Best of Hudson Valley

Sunnyside [1]: Writer Washington Irving once resided in this house-museum, “as full of angles and corners as an old cocked hat.” It’s a charming, fairytale-like place, complete with costumed guides, a landscaped garden, and a pond with a bevy of swans.

Storm King Art Center [2]: The breathtakingly beautiful hilltop park is filled with stunning sculptures by the likes of Loise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Mark di Suvero, and David Smith.

Culinary Institute of America [3]: This lovely Hyde Park campus and foodie haven features five award-winning, chef-student-staffed public restaurants and bakery, tours, and a culinary bookstore and gift shop.

Downtown Rhinebeck [4]: The picturesque historic village is home to many antiques shops, good hostelries, restaurants, and a lovely organic farmer’s market.

Huguenot Street [5]: See “the oldest street in America with its original buildings,” built by French Huguenot Protestants in the late 1600s in New Paltz.

Minnewaska State Park [6]: Located high in the Shawangunk Mountains, the park is filled with panoramic views, glacial lakes, and hiking trails for all expertise levels.

Opus 40 [7]: The unusual environmental sculpture of hand chiseled and fitted stone, created by artist Harvey Fite, covers six acres of an abandoned bluestone quarry.

Downtown Woodstock [8]: Need more cowbell? Let your inner hippie loose and commune with the crowd on the village green, in this famed arts colony filled with small shops and galleries.

New York State Capitol Building [9]: The centerpiece of the stunning castle-like edifice is its stone staircase, hand-carved with 300 tiny faces, each different from the next.

Cooperstown [10]: This perfect Hometown USA’s excellent National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Fenimore Art Museum, the Farmers’ Museum, breweries, and gorgeous lake make this a can’t miss spot.