Page 48 - Westchester - 2017 Relocation Guide

NOT TO BE MISSED
FTun for all ages
ourism is increasing in the Hudson Valley as others discover what residents have known all along: The region is unique, not just because New York City is in its backyard but because it offers cultural attractions that are truly one-of-a-kind.
RIDE A WOODEN COASTER SATISFY ALL THE SENSES
Caramoor Center for Music & the Arts
Rye Playland’s famed Dragon Coaster
Wolf Conservation Center is a private, not-for-profit environmental-education organization dedicated to the survival and recovery of the endangered gray wolf and red wolf. In Ossining, Teatown spon- sors EagleFest each February to help visi- tors watch the majestic birds as they soar over the Hudson.
ACTION-PACKED
Westchester boasts its own professional sports franchise in the form of the West- chester Knicks, part of the NBA Develop- ment League and owned by the iconic New York Knicks. They play from November to April at the Westchester County Center in White Plains. But to experience the wind beneath your own wings, visit the new iFLY, which brings the thrill of bona fide indoor skydiving to Ridge Hill shopping center in Yonkers.
Rye Playland’s Dragon Coaster is not just famous for being included in a Mariah Carey video and the movies Fa- tal Attraction and Big. The 1929 wooden coaster, designed by the well-known ride creator Frederick Church, gives riders a two-minute thrill and includes a dragon- head tunnel with a top height of 80 feet.
IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKINS!
The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze
has become a tradition for both residents and visitors. Boasting more than 7,000 carved pumpkins, the Blaze covers Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson and its grounds in the festive fruit. Some have individual designs and others are put together to create towering figures like di- nosaurs. Feast on warm cider and all things pumpkin from scones to pasta.
iFly at Ridge Hill in Yonkers
SHAKESPEARE WITH A VIEW
The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival is a summer tradition at Boscobel House and Garden in Garrison (Putnam). Thrilling audiences for more than a quar- ter of a century, the Shakespeare Festival performs different classics each summer. More than 60,000 patrons picnic on the grounds while enjoying the performances that use the dramatic views as their back- drops. Educational programs encourage family participation and intrigue the next generation of thespians.
At Caramoor Center for Music & the Arts, music permeates the lovely grounds set on a picturesque 90 acres in Katonah. When enjoying an outdoor event, scents from the lovely gardens add a flourish to the concerts, while in- door venues include historic backdrops. Throughout the year, every musical taste can be satisfied from jazz to the American Songbook to opera to classi- cal. Special concerts are also available.
FOOTBALL, CONCERTS, AND MILITARY HISTORY
West Point Military Academy in Highland Falls (Orange) has been a part of the Hudson Valley for centuries. Boasting alumni like Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee, West Point is rich in military history. In the fall, crowds gather from far and wide to watch Army football. The West Point Band fills the campus with music from a number of concerts, both free and open to the pub- lic, some of which include fireworks.
LIGHT UP THE RIVER
Stony Point Lighthouse in Stony Point (Rockland) is the oldest lighthouse on the Hudson River, dating back to 1826. Stony Point was also unusual be- cause several of its lighthouse keepers were women. Visitors can explore the museum and take part in re-enactments of 18th-century life, complete with blacksmith and cooking demonstrations, as well as cannon and musket firings.
INTRIGUING NATURE
Nature is protected all over the rewith preserves, sanctuaries, and a zoo that heals injured animals. South Salem’s
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