Page 35 - Dutchess Tourism 2023

Biking
No matter your level, enjoy biking through the heart of the Hudson Valley, with its mix of rolling hills, winding roads, magnificent views and stops through charming towns and quaint villages along the way. Bike shops and rental facilities include Bikeway in Wappingers Falls and City Bike Rentals PK in Poughkeepsie. For electric bike rentals, check out Pedego in Beacon. Bike along the Harlem Valley Rail Trail—once a rail line for both freight and passengers, now a multi-use path that leads from Wassaic to Millerton and north
into Columbia County.
Suggested bike routes throughout Dutchess. Check out the Pleasant Valley and Staatsburg loop, with a wine break at Milea Estate Vineyards.
Kayaking & Boating
At Norrie Point Paddlesport Center in Staatsburg’s Mills- Norrie State Park, Atlantic Kayak Tours leads beginner- friendly short tours and day-long tours that include lunch on the grounds of either the Staatsburgh State Historic
Site or Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site. With The River Connection, take in views of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Springwood estate and the Vanderbilt Mansion. The family- run enterprise also guides kayakers through Tivoli Bays,
a tranquil, 1,722-acre natural heritage area of freshwater marshes occupied by waterfowl and other wildlife. Walk from the Beacon train station to Scenic Hudson’s Long Dock Park, where Hudson River Expeditions launches explorations of Denning’s Point and Fishkill Creek. A true hidden gem, Quiet Cove Riverfront Park in Poughkeepsie has a new kayak and canoe launch and two observation decks — for fishing, photography or just plain relaxation.
Sailing & Cruising
Folk music legend and environmental activist Pete Seeger co-founded Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, and today his mission and legacy sail on, embodied by the educational efforts of the sloop Clearwater, based in Beacon. Passengers can board a faithful replica of a 19th-century sloop for public and private sails on the river and learn about the role of the river throughout American history and its connection to the modern environmental movement. Or
enjoy champagne and sunsets aboard a 40-foot sailing yacht with Nothing But Time Sailing Charters in Poughkeepsie.
Fish & Game
Cast your line at public fishing streams full of trout in various spots along Route 22, from Dover to MiIlerton.
Try your hand at fly fishing in Wappingers Lake, a shallow impoundment of Wappingers Creek that is filled with largemouth bass, chain pickerel, yellow perch and black crappie. At Orvis Sandanona, take lessons in fly fishing
or wingshooting from skilled instructors, spend the day upland hunting in the fields, or enjoy a round of sporting clays. It’s the oldest permitted shotgun shooting club in
the country and has a nationally acclaimed sporting-clays course. Mountain Valley Farm in Millerton also offers guided hunting and fishing as well as horseback trail riding, kayaking and camping.
Golf
Dutchess County boasts some of our country’s first golf courses, including the nine-hole
Dutcher Golf Course in Pawling and the 18-hole Dinsmore Golf
Course at Mills-Norrie State Park in Staatsburg, built in the 1890s.
Just off the Taconic State Parkway is the 18-hole championship James Baird State Park Golf Course, which is known for its lengthy fairways and tricky shots. Poughkeepsie’s McCann Memorial Golf Course, designed in 1972 by William F. Mitchell and updated in 2001 by Stephen Kay, features a formidable assortment of blind tee shots, water hazards and other obstacles.
Robert Trent Jones Sr. set the 18-hole Casperkill Golf Club amongst soaring ancient oaks and the meandering Casperkill Creek. In southern Dutchess, The Beekman Golf Course lies at the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, offering spectacular views along the 27 holes of the USGA-rated course. One reviewer described The Links at Union Vale as “18 holes of Ireland in Dutchess County.”
The Red Hook Golf Club in northern Dutchess
is player-friendly and appeals to a wide range of
skill levels. College Hill and Vassar Golf Courses in Poughkeepsie and Dogwood Knolls Golf Course in Hopewell Junction are family-friendly nine-hole golf courses that are perfect when you’re looking to get out for a quick game.
Fishkill Golf Course and Driving Range makes a fine practice facility with a 12-hole executive course and grass tee range. In addition to the driving range at Par Fore Golf Center, families can take advantage of batting cages and a mini-golf course.
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