Page 54 - Westchester 2022 Relocation & Moving Guide

HUDSON VALLEY
DUTCHESS COUNTY
Dutchess County has something for everyone. Students flock here to study at Bard, Vassar, Dutchess Community College, and Marist, while young families from NYC take advantage of the reasonable home prices. (Don’t worry seniors; community centers and recreation programs make this a good place to retire, too.) Metro-North and Amtrak connect popular towns like Beacon, Hyde Park, Poughkeepsie, and Rhinebeck, which boast big-ticket historic and cultural attractions,
K as well as stylish boutique shops, big-box stores, and first-class dining.
nown for its world-class museums, Dutchess is home to the Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic
Site, Presidential Library and Museum, as well as the Vanderbilt Mansion, one of the region’s oldest Hudson River estates. Cultural institutions include art-filled Dia:Beacon and Revel 32°, a new live music venue that debuted in Poughkeepsie in late 2019. Historic sites include the ruined Bannerman Castle, accessible by kayak tour, while the younger set will enjoy the award-winning Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum, with STEM programming just steps from Walkway Over The Hudson — the world’s longest elevated pedestrian bridge with stunning, panoramic views.
The Hyde Park-based Culinary Institute of America cultivates talented chefs who often go on to enhance the county’s rich dining culture. Dutchess also pours some of the Valley’s finest suds at craft breweries such as Plan Bee Farm Brewery, Sloop Brewing Co., and cultish Hudson Valley Brewery. For an overnight stay, secret hotel The Dutchess is a rustic retreat with a serious, farm-to-table dining program, while much-hyped Mirbeau Inn & Spa Rhinebeck offers French-inspired character and a luxurious, 12,000 sq. ft. spa.
Through the year, festivals and seasonal events are a big part of the county’s
Bannerman Castle, Bannerman Island
charm. The 160-year-old Dutchess County Fairgrounds hosts the Hudson Valley Hot- Air Balloon Festival and one of the state’s largest county fairs each summer. Family- run farms offer pick-your-own produce from June through November, with harvest celebrations such as the Fall Festival at Barton Orchards in Poughquag.
Come October, things get spooky at Kevin McCurdy’s Haunted Mansion in Wappingers Falls, one of the most interactive scream parks around. In Rhinebeck, the annual Sinterklaas Festival
Main Street, Beacon
Day ushers in the holiday season with family-friendly entertainment, music, and decorations, while Candlelight Tours at Clermont State Historic Site in Germantown will have you cherishing the beauty of the holiday season.
BEST OF
DUTCHESS COUNTY
Get ready to fall in love with the offerings at these hotspots, all deemed Best of 2021 by Hudson Valley Magazine:
Best Dinner and a Movie:
Story Screen and Wonderbar, Beacon
Best Diversity-Minded Brewery:
Sloop Brewing Co., East Fishkill
Best Tattoo Parlor:
Graceland Tattoo, Wappingers Falls
Best Walkable Garden:
Innisfree Garden, Millbrook
Clermont State Historic Site, Germantown
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