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Enjoy A Hudson Valley Couple’s Weekend

Enjoy A Hudson Valley Couple’s Weekend

Tiny Traveler headed off on a group camping trip recently, leaving Rich and I with 48 hours of treasured grown-up time. We were overdue for a couples’ vacation but couldn’t stray too far.

So we headed to Dutchess County, two hours from home in the Hudson Valley. We took advantage of our kid-free time to dive into the artisanal food and beverage scene burgeoning there.

Here is what we saw and did, and most importantly, what we ate and drank, on our adults–only weekend getaway.

Read more:
A Couple’s Getaway to Upstate New York (Hudson Valley West)
15 Romantic Hotels for Couples
A Kid-Free Weekend in New Hope, PA

Plans For a Romantic Weekend From New York City

Tasting Rooms, Wineries & Distilleries

Hudson Valley Wine

millbrook winery is a nice place to spend an afternoon in the hudson valley

The Hudson Valley launched its wine trail in the 1990s (it extends to both sides of the Hudson River). In recent years that has evolved in an artisanal beverage trail on the Dutchess side, with opportunities to sample and buy locally made wine, beer, cider and spirits.

We started our day in Millbrook, NY where a green market had stands selling local produce, cheese, meat, baked goods and more. We sampled some crisp dry Pitchfork Cider, then popped into a deli for picnic provisions for later.

clinton vineyards is small dutchess county winery with nice wines

Next we headed to Millbrook Winery and Clinton Vineyards, two well established winemakers in the area.

Clinton has a cozy tasting room and a wide expanse of lawn. If you want to picnic they’ll lend you a blanket and even sell you some simple provisions if you haven’t brought your own.

The Seyval Blanc, rosé and peach champagne are tasty, fun summer wines for al fresco dining.

Millbrook has grown and grown since we last visited. They’ve just redone their tasting room with a series of small bars rather than one large one, so each server can focus on a small group.

Upstairs you can buy wine by the glass (and other beverages) to enjoy on the deck overlooking their vines; downstairs there’s a grill in the warm weather. You can also pick up a bottle of your favorite wine from your tasting and picnic at tables overlooking a pond and more vines.

We liked the dry Riesling, unoaked Chardonnay and Tocai Friuliano. If you catch nice weather you can also take a short hike and around their vineyards after lunch.

Hudson Valley Bourbon

Next we headed to the Taconic Distillery, where we could easily have settled in for the rest of the afternoon if we didn’t have more to see and do. The tasting room has a cozy and welcoming vibe while a broad patio has picnic tables, a fire ring for cooler days and a gorgeous view.

taconic distillery's cozy tasting room

The patio good place to spend a Saturday afternoon with a cocktail, a deck of Uno cards and some BYO snacks.

In addition to the excellent smoked Manhattan (see below) and other cocktails made with the house bourbon, rye and rum, be sure to sample the New York maple syrup aged in bourbon barrels; I guarantee you’ll bring a bottle home.

Take Some Cider Home

If you want to bring something home stop by Boutique, Wines, Spirits, & Ciders. Owner Paige Flori makes a point of knowing and stocking local producers. She has the most extensive selection of ciders you’ll find anywhere, including a handful on tap for sampling and filling growlers.

There is a bar in the back for cider tastings and there are also tasting events on the weekends. Be sure to try whatever they’re tapping from the tree that day.

Dutchess County Restaurants

The Other CIA

Our overnight stay only allowed time for one nice meal, so of course we headed to the Culinary Institute of America. The cooking school runs its own microbrewery—with very good beer. The pop-up brewpub we dined at has since closed but we also like the casual, beer-centered dining at The Tavern at American Bounty.

We had lunch at the Tavern in the summer of 2019. It’s a very nice room where you can try the school’s beer, plus other local beer, wine and cider.

We enjoyed fresh oysters and very good onion rings. They have that great burger, too. Tween Traveler was with us and ordered a beautiful root-beer float for dessert.

Rhinebeck Restaurants

If you can’t get reservations at the CIA, don’t worry; Beacon, Rhinebeck and Millbrook are all cute Hudson Valley towns with interesting dining options. The latter has the great old-school Millbrook Diner, which is a good bet for breakfast.

In Rhinebeck we’ve had a few good dinners on the bistro side of locavore-focused Terrapin. Local friends recommended Cinnamon for Indian food, Market Street for upscale Italian and Calico for its desserts.

Things To Do In the Hudson Valley 

History meets the outdoors

It’s easy to mix indoor historic sites with outdoor walks and bike rides in Dutchess. All the mansions have extensive grounds with walking and hiking trails.

inishfree gardens is a nice place for a walk

Inishfree Gardens We spent part of Saturday morning walking around the Inishfree Garden, about ten minutes from the Millbrook Winery, which offers a lovely two-mile path around a lake.

On your way to the lake, stop and explore a small garden with stacked stones, small waterfalls, fountains and hidden bridges that reflect the former owner’s interest in Asian culture.

They have something of a fairy garden feel about them, which would appeal to some kids and we might go back with Tween Traveler one day soon.

Hyde Park and the FDR Libary: On Sunday we visited Hyde Park, the site of Franklin Roosevelt’s home and presidential library.

top cottage, fdr's hyde park retreat

Rich had never been to Top Cottage, which I think is the most special part of the estate, or the library, which I’ve seen before but still needed time to explore.

Read more about visiting Hyde Park.

Gilded Age Mansions: If the gilded age is your thing you can tour the large, ornate Vanderbilt Mansion, or the even larger and more ornate Staatsburg Mansion.

Both are examples of extremely conspicuous consumption in their owners’ time. And they each have extensive grounds and gardens that are lovely to walk around, especially Vanderbilt.

Hudson River Walkway & Trails: If you want more time outdoors, consider bringing or renting a bike. Rail trails on either side of the river are connected by the lovely Walkway over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie.

Beacon Focus

If you want to focus your weekend around Beacon, spend the morning at the DIA: Beacon modern art museum on the Hudson.

Have brunch at the eclectic, locally recommended Kitchen Sink.

Then do an afternoon tasting at Denning’s Point Distillery, where they are cooking up bourbon, rye, whiskey, gin and vodka, and sometimes have music on the weekend.

Beacon has developed enough of a food and beverage scene to warrant a food tour of town.

Dutchess County Hotels

Good Location: We stayed in the Pougkeepsie Grand Hotel, a popular spot for guests at area weddings and a good central location for seeing points north and south.

It’s very close to the Walkway and Bardavon, a nice old theater that attracts good music acts.

Our room had a river view (ask for a higher floor if you can). And both parking and breakfast were included.

On the way to eat in the morning we found a nice, hidden away outdoor patio that would have been a great spot to sit with a drink from the lobby bar in the late afternoon or with coffee in the morning.

Good Value: We’ve also stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, just south of Poughkeepsie, which was renovated a few years ago.

We like their breakfast and afternoon cookies, and there is a pool in summer. It’s right on route 9, which is also very handy for everything you want to do.


If You Take the Kids

While we enjoyed our grown-up, kid-free time there’s no reason you couldn’t do much of this weekend getaway in Dutchess County with kids along.

All the mansions, gardens and grounds are fine with kids. Small children will most enjoy wandering around the garden at Inishfree, while kids old enough to be learning history can appreciate Hyde Park. Teens who have the Great Gatsby or other Fitzgerald are the best audience for the gilded-age mansions.

Both wineries are kid friendly though you might consider skipping the tasting and just going the picnic-with-a-bottle route.

I wouldn’t bring kids into the tasting room at Taconic but would be comfortable letting them run around the lawn or join my Uno game on the patio while I had a cocktail.

Dutch’s owner has a small child and said he aims to make the place welcoming to families when it’s fully up and running.

Read more: Vacations in Dutchess County with kids.


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*Dutchess Tourism helped us to arrange this trip. We have received complimentary stays at the two hotels mentioned.

Rhinecliff photo courtesy of the hotel.