The Travelers Guide To The Hudson River Valley

A newly updated and revised edition of the classic and definitive guide to the best of the Hudson River Valley. For the last 20 years this has been the most trusted guide to exploring the Hudson River Valley's myriad attractions and providing everything the visitor?and resident?needs to know to enjoy this newly designated National Heritage Area that has been called ?America's Rhine.? Visit presidential homes ? great estates built by founding fathers and 19th-century tycoons ? a remarkable assortment of art museums with Old Master paintings and contemporary masterpieces ? the battlements of West Point and the site of the most important struggle of the Revolution ? the homes, studios and painting sites of Hudson River School artistsperforming arts centers ? the oldest and most famous horse-racing track in the country ? wineries ? lighthouses ? arboretums ? hot-air ballooning, river tubing, and bird watching for bald eagles ? historic districts ? antiquarian bookstores, antiques

The first comprehensive guide to the Hudson since the works of Ernest Ingersoll were published in the early 1900s, this guidebook arrives to fill the need for a detailed, point-by-point guide to the river from its intersection with the Atlantic to its source in the Adirondacks. Adams offers his reader five routes by which to tour the region. The traveler can venture directly up the main steamboat channel, or choose road and rail routes on the east and west shores of the river. Maps for each route are included, together with suggestions for excursions to many points of local and historical interest along the way. Over 250 photographs and paintings, and excerpts from American authors pepper the book, giving multiple perspectives of the region's long history. For the armchair as well as the actual traveler, from the Abyssal Plain to Doodletown and Chevaux de-Frise, past Anthony's nose, Burden's ironworks, and the Saratoga Battle Field to the Hudson's source at Lake Tear of the Clouds - this is the perfect traveling guide to the Hudson River region, rich in its history and culture, and ever-plentiful in its breathtaking sights.

"Perpetually interesting," Henry James said of the history-rich Hudson, and so it is, with the stunning Catskill Mountains, the brooding intensity of the Hudson Highlands, the greatest city in the world at its mouth -- and an extraordinary bounty of things to see and do along the way. Now in its third revised edition, Tim Mulligan's engaging guidebook (formerly titled The Hudson River Valley: A History and Guide) provides invaluable, up-to-the-minute suggestions on how best to enjoy the region's treasures: -- Ponies and performing arts at Saratoga -- Old Masters at the exquisite Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, Early American master-works and paintings of the Hudson River school at the Albany Institute of Art, furniture and handcrafts at the Shaker Museum in Old Chatham, and natural history at the Museum of the Hudson Highlands -- Walking and driving tours of historic Hudson, Kingstons, Cold Spring, and Nyack, and the rolling farmland of Dutchess and Columbia counties -- A celebrated view from the site of the once-famed Catskill Mountain House -- Kykuit, the lovely Rockefeller estate, now open to the public for the first time plus -- Dozens of bed and breakfasts, inns, restaurants, and antique shops recommended by those who know the Valley best -- the people who live there

Discover the natural and architectural wonders that abound along New York's Hudson River Valley in this lavishly illustrated travel and field guide. The unique scenery, plants and wildlife, and architecture of the valley, from Sleepy Hollow near New York City north to the town of Catskill, are showcased through 150 color photos. Brief essays relate the majesty of the four seasons in the valley, its waterfalls, bogs, people, history, and more. Whether it's learning about the recovery of bald eagles or the region's rare orchids, taking a tour through a historic Gilded Age mansion, or rambling to the top of a legendary mountain said to be the abode of mischievous imps, it will be hard, if not impossible, to avoid falling "under the sway of some witching power" that Washington Irving believed pervades this remarkable land. Includes a map with forty locations worth visiting and driving directions.

This is the first comprehensive guide to the Hudson since the works of Ernest Ingersoll were published in the early 1900s. It arrives to fulfill the need for a new detailed, point-by-point guide to the river from its intersection with the Atlantic to its source in the Adirondacks. Five possible routes for the traveler are given: directly up the main steamboat channel, road routes on the east and west shores, and rail routes along the east and west shores. The road routes follow the riverbanks as closely as possible and also provide excursions to the many points of historical interest and contemporary development in the river valley. Maps provide detailed guides for excursions. For both armchair and actual travelers, Arthur Adams has condensed his considerable knowledge of the natural river, navigation, regional history, and the architecture along the river in this book. Many excerpts from American authors provide perspectives on the valley from other eras, and Adams combines descriptions of well-known events in American history, such as Benedict Arnold's meeting with Major Andre, with the stories of ordinary people and origins of place names that deepen one's feeling for the river. Contemporary economic development is also noted, and the fluctuating economic fortunes of river towns and always changing patterns of residence and employment are noted. From the Abyssal Plain to Doodletown and Chevaux-de-Frise, past Anthony's Nose, Burdens Iron Works, and the Saratoga Battle Field to the Hudson's source at Lake Tear of the Clouds, this Guidebook provides practical information and enjoyable perspectives. Take it along!