The warm weather provides opportunities to head outside, explore nature, and attend fantastic cultural and artistic opportunities that are within short distances from our homes. Here are 14 things to do in the spring and summer in Putnam & Dutchess counties. Whether it's spring break or summer vacation, I hear a road trip calling.
Visit the famous Bannerman Castle ruins, enjoy a guided walking tour of the island, and take a mini hike to the summit on Bannerman Island. This tiny jewel in the Hudson River is home to the rich history of Bannerman Castle and stunningly beautiful scenery.
Visitors can experience the farm featuring over 200 animals including horses, birds of prey, and camels. http://www.greenchimneys.org/farm/tours/
This 14,086-acre park boasts hiking trails, a beautiful beach, picnic areas, scenic campground, and abundant opportunities for boating, fishing, and birding. Tour Canopus Lake by rowboat, available for rental at the park. https://parks.ny.gov/parks/133/hunting.aspx
This monastery is home to the largest indoor statue of Buddha in the Western Hemisphere. Beautiful grounds, temple, and gift shop are open to visitors. Tours, classes, and vegetarian lunch are available on select days. https://www.baus.org/en/
At Clinton Vineyards, visitors can enjoy explore the gardens, vineyards, and partake in an educational and delicious wine tasting. http://www.clintonvineyards.com
Kayaks, canoes, and stand-up paddleboards are available for rent and lessons. Tours are also available of the Hudson River, Constitution Marsh, and Annsville Creek. http://www.hudsonriverexpeditions.com/
Watch a game of the Hudson Valley Renegades, a Class A, short-season minor league baseball team affiliated with the Tampa Bay Rays. Contests and giveaways make for a fun time and fireworks are displayed after Friday night games. https://www.milb.com/hudson-valley/tickets
Tour the Vanderbilt Mansion and grounds, an example of a gilded-age country estate. Explore the political, economic, and cultural changes that occurred as America industrialized in the years after the Civil War. www.nps.gov/vama/index.htm
Boscobel offers tours of the Neoclassical mansion and access to 68 acres of grounds, featuring lush gardens, a woodland trail, and stunning vistas of Constitution Marsh, Hudson River, and Bear Mountain. https://boscobel.org/
Enjoy a Shakespeare performance under an open-air tent on the beautiful grounds of Boscobel. https://hvshakespeare.org/visit/boscobel-house-and-gardens/
Manitoga was the estate and modernist home of industrial designer Russel Wright. A variety of tours are offered of his house, studio, and grounds. Inspirational, his vision integrates Japanese design and the juxtaposition of natural and synthetic materials. https://www.visitmanitoga.org/
The Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge, built in the late 19th century, to link New York and New England to the coal beds of Pennsylvania and the West, is a marvel of Industrial Revolution engineering. For walkers, runners, bicyclists, and rollerbladers, it provides a stunning panorama and a connection to 27 miles of rail trails and riverfront parks on either side of the Hudson River. www.walkway.org
Watch an exhilarating air show or go for a ride over the Hudson River in the open cockpit of a 1929 New Standard D-25. Here visitors can enjoy one of the world’s largest collections of World War I and Golden Age aircraft and antique automobiles. http://www.oldrhinebeck.org
If you love adventure travel and off the beaten path destinations, visit boulevardsandbyways.com and like/follow me on:
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