stop here on the way home for lunch.

Roscoe Beer Company Roscoe  This place is awesome!  At this point they only have outdoor dining-but it is a HUGE area.  Parts are under a tent.  We ordered lunch and wanted to do a flight, but they only do flights on weekends.  So...pours were on the small side, so we eventually tried 4 different beers...and liked them all!!  Had a fun time fighting the yellow jackets after our food and beer.  We won!!!  I captured one under a plastic cup, and that was enough to scare all of his friends away!!!We purchased a couple 4 packs as well as a growler to bring home.

Overall, this was a great trip.  Unlike the other trips we have been on in this pandemic times (Niagara Falls, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Albany, Buffalo, and Cooperstown) I would say that the communities were not as desperate to see tourists as the other places that we have been.  In the other areas they were obviously so incredibly grateful to see tourists in their area...and we didn't necessarily feel that here.  I am taking a guess that this area...just a little over an hour out of NYC, has been getting plenty of travelers from that area who want to get out to "the country" for a relaxing visit.  This did not affect our enjoyment of this area whatsoever, just mentioning our reflections on the trip.

For more details on any of the places that we have been, please check my specific review for those places on Trip Advisor.  

Travel Tip from Laurie: Don't overplan too many things to do when traveling.  It is flat out exhausting.  Generally, on a trip like this 3 day one we will plan either 1 or 2 things to do in a day.  That's it!  We don't spend a lot of time figuring out meals...which is fun for us, but in these pandemic times it makes more sense to wait until you arrive at your destination, then check with the locals.  Always verify times and days online at the restaurant website for up to date hours.