Traveling to the region for son Alec's vow renewal wedding celebration, we stayed over to visit the Hudson River Valley. We centered our activities and logistics in the town of Poughkeepsie, NY which proved to be ideal with proximity to a wide range of attractions and varied points of interest: numerous wineries and vineyards on the Duchess County and Shawangunk Wine Trails, CIA - Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park campus, Marist University, Vasser College, President Franklin D Roosevelt Library, Vanderbilt Mansion and the legendary IBM Poughkeepsie campus.
We toured the beautiful campus of Marist University overlooking the banks of the Hudson. It was emotional and heartfelt seeing the James Cannavino library bequeathed by former boss and dear friend Jim Cannavino.
Another incredible attraction is the spectacular New York State Park "Walkway Over the Hudson", a footbridge crossing high above the Hudson on a trestle bridge overlooking and adjacent to the Mid-Valley Hudson River highway bridge. the longest elevated pedestrian bridge in the world (212 feet tall, 1.28 miles long).
The town of Poughkeepsie also has a historic district, Little Italy and other historic sites.
On the west bank of the Hudson, opposite the town of Poughkeepsie is the Shawangunk Wine Trail, home to 13 wineries nestled between the Shawangunk Mountains and the Hudson River, just 60 miles north of NYC.
We spent a day visiting several select producers in the area along the Shawangunk (Mountains) Wine Trail:
Whitecliff Vineyards in Gardner, New York
Benmarl Winery and Vineyards in Marlboro-Hudson, New York
Stoutridge Winery in Marlboro, New York
We finished the day dining at Henry's on the Farm at the historic Buttermilk Falls Inn.
As we left the region, we toured south along the Hudson to the town of Newburgh, New York, a picturesque river town with several riverfront eateries. We dined at Billy Joe's Ribworks on the waterfront with a view down the river several miles down to West Point.
We finished our Hudson Valley tour with a visit to West Point and the US Army Military Academy before hitting the road back to Chicago.
