Page 46 - 2019 Westchester Relocation Guide

spectacular fireworks. For an outstanding view of fireworks in Poughkeepsie, pur- chase a ticket to the Walkway Over the Hudson’s spectacular show.
In the fall, one of Westchester’s and the Hudson Valley’s biggest events, The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze, takes place in Croton-on-Hudson. This hand-carved, illuminated pumpkin extravaganza on the grounds of historic Van Cortlandt Manor has become so popular it now takes place from late September to late November. Other Historic Hudson Valley Hallow- een events include Irving’s Legend and Horseman’s Hollow.
Kick off the winter holiday season with Tree-Lighting Ceremonies in White Plains, Yonkers, and many other commu- nities throughout Westchester and the Hudson Valley. At Westchester’s Winter Wonderland at Kensico Dam Plaza, you can catch the musical light show or holiday circus, ice skate, visit Santa, enjoy amuse- ment-type rides, and view their 40-foot tree. Twilight Tours at Boscobel House and Gardens in Garrison has candlelight tours, live string music, and the mansion decorated for a 19th-century Christmas. Rhinebeck’s Sinterklaas Festival draws more than 10,000 visitors and celebrates the Hudson Valley’s Dutch heritage with a day-long party featuring children’s work- shops, dance, theater, and music through- out the village.
Innisfree Garden
The Great Outdoors
Westchester has more than 50 county parks and recreation areas to explore. North-South County Trailway boasts 36 miles of bike trails through the county, with beautiful scenery and sights along the way. The Bronx River Pathway is a paved trail located immediately adjacent to the Bronx River Parkway, spanning cen- tral Westchester in three sections, total- ing nine miles from Valhalla to Yonkers. Sites of interest include the Kensico Dam Plaza and Greenburgh Nature Center.
Right in the city of Yonkers, stroll through Untermyer Park & Gardens. It includes Grecian gardens landscaped in the Beaux Arts style, a temple over- looking a mosaic pool, and sculptures around a Greek amphitheater. In Millbrook in Dutchess County, Innisfree Garden is an internationally acclaimed Chinese cup garden that features an idyllic walking path. In Putnam County, Stone- crop Gardens in Cold Spring creates a quiet, relaxed environment amid stunning beauty, and Clarence Fahne- stock Memorial State Park is a 14,000- acre park with endless hiking trails and a beautiful beach.
Across the Hudson River, Bear Mountain State Park features hiking, biking, and cross-country ski trails, as well as a small zoo, an ice-skating rink, and a merry-go-round. Harriman State Park straddles both Orange and Rockland counties. The second larg- est state park in New York, it has 31 lakes and reservoirs, 200 miles of hiking trails, beaches, campgrounds, and other attractions.
Performing Arts
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is a prime destination for music afi- cionados to enjoy live performances of multiple genres, including classical, jazz, opera and The American Songbook. West- chester Broadway Theatre (WBT) in El- msford is the longest-running year-round professional theater in the state, with more than 40 years worth of shows to its credit. Nationally acclaimed performers take their bows at other local venues, too, including Tarrytown Music Hall, White Plains Performing Arts Center, the Capi- tol Theater, the Paramount Hudson Val- ley Theater, and West Point’s 4,000-ca- pacity Eisenhower Hall Theatre.
The Performing Arts Center at Pur- chase College (PAC) is home to the Westchester Philharmonic and also hosts many other music, dance, and perform- ing arts series, concerts, and performers year-round. Axial Theatre in Pleasant- ville is a performing, professional regional theatre ensemble, which offers programs for acting for teens and adults, and work- shops for aspiring playwrights.
A classical evening awaits in New- burgh, with a powerful performance by the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra. In Middletown, the Historic Paramount Theatre will treat you to both live per- formances and movie screenings in their 1,100-seat theatre, built in 1929. The oldest continuously operating theater in the state, Bardavon, in Poughkeepsie, of- fers affordable, world-class arts educa- tion programs, music, dance, theater, and classic films for diverse audiences of the Hudson Valley.
Westchester’s Winter Wonderland
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