Point of Interest: The Great Hunger Memorial

Parks attractions include: Picnicking, Playground, "The Great Hunger Memorial"

All performances are at the Whippoorwill Hall auditorium adjacent to The North Castle Public Library in Armonk, NY. The Armonk Players is sponsored by Friends of the North Castle Public Library, Inc., a non-profit organization whose mission is to raise money for purchasing "extras" for The North Castle Public Library and to bring cultural and educational events to the community. Press "Blue Button" for The Armonk Players Production Schedule, Audition Notices, Past Productions and more.

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The Post Office c1838 is located in Bedford Village. An example of Greek Revival style, the Post Office was originally a harness shop. It has been the village Post Office since around 1900. It first stood next to the Library but was moved in 1930 to make room for the Fire House. It was purchased in 1972 by the Society and enlarged in 1975 so that the Post Office could remain in the village.

Press "Blue Button" for more information about the Bedford Historical Society and its historic properties.

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In addition to operating and maintaining our historic buildings, we open our two museums to the public from April to December with the help of our devoted volunteers. The Society also sponsors lectures of historical and community interest, educational tours, special exhibits of our collections, and special events that promote an appreciation of our history. We work to preserve and collect our local historic treasures and to provide educational information to those studying local history. Press "Blue Button" for more information about the Bedford Historical Society and its historic properties.

At the comer of Guard Hill and Succabone Roads stands a tall, handsome brick tower which is a landmark and a source of joy and some amusement to the townspeople. This is the famous Sutton Clock Tower, and this is the story behind it.

In the late 1880s when the Sutton family moved to their country home in Bedford, Mrs. Sutton was homesick for New York City. Among other things, she missed the sound of the city's church bells. Thereupon Mr. Sutton installed in his barn a huge clock, an E. Howard time and strike model with a 550-pound bell. After Mrs. Sutton’s death, the property was sold. The barn was dismantled but the clock and bell were rescued and in 1939 a group of neighbors raised $3000 to build a tower to house the clock. They then donated the tower to the Town of Bedford. Since 1985, the Historical Society has leased the tower and maintains the clock. A small group of neighbors, known as the Clock Winders, takes turns winding the clock, which is accurate to this day as the chimes ring the hours across the surrounding fields and meadows.

Things To Do
Boat Launch
Cabin Rental, RV Camping, and Tent Camping
Cross-country Skiing
Fishing
Hiking / Walking
Historic Wine Cellars
Museum
Nature Study
Pavilions
Picnicking
Playground
Swimming Beach

A National Historic Landmark, the 18th-century stone manor house is the centerpiece of the property. It features a fine collection of Georgian and Federal period furnishings, many original to Van Cortlandt Manor. Of particular note is an extraordinary kitchen on the ground floor, with original hearth, beehive oven, and extensive collection of cooking equipment and utensils. Also on the grounds is an 18th-century tavern situated on the historic Albany Post Road at the site of a ferry crossing over the Croton River. The tavern showcases an extraordinary collection of vernacular Hudson River Valley furnishings and evokes fascinating tales of travel and transport in the post-revolutionary period. Press "Blue Button" for photos and more information about Van Cortlandt Manor.

Attractions
Gardens
Guided tours of the house and grounds
Stone manor house
Tenant farmer's house and tavern

The word is: Great fun for the kids and children of all ages, as costumed guides demonstrate and invite visitors to try blacksmithing, brick making, open-hearth cooking and more from the past.

To find Oscawana Island: Take Route 9 to the Montrose/Bucannan exit. Furnace Dock Road is just south of the exit on Route 9A. Take Furnace Dock Road 1.1 miles to the parking area. Listen for Least bittern near the parking area. A trail leads to the island. The main trail leads over the railroad tracks to the Hudson River.

Through innovative staging, original music, and the talent and dedication of accomplished actors, each production offers performers and audience members a chance to share in a live theatrical exploration of powerful themes and provocative questions. Press "Blue Button" for reviews, current and upcoming Productions, and the Red Monkey Theater Group website.

Things To Do
Ball Fields
Basketball Court
Playground

Things To Do
Open Playfield
Softball Field
Tot Lot

Things To Do
Baseball field
Basketball court
Ball fields

Parks attractions include: Basketball Courts, Checker Tables, Picnic Tables, Playground

Parks attractions include: Softball, Soccer, & Football Fields, Picnicking

Parks attractions include: Playground, Playfield.

Parks attractions include: Little Leaque Ballfields, Softball Field, Picnicking, Restrooms,

Parks attractions include: Basketball Court, Volleyball Courts, Horseshoe Court, All-weather Tennis Courts, Tennis Backboard, Ballfield, Playground.

With pleasing proportions and marvelous acoustics, the Theater has been touted as “one of the finest municipal halls in eastern New York State” by Alvah French History of Westchester County, “A jewel of a theater on the Hudson” by Robert Sherman New York Times and “Acoustically superb” by Lou Cevetillo Opera Critic Gannett Newspapers. Press "Blue Button" for the Irvington Town Hall Theater - Children's Theater, Box Office, House Map, and more.

Caramoor's House Museum has twenty rooms that are open to the public. These rooms are filled with an extraordinary collection of paintings, sculpture, tapestries, stained glass, furniture, cloisonné, and an important jade collection.

Brief History

Caramoor is the legacy of Walter and Lucie Rosen, who established the estate and built a great house as its centerpiece, filling it with treasures collected on their travels. Walter Rosen was the master planner, bringing to reality his dream of creating a place to entertain friends from around the world. Their legendary musical evenings were the seeds of today's International Music Festival that is held annually on the estate.

The Rosens had two children, Walter and Anne. In 1944, during the Second World War, while flying for the RAF, Walter was killed returning from a raid in Germany. His absence from the house was keenly felt and it prompted his parents to act on their previously discussed plans to preserve the artistic and musical heritage of Caramoor. In 1945, the Rosens bequeathed the Caramoor estate as a center for music and art in memory of their son.

In the summer, come early, explore Caramoor's beautiful grounds, take a tour of the House Museum, enjoy a pre-concert picnic, and discover wonderful music in a relaxed setting. With its unique heritage, Caramoor remains a place where you can experience magical summer days and nights. Year round, select from the many venues and programs. Press "Blue Button" for Music Festival, House Museum and Gardens, Upcoming Concerts and more about Caramoor.

In 1958 the house and thirty of the original acres were purchased from Eleanor Jay Iselin’s heirs by Westchester County and transferred to the State of New York, which opened it to the public in 1964 as John Jay Homestead State Historic Site. The historic house is open most of the year, and can be seen by a guided tour through twelve beautifully furnished period rooms, restored to an 1820's appearance. Specialized tours and education programs are available by appointment. The historic site now encompasses sixty-two acres, including lovingly-tended formal gardens, magnificent woodland walks, rolling meadows, and a cluster of 19th century farm buildings. An 1820's schoolhouse and an 1830s barn are open for touring.

John Jay: First Chief-Justice of the United States
John Jay during the latter part of his life resided in the northern part of Bedford, NY. The annexed sketch of his life is from Blake's Biographical Dictionary: "John Jay, LL.D., first chief-justice of the United States under the constitution of 1789, graduated at Kings, (now Columbia College) in 1764 and in 1768 was admitted to the bar. He was appointed to the first American congress in 1774. Being on the committee with Lee and Livingston to draft an address to the people of Great Britain, he was the writer of the eloquent production. In the congress of 1775, he was on various important committees, performing more service perhaps than any other member except Franklin and John Adams. In May, 1776, he was recalled to assist in forming the government of New York, and in consequence his name is not attached to the Declaration of Independence... Though not a member of the convention, which formed the constitution of the United States, he was present at Annapolis and aided by his advice. He also assisted Madison and Hamilton in writing the Federalist. In the convention of New York he contributed to the adoption of the constitution. He was appointed chief justice by Washington, December 26, 1789. In 1794, he was appointed minister plenipotentiary to Great Britain, and succeeded in negotiating the treaty that still goes by his name. Chief-Justice John Jay was governor of the state of New York from 1795 to 1801. The remainder of his life passed in retirement. He died in 1829, aged 84."

Attractions
Audio-Visual Programs
Bridle Path Demonstrations
Educational Services
Gardens
Gift Shop
Group Tours
Hiking
Historic Site
Interpretive Sign
Picnic Area
Scenic Views
Self Guided Tours

The many artists living in the area represent an important constituency for the Museum. A very active Katonah Museum Artists Association offers lectures, workshops, and other events of special interest to its more than 300 members. The Museum also presents tri-state juried exhibitions, selecting outstanding curators to serve as jurors.

Brief History: The Katonah Museum of Art was founded 50 years ago as The Katonah Gallery, a small volunteer-run institution dedicated to encouraging the enjoyment, appreciation, and study of the visual arts by visitors of all ages. The Gallery, initially located in a small room over the Katonah Village Library, was committed to presenting "the best of art from the past to the present" and, as a "teaching museum," to communicating the special pleasures of the visual arts to its visitors.

By the late 1980's, the need for expanded space became critical. The Museum launched $5 million capital campaign and engaged the distinguished architect, Edward Larrabee Barnes, to design its new home. In 1990, the renamed Katonah Museum of Art moved to its present site and hired its first Executive Director. The Museum's elegant new facility provided space for a more comprehensive treatment of exhibition material, a wider range of participatory art education activities, and a greater variety and frequency of public programs.

As it made this growth-driven expansion, the Katonah Museum of Art reaffirmed its commitment to its mission. It remains a non-collecting institution dedicated to the study, appreciation, and enjoyment of the visual arts. It remains committed to its innovative and challenging range of educational programs, its lively array of public programs, and its uniquely effective use of talented volunteers. Press "Blue Button" for Exhibitions, The Learning Center, Programs and Events, and more about the Katonah Museum of Art.

The Emelin Theatre produces theatre that includes productions for Adults, Children and Musical Events to be enjoyed by all. Season productions may include: Bluegrass, Brazilian Jazz, Cabaret, Children's Theatre, Classical Music, Film Club, Plays, Acting Workshops and more.

Planted on May 9th, 2007, the vineyard will be an integral part of Westchester County’s Conservation and Natural Resource Center. It boasts three grape varietals: Cabernet Franc, Seyval Blanc and Noiret (a Pinot Noir hybrid). We, the winemakers, look forward to years of abundant harvests and converting these fruits of labor into spectacular wines for all to enjoy. Press "Blue Button" for The Winery at St. George website.

The Thomas Paine Memorial Building is located north of the Paine Monument at the corner of North Avenue and Valley Road in New Rochelle. The construction of this building began May 30,1925 when the great American inventor Thomas A. Edison turned the first spadeful of earth. For years this beautiful old building has housed our library and museum collection. Press "Blue Button" to explore the Thomas Paine National Historical Association website.

The Westchester Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1984 by its Artistic Director, Barry Charles Hoffman. For many years the WCO gave its concerts at various sites throughout Westchester County and in 1994 began its association with Iona College in New Rochelle, NY.

At Westchester Chamber Orchestra concerts, great performances of the standard repertoire are blended with lesser known but equally beautiful works. Innovative programming has also included concert themes such as "Music of the British Isles," "Music of the Heart," and "Music of Appalachia and Appalachian Spring," the latter with renown folk artists Jay Unger and Molly Mason. The WCO has presented many world class soloists in its performances. These have included: harpist Barbara Allen, violinists Glenn Dicterow and Yuri Kharenko, violists Karen Dreyfus and Emanuel Vardi, clarinetist Stanley Drucker, oboist Matt Sullivan, bassoonist Lennie Hindell and tenor Robert White. You will be treated to outstanding soloists and inspired performances of some of the greatest works of German composers over the past three centuries; from Gluck to Beethoven to Schumann to Schoenberg. The richness and rewards are here.

"To please the eye, there are the textures of stone scrolled with the delicate designs of lichen, the patterns of tree trunks and clusters of foliage, the play of light and shadow, the varying shades of green as well as the seasonal colors of great beauty. To please the ear, there are the songs of native birds, the hum of insects the chorale of frogs and the occasional splash of carp in the lake, the crunch of pebbles underfoot, the whisper of wind through the pines. To please the sense of scent, there are dry pine needles in the sun, the fragrance of flowering shrubs, a breeze through mimosa or the pungency of loam after a night rain."

Things To Do
Birding
Brush Painting
Children's Workshops
Educational Tours
Restaurant
Stroll Garden

The Ensemble had its origin in the summer of 2001 at the Croton-on-Hudson estate of Blueberry Pond, the residence of Stephan Summa, a businessman, and Jean-Paul DeVellard, a writer, food critic and playwright. According to Mr. DeVellard, "We knew a group of very talented artists, and my idea was to bring them together as the nucleus of a theatrical ensemble along the lines of the original Actors Studio. We all knew playwrights, actors, directors, that it would take a cooperative effort to bring our dream of original and bold and indeed provocative theater to life. Our commitment is to creative cooperation and support for new and exciting visions which reflect the world in which we live."

The Westchester Ballet Company, which celebrated 50 years of dance in the year 2000, is one of the oldest community ballet companies in the United States. In 1950 Iris Merrick, a former student of Michel Fokine and soloist with the English Opera Company, established the Scarborough Children's Ballet Theatre, which officially became known as Westchester Ballet Company in 1954. Over the years Merrick's school developed a fine reputation in the County for artistic discipline and regular professional performances. Under her direction the Company's annual productions of The Nutcracker were staged at the Scarborough School's Beechwood Theatre and at the County Center in White Plains.

The Westchester Ballet Company members may join as student dancers as young as age 8 and progress by audition through the junior company and apprentice levels until they are accepted into the senior company. Training at the Company's school, the Logrea Dance Academy, is rigorous, emphasizing the development of strength and flexibility and the cultivation of artistic expression. Dancers receive instruction in healthy nutrition and safety. Senior company members participate in the nation's most prestigious summer training programs and festivals.

Press "Blue Button" for more about Exhibition, Arts-in-Residence, Education and Public Outreach, and Special Projects programs at the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art website.

The Inaugural program featured an overture by the Paramount Symphony Orchestra, an appearance by the village mayor, and “A Paramount All-Talking Picture”, The Big Pond, starring Maurice Chevalier and Claudette Colbert. Publix Theatres was recognized as a leader in the theatre building industry, and the Peekskill Paramount was constructed as a state-of-the-art facility for the times. The Paramount building is a designated Westchester County Landmark, declared eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Paramount prospered for decades despite the Depression and World War II. However, it was the advent of shopping malls and television that brought on its demise as a movie theatre. Paramount sold the building in 1973. Eventually the building was acquired by the City of Peekskill in 1977 due to a tax default.

The Peekskill Paramount Center for the Performing Arts presented its first series of performances in the spring of 1982. Its mission was to bring cultural and educational programming to the northern Westchester and Putnam County area at affordable prices. Since 1982, what was a grass roots “Save the Paramount” campaign has grown to become a true center for the arts, with live performances, arts-in-education programs, films, and visual art exhibitions, serving over 50,000 people annually.

The Herrick House is a restored Victorian building that was owned by Dwight S. Herrick, a prominent Peekskill attorney. The Peekskill Museum was presented to the Field Library by Mrs. Ida M. Adams by deed dated January 3, 1944. It is one of Peekskill's most famous Victorian houses. The house was designed by the famous architectural firm of McKim, Mead, and Bigelow. The Herrick House is a fine example of a "well to do" Victorian home - with a spacious staircase, library, parlor and a fireplace with Dutch 'Delft' tiles depicting Biblical scenes.

The house was built between 1873 and 1877, occupied by the Herrick family until approximately 1912. Mr. Herrick's picture, presented to the Museum by Jennie Mabie in 1948, hangs on the wall in the front foyer, ready to greet visitors as Mr. Herrick would have done. The house itself was published in the best architectural journal of it's day, "The American Architect and Building News" on June 2, 1877. More recently, the house has been mentioned by Vincent Scully, a professor of Art History at Yale, in his book "The Single Story". Press "Blue Button" for more information about the Herrick House and the Peekskill Museum.

Previous presentations have included Symphony Space’s Thalia Follies: A Political Cabaret, Atlantic Theater Company's Port Authority with Brian D'Arcy James and John Gallagher, Jr., The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival’s The Tempest, and Classic Stage Company’s open rehearsals of The Merchant of Venice with Ron Leibman and Richard III with Michael Cumpsty. Press "Blue Button" for more information about Deep End Productions.

In 1999, a winery and tasting room were opened on the original site of Prospero's fruit and vegetable market in Pleasantville. The Prospero family produces exceptional wines made from the finest California grapes, and is dedicated to offering its customers high-quality products at exceptional prices. Press "Blue Button" for more information about Prospero Winery in Pleasantville.

Completed in 1913 for John D. Rockefeller by architects Delano and Aldrich, Kykuit has been home to four generations of the Rockefeller family. Kykuit commands a breathtaking view of the Hudson River and occupies a landscape of extensive stone terraces, formal gardens, and glorious fountains designed by landscape architect William Welles Bosworth. The gardens include Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller's extraordinary collection of 20th-century sculpture. The house itself contains fascinating collections of art, fine furniture, and Chinese ceramics. Horse-drawn vehicles and classic automobiles from the family's collection fill the coach barn.

Tours include an introduction to each part of Kykuit, the main floor of the house, the art galleries, terraced gardens with classical and 20th-century sculpture, and the Coach Barn with antique carriages and classic cars. The sculpture collection, sited throughout the grounds, includes works by Pablo Picasso, Aristide Maillol, Henry Moore, Alexander Calder, Isamu Noguchi, Louise Nevelson, and many others.

In season, licensed anglers enjoy fishing for bass in the 22 acre Swan Lake and for brown trout in the Pocantico River. In addition the beauty of the Preserve inspires many artists and photographers to memorialize its scenic vistas. While in the park, stop in the Preserve's Gallery across from the Visitor Center. Its rotating exhibits feature the art of local artists.

The most notable feature of the Preserve is the system of carriage roads built by John D. Rockefeller Sr. and John D. Rockefeller Jr. Designed to complement the landscape, the carriage roads, many of which are handicapped accessible, allow visitors to experience and enjoy the natural wonders of the area. These scenic paths wind through wetlands, woodlands, meadows, and fields and past streams, rivers, and lakes. They traverse wood and stone bridges, including the first triple arch bridge in America.

Trail maps (with distance and grade descriptions) of all the carriage roads and equestrian permits are available at the Preserve Office. Hunting, swimming, biking, snowmobiling, camping, and open fires are strictly prohibited.

Park Attractions
Birding - designated an IBA (Important Bird Area)
Bridle Path
cross-country Skiing
Fishing
Hiking
Nature Trail
Picnic Tables
Scenic Views
Sledding Snowshoeing

The Union Church of Pocantico Hills features stained glass windows created by two modern masters: Henri Matisse (1869-1954) and Marc Chagall (1887-1985). Commissioned as memorials by members of the Rockefeller family whose estate, Kykuit, is nearby, the windows include the final work of Matisse, completed just two days before his death, and the only cycle of church windows created by Chagall in the United States.

On behalf of his family, Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller commissioned Matisse to create a rose window in memory of his mother Abby Aldrich Rockefeller (1874-1948), a distinguished patron of the arts, a founder of the Museum of Modern Art, and wife of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Before his death, Matisse had finished the design and had also selected the colors and exact type of glass to be used in the window. His daughter carried out his instructions, and the window was dedicated on Mother's, Day 1956.

David Rockefeller, representing his brothers and sister, commissioned Chagall in 1963 to design a similar memorial to their father, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. who had died in 1960. The large window "The Good Samaritan" was installed and dedicated in 1965. Chagall created eight smaller windows in the sanctuary, seven of which are devoted to Old Testament subjects. The eighth window, established as a memorial to Michael Rockefeller (1938-1961) who was lost in New Guinea, has a New Testament theme.

Attractions
Stained Glass Windows by Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall

Past performances include:

2008 - 2009 A Delicate Balance - I Hate Hamlet
2007 - 2008 Wonder of the World · Dinner With Friends
2006 - 2007 Five Women Wearing the Same Dress · Burn This
2005 - 2006 Ordinary People · Sylvia
2004 - 2005 Proof · The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife
2003 - 2004 The Dinner Party · The Diary of Anne Frank

Press "Blue Button" for more information about The Pound Ridge Theatre Company.

With its varied terrain, landscapes and miles of wooded trails, the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation provides a variety of activities in all seasons. There are areas for picnicking, lean-to camping, fishing and cross-country skiing. The park is home to the Trailside Nature Museum, which hosts weekend nature interpretive programs year-round.

Things To Do
Camping
Cross-Country Skiing
Equestrian Trails & Horseback Riding
Fishing
Gardens
Hiking & Walking Trails
Museum
Nature Study
Picnicking
Play equipment is available in two areas of the park
Winter Activities

The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College has several theatres which offer the flexibility to present a diverse program of performing arts including: New York Philharmonic, Purchase Symphony Orchestra, Dance Theatre, Talk Cinema, Ballet, live Repertory Theatre, Theatre Arts & Film, Chamber Music and more.

The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College offers residencies for such renowned artists as Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, Bill Irwin, Penn and Teller, Phillip Glass, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, The Dance Theatre of Harlem, Bill T. Jones and many more. Master Classes by many of The Center's artists, including Garrick Ohlsson, Pinchas Zuckerman, Edward Villella, The Tokyo String Quartet and Marilyn Horne.

The theatres at The Center are: The Concert Hall, The Pepsico Theatre, The Recital Hall, and The Abbott Kaplan Theatre and The Organ Room. This diversity of theatres ensures that each performance is performed in the best venue.

The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College offers world-class programming that is conveniently located, affordably priced, with ample parking! The Center also has an Arts-in-Education programs which reach over 15,000 school children each season.

The sculpture gardens feature 45 sculptures by some of the best-known artists of the 20th century. Capricorn,” Max Ernst’s largest freestanding sculpture is among the inspiring works. The grounds themselves are 168 acres of green lawns, trees, ponds, fountains, and landscaped gardens with a topiary, well-tended hedges, flower beds and water-lily ponds. These spectacular grounds were conceived as an integration of architecture, landscape, and sculpture. It is a landscape exhibiting superior thought and attention, a thorough knowledge of plants, a respect for what has come before, and a working effort to remain true to a vision.

Things To Do
Visit the beautiful 168-acre Sculpture Gardens

Ponds
Fountains
Landscaped gardens
Topiary
Water-lily ponds

Map is available from the security guard at the headquarters entrance.
Admission is free.

The centerpiece of this National Historic Landmark is an 1838 Greek Revival mansion with soaring Corinthian columns built by Peter Augustus Jay atop the footprint of his father and grandfather’s original home “The Locusts” reusing original timbers and nails from the same house. Visitors can literally see the layers of history being uncovered here. The PA Jay House is being carefully restored and managed by the not-for-profit organization, the Jay Heritage Center (JHC) for use as an educational facility hosting Programs in American History, Social Justice, Landscape Conservation and Environmental Stewardship. The house is an official project of the Save America’s Treasures Program and at 170 years old, it is the oldest National Historic Landmark in New York State to be using an energy efficient geothermal heating and cooling system.

The Jay site is also listed on Westchester County’s African American Heritage Trail. John Jay is well known for advocating emancipation, serving as President of the Manumission Society and establishing the first African Free School. Press "Blue Button" for tour information, hours, and more about the Jay Heritage Center.

Point of Interest: Rye Playland has the distinction of being America's first totally planned amusement park and prototype for today's successful theme parks. Dedicated as a National Historic Landmark in 1987, Playland has provided family fun since 1928. Often referred to as "Rye Playland", it is America's only government owned and operated amusement park.

Erected in 1882-1883, the lighthouse provided navigational aid to shipping on the Hudson and warned captains away from the dangerous shoals on the river's eastern shore. It is easily seen from the Tappan Zee Bridge, with the best viewing from Kingsland Point Park, located directly on the Hudson River.

Like all lighthouses on the Hudson, the 1883 Lighthouse at Sleepy Hollow was designed as a "family station," as the keeper and his family lived in the five-story structure year-round. The duties of the keeper were to perform the never-ending chores of maintaining the lighthouse and lamp and to operate the lamp every night as well as during inclement weather.

During its entire 78 years of service, the 1883 Lighthouse at Sleepy Hollow had a nearly perfect record of performance. When the bell mechanism malfunctioned (on several occasions), the keeper rang the bell by hand, at two-minute intervals, often for hours at a time. The constant beacon, a white light for the first eleven years, then a red light, and later a blinking red light, would guide vessels safely through darkness, fog and storms. Press "Blue Button" for information on visiting the Lighthouse at Sleepy Hollow.

Philipsburg Manor is a historic site of great historical importance. Once the headquarters of a large Hudson Valley manor, the site vividly interprets aspects of the history of colonial New York and the system of racially-based slavery which helped keep the estate running in the 18th century. The visitor center at Philipsburg, located on Rt. 9 in the village of Sleepy Hollow, offers a wide range of services and changing exhibitions, and also serves as the visitor center for Kykuit, the Rockefeller estate.

Philipsburg Manor is a late 17th/early 18th-century milling, farming, and trading complex owned by an Anglo-Dutch family of merchants. Philipsburg Manor was tenanted by farmers of diverse European backgrounds, and operated by enslaved Africans. In 1693, Frederick Philipse, a carpenter who rose to become the richest man in the colony of New York, was granted a charter for 52,000 acres along the Hudson River by William and Mary of England. Historically, the site is of particular interest because of the size of the enslaved community and the highly developed nature of this 18th-century commercial property.

Featuring a stone manor house filled with a handsome collection of 17th-and 18th-century period furnishings, this famous house also includes a working water-powered gristmill and millpond, an 18th-century barn, a slave garden, and a reconstructed tenant farm house. The grounds are home to historic breeds of cattle, sheep, and chickens.

Points of Interest: Philipsburg Manor is a living history museum. Guides in 18th-century costume conduct tours of the site and numerous special events are held throughout the year. One of many fun things to do with children in the Hudson River Valley.

Attractions include: The Greenhouse Cafe, Picnic grounds, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery located next to Philipsburg Manor, Tours of Kykuit that originate at the Philipsburg Manor Visitor Tourist Center.

Parks attractions include: Botanical Specimens, Chinese Friendship Pavilion, Formal Gardens, Open Grass Meadow

The Castle has changed very little in its first century. Much of the original interior woodwork and furnishings, which were built by a team of carpenters brought from Germany, still remain intact. Designed for graceful living and entertaining, the Castle has been renovated into a luxury hotel. In 1981, the town of Tarrytown designated the Castle a historic landmark, protecting the outside structure from ever being changed.

The Equus restaurant and General's bar, open to the public, occupy elegantly appointed rooms and an enclosed veranda with splendid views of the Hudson River and the New York City skyline. Press "Blue Button" for menus, photos, and more about The Castle on the Hudson.

Features
Outdoor Dining

Circa 1838. Lyndhurst, a historic site of the National Trust, is a preeminent architectural landmark. It resides on a 67-acre park representing 19th century architecture, decorative arts, and landscape. Overlooking the Hudson River in Tarrytown, NY, Lyndhurst is one of America's finest Gothic Revival mansions. The architectural brilliance of the residence is complemented by a park-like landscape and a comprehensive collection of original decorative arts. Its noteworthy occupants included: former New York City mayor William Paulding, merchant George Merritt, and the railroad magnate and Wall Street tycoon Jay Gould.

In the late 1830s, William Paulding acquired property high above the Hudson River overlooking the Tappan Zee. Lyndhurst was first conceived in the minds of architects A. J. Davis and William Paulding who constructed the country villa in 1838 and called it "Knoll". In 1864 Lyndhurst was acquired by George Merritt who hired Davis to more than double its size. In 1870, they also built one of the largest private greenhouses in the world.

In 1880, Jay Gould purchased the estate and renamed it Lyndhurst. The 1870 greenhouse that burned was replaced in the Gothic Revival style. The Goulds redecorated the house and embellished the spectacular art gallery with works by Corot, Courbet, Bouguereau, and others.

The important "gardenesque" landscape is the work of Ferdinand Mangold, a master gardener who worked at Lyndhurst for forty years. Many of the landscape features created by Mangold, his predecessors, and successors, are preserved. The spectacular specimen trees are of special interest.

The romantic Gothic Revival design immediately drew attention to the building. Critics called it "Paulding's Folly" because its fanciful turrets and asymmetrical outline were unlike most homes constructed in the post-colonial era. Fascination with the property continued for decades and, as ideas of wealth and status changed with the growing nation, so did the estate, reflecting the tastes and interests of wealthy New York.

Point of Interest:
Lyndhurst is adjacent to Washington Irving's Sunnyside. The ability to walk between these two historic sites has a special appeal. At present, visitors may walk along the publicly maintained Croton Aqueduct Trail from Lyndhurst to West Sunnyside Lane. A pathway connecting Lyndhurst and Sunnyside along the riverfront will shortly be open. If you are a tourist or local resident exploring the Hudson River Valley, be sure to include this landmark in your list of sights.

Washington Irving was born in New York City on April 3, 1783 (1783 - 1859) as the youngest of 11 children. His father was a wealthy merchant, and his mother, an English woman, was the granddaughter of a clergyman. Early in his life Irving developed a passion for books. He studied law privately but practiced only briefly. From 1804 to 1806 he travelled widely in Europe. After returning to the United States, Irving was admitted to the New York bar in 1806.

Washington Irving was a short story writer, essayist, poet, travel book writer, biographer, and columnist. He is best known for the short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle". Washington Irving also held diplomatic posts in Great Britain and Spain.

Sunnyside is one of the most famous historic landmarks in the Hudson Valley. This important house and landscape enjoys a quiet and unspoiled riverside setting in Tarrytown, New York. Sunnyside is adjacent to Lyndhurst, a historic landmark of distinction open to the public, to which it is possible to walk via the Croton Aqueduct Trail.

Sunnyside and its Romantic landscape are presented to visitors by guides dressed in the costume of the mid-Victorian period. You may take a guided tour of the house and grounds, or purchase a grounds-only ticket for a self-guided experience.

Point of Interest: For children, Sunnyside offers "Irving's Traveling Totes" that come stuffed with five to seven engaging family activities, a brief guide, a Talk Back card for feedback related to the activities, and a blank book for visitor responses. Visitors can learn about Washington Irving by reading The Legend of Sleepy Hollow picture book and It Looks Like Spilt Milk, which, though not written by Irving, celebrates the life of the imagination, something Irving aspired to do. Children can play the Sunnyside Matching Card game and join in for a Scavenger Hunt. Dominoes, a 19th-century game, rounds out the experience. If you are a tourist or local resident exploring the Hudson River Valley, be sure to include this landmark in your list of places to see.

Attractions include: Seasonal Café, Sunnyside Tours, Museum Shop, Picnic Grounds.

Parks attractions include: Basketball Courts, Playground

Parks attractions include: Baseball, Softball, & Soccer Fields, Basketball Court, Hiking / Walking Playground

Bring your family and experience the wonder of the Hudson River Valley with special programs and events geared especially for children.

Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow, New York, may be the most popular site in the Hudson Valley for children. This working 17th century farm and trading center features demonstrations of early farm techniques with oxen, cows, and sheep. A working water-powered grist-mill is fascinating for children of all ages. Demonstrations of spinning and open-hearth cooking in the tenant farmer's house are scheduled frequently.

Imagine a unique learning space – colorful, clean, with “a sense of space, light and air…” Filled with creative hands-on exhibitions and public programs. The Westchester Children's Museum will be an institution of distinction for our children, one that is fun and educational, and which reflects the true needs and interests of this community, from children and teenagers, to parents and caregivers, to teachers and educators. Drawing from the dramatic history, extensive cultural diversity, flourishing environments and ecosystems, and the rich literary and artistic traditions of Westchester, the exhibitions and programs of the Museum will be state of the art and:

• Highly innovative, dynamic, engaging, fun and enriching
  
  
• Appeal to audiences of different generations, backgrounds, emotional, physical, and learning abilities
  
  
• Present visitors with the opportunity for hands-on interaction
  
  
• Stimulate repeat visitation with changing exhibits, performances, and public programs
  
  

The Arts Council’s underlying belief is that the arts are for everyone, whether in a school or in a concert hall. The Arts Council partners with over 100 arts groups and more than 150 artists to bring the arts into schools, senior centers, daycare sites, after-school programs, and mental health facilities.

Westchester Arts Council is supported by Westchester County Government, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Westchester Delegation of the New York State Legislature, and by foundations, corporations, and individuals.

Established as the New Orchestra of Westchester in 1983 and, a few years later, renamed the Westchester Philharmonic, the orchestra was created to enhance the quality of life in the community and provide educational opportunities for local schoolchildren. The founders of the orchestra didn’t simply create a first-class local symphony orchestra. They founded a fully professional orchestra that in its first 21 seasons would grow to become one of the most influential cultural institutions in the region with a broad reach well beyond its immediate geography.

The Westchester Philharmonic’s opening concert in 1983 featured White Plains native Garrick Ohlsson as guest artist. Already an established star on international concert stages, his participation set a high standard of artistry that continues into the organization’s current season. Guests of the Philharmonic in recent years, include Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, Gil Shaham, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Frederica von Stade, André Watts, and Joshua Bell.

Kids discover the nuts and bolts, or flats and sharps of musical composition in innovative programs developed in collaboration with the Westchester Library System. Youngsters in classrooms across the region are treated to the orchestra’s award-winning Education Program, which reaches over 7,000 elementary school students in over 50 schools. The Philharmonic’s Special Audiences Project reaches out to over 3,000 at-risk youth.

For 23 seasons the audience that first wanted the Westchester Philharmonic has supported and nurtured it. They’ve brought new audiences with them - family, friends, and newcomers to the region. With their support, the Westchester Philharmonic continues to make the musical arts accessible to the community, to provide the highest quality educational programming in the classroom, and to enhance the quality of life in the region through innovative professional performances and by showcasing the finest new artistry in the concert hall.

The Museum's collections have evolved from the original holdings of the Yonkers Museum, which was founded at City Hall in 1919 and relocated to the Yonkers Museum of Arts and Science in 1924. In 1937, H. Armour Smith, an avid collector of fine art, Americana and documentary materials, became director. Smith advocated changing the Museum's name to The Hudson River Museum to acknowledge that its collections documenting the Hudson River Valley were of primary importance to the Museum's goals. In 1956, the transfer of the stuffed elephant Tip, a popular display since 1929, to the Elephant Hotel in Somers, New York, was indicative of the changes that had occurred in the Museum's perception of its mission.

By 1948, the collection had grown to include a small group of 19th and 20th century fine arts, paintings, sculptures, and graphic works, as well as Victorian furniture, decorative arts and costumes, and materials documenting local history. In 1969, the New Wing added approximately 15,000 square feet of gallery space. Whereas previously much of the museum in the Mansion had been devoted to permanent displays, the new galleries were used for changing exhibitions of art, history and science. At the same time, the Mansion's first floor was partially restored, with four furnished period rooms and two small galleries for displaying decorative and historical materials from the collection.

Today, the Museum's collections reflect its mission to provide for development, preservation, and display of 19th and 20th century American art and history. The staff regularly organizes special collection exhibits and loan exhibits in which the permanent collections can play a role. Paintings, furniture and decorative arts are also always on view in the six period rooms in Glenview Mansion and its second floor hall and Lifflander Galleries. Press "Blue Button" for more information about The Hudson River Museum.

The Taghkanic Chorale, a leading cultural organization in New York's Hudson Valley, serve enthusiastic singers and concert goers who appreciate the friendliness of the group, the high caliber of its musical direction and the professionalism of the Chorale's performances. Press "Blue Button" for more information about the Taghkanic Chorale.

Today, visitors can enjoy a guided tour of the mansion as well as an orientation exhibition in the Visitor Center focusing on Philip Schuyler's life. Temporary exhibitions and public programs are scheduled year-round. Tours for school and adult groups, as well as outreach programs, are available by reservation. Press "Blue Button" for attractions and more information about Schuyler Mansion.

The Emma Treadwell Thacher Center is located on Thompson's Lake next to the campground and is accessible to campers. The center opened in July 2001 and offers exhibits, interactive displays, trails for hiking and skiing, and educational programs. Boat Launch Site - Carry in Only

Things to Do
Beach (sandy beach)
Boat Launches
Boat Rentals
Camper Recreation
Campsites
Fishing
Hiking
Nature Trails
Picnic Tables
Playgrounds
Playing Fields
Recreational Programs
Showers
Winter Fun

Cross-County Skiing
Ice Fishing
Snowshoeing Trails

Crailo was built in the early 18th century by Hendrick Van Rensselaer. Hendrick died in 1740 and his eldest son, Johannes, inherited Crailo. He remodeled the house and added an east wing in the Georgian style, reflecting the increasing influence of the English on the Albany-area Dutch.

Crailo today tells the story of the early Dutch inhabitants of the Upper Hudson Valley through exhibits highlighting archeological finds from the Albany Fort Orange excavations, special programs, and guided tours of the museum. Press "Blue Button" for attractions and more about Crailo State Historic Site.

Things to Do
Biking
Hiking
Hunting
Nature Trails
Picnic Tables and Pavilions
Playground
Playing Fields
Recreational Programs
Winter Fun

Cross-County Skiing
Snowmobiling
Snowshoeing Trails

Clermont hosts a variety of annual events throughout the year. The spring Sheep and Wool Showcase is based on historical model farming events at Clermont, where groundbreaking work in agriculture and sheep breeding occurred. What better place to celebrate Independence Day than the former home of a drafter of the Declaration of Independence. Families will enjoy a variety of music, performances, and viewing of local fireworks displays. The summer fun continues in August as Clermont celebrates its ties to the steamboat industry on Steamboat Day, a family event in which children can craft their own scrimshaw ornament and watch a theatrical performance on an actual steamboat. Since Clermont was home to the many Livingston dogs, the estate continues to welcome "a man's best friend" every October to participate in contests, demonstrations, makeovers, and exhibits in Every Dog Has Its Day. Christmas at Clermont kicks off the winter season with guided tours, candlelight receptions and children's activities. Press "Blue Button" for attractions and more about Clermont State Historic Site.

American Revolution / War of Independence
Because of the Livingston family's prominent role in support of independence, Clermont was burned by British troops under the command of General John Vaughan during a foray up the Hudson River in the autumn of 1777. Margaret Beekman Livingston, who managed the estate during most of the war years, rebuilt the family home between 1779 and 1782.

As well as creating fine artisanal wines, the DeVito family (including two dogs), and many valued friends, have worked hard restoring the winery's grounds and its prestigious circa 1780 farmhouse. The winery will feature hand-crafted wines, cheese and desserts, and will include vineyards tours and a gazebo with scenic views. A visit to the Hudson-Chatham Winery will inspire all your senses. Press "Blue Button" for more information about the new Hudson-Chatham Winery.

Catamount Adventure Park is an aerial forest rope course consisting of platforms that have been installed in the trees with ropes and cables connecting them to form "bridges" or "canopy tours". The objective is to move from tree platform to tree platform walking over the different secured bridges to complete the ropes course. There are some small scale zip lines throughout the eight different courses. Each ropes course will have a different degree of difficulty. There are no motorized rides in the park. Our park is all about active participation. While on the courses you are fully secured by your harness at all times, it is all about thrills, chills, but no spills.

Catamount Adventure Park is closed for the winter season and opens again in May 2010. Press "Blue Button" for more information about the park.

Outdoor Activities
Rope courses

The word is: Many children and adults love the challenge and plan to return.

Olana encompasses the house, the farm and the entire 250-acre estate owned by Frederic Church. The picturesque landscape, with panoramic vistas of the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains, like the house, was designed by Church. Over a 40-year period he transformed 250 acres of treeless farm fields into an artistic composition encompassing a lake, park, farm, extensive road system, and gardens. Visitors throughout the year enjoy guided and self-guided tours of the Church-inspired landscape. Press "Blue Button" for attractions and more information about Olana.

Today, Cascade Mountain is a thriving business which features a full line of award-winning table wines and a highly rated restaurant. Customers come from all over the world to enjoy a few pleasant hours on top of the Berkshire foothills accompanied by some of the best food and wine to be found in the Hudson River Valley. Press "Blue Button" for more information about Cascade Mountain Winery & Restaurant.

The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College is located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, situated on the east bank of the Hudson River in the beautiful Hudson Valley, about 90 miles north of New York City and 220 miles southwest of Boston. It is surrounded by several Hudson Valley estates, including Montgomery Place, Clermont, Olana, Mills Mansion, the Vanderbilt Estate, and the Roosevelt Home and Museum, all of which are open to the public. Other nearby attractions include the Culinary Institute of America, Cary Arboretum, Innisfree Garden, country auctions, wineries, pick-your-own vegetable and fruit farms, nature sanctuaries, and historic river ports. Special events during the Bard Music Festival include daily tours of the Hudson River houses and riverboat excursions.

Press "Blue Button" for Events Calendar, Summerscape, Bard Music Festival, Theater Program, Dance Program, and more about The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College

Montgomery Place, a serene reflection of nearly 200 years of continuous family stewardship, is best known as an architectural landmark designed by Alexander Jackson Davis and a landscape influenced by the great Andrew Jackson Downing. But the totality of the estate - house furnishings, gardens, woodlands, orchards, and hamlet make it a unique American treasure.

A National Historic Landmark, Montgomery Place is an extraordinary 434-acre Hudson River estate with magnificent views of the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains. It is located on historic River Road in the hamlet of Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, just north of the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge.

Montgomery Place was established by Janet Livingston Montgomery, widow of Revolutionary War hero General Richard Montgomery. She built the Federal-style house in 1804-05 and established a prosperous commercial nursery on the property. During the first half of the 19th century, her descendants created one of the most beautiful estates in the nation. The era's preeminent designers, architect Alexander Jackson Davis and landscape designer Andrew Jackson Downing, assisted them in their endeavor. In 1850, Downing wrote that Montgomery Place is "...nowhere surpassed in America in point of location, natural beauty, or landscape gardening charms." In the 1930s, the generation living there created a 20th-century horticultural showcase, one that continues to flourish today.

In May 2003, Dia opened Dia:Beacon, Riggio Galleries, a museum to house its renowned but rarely seen permanent collection comprised of major works of art from the 1960s to the present. Located on the Hudson River in Beacon, New York, Dia:Beacon occupies a nearly 300,000-square-foot historic printing factory.

The Beacon museum’s expansive galleries have been specifically designed for the display of the artworks to which Dia is committed, many of which, because of their character or scale, could not be easily accommodated by more conventional museums.

Works installed at the museum range from the1978 Shadows (a single work comprising multiple canvases) by Andy Warhol; to three of Richard Serra's monumental sculptures in the Torqued Ellipses; "monuments" for V. Tatlin, a series of fluorescent light works by Dan Flavin; several mixed-media installations by Joseph Beuys and Agnes Martin’s 1999 paintings Innocent Love, among others. Each artist’s work is displayed in a dedicated gallery or galleries: in many cases these presentations were created in collaboration with the artists themselves.

The Building and Site
Built in 1929 by Nabisco (National Biscuit Company), the historic steel, concrete, and glass factory building, designed by Nabisco’s staff architect Louis N. Wirshing, Jr., is a model of early-twentieth-century industrial architecture. Press "Blue Button" for visitor information and more about Dia:Beacon Riggio Galleries.

Imagine yourself walking among orderly, luxuriant rows of trellised vines laden with grapes with a backdrop of beautiful rolling hills. Then stop in a charming tasting room to sample premium white wines, méthode champenoise sparkling wines and luscious dessert wines, with sexy names like Romance, Embrace, and Desire. Meet the proprietor and winemaker and taste delicious food made from the bounty of local farms. These pleasures await you at Clinton Vineyards in Dutchess County in the Hudson Valley. You'll feel welcome in this setting, one of the most beautiful in Dutchess County complete with historic barns, a pond, lovely gardens and exquisite landscape.

Close to New York City, Albany and Danbury, Clinton Vineyards is open for tours and tastings. Press "Blue Button" for more about Clinton Vineyards' wines and winery.

En route, you'll pass by thoroughbred horse farms, dairies, orchards, woodlands, lakes and trout streams that will transport you to an earlier, simpler time. In addition, there are the Gardens of Wethersfield and Innisfree, as well as the fabled mansions of the Hudson River. Enjoy the many fine restaurants, country inns, bed & breakfasts and antique shops along the Dutchess Wine Trail.

At the wineries, you will be sampling a medley of European wine varieties vinified as sparkling wines, dry to semi-dry table wines and late harvest dessert wines that have won their share of Gold Medals in both National and International Competitions as well as the praise of wine critics across the country. Visit our wineries and sample our wines, each a taste of seasons past: The snows of winter, April showers, summer sunshine and crisp fall nights. It's all there in the bottle, waiting for you. Press "Blue Button" for more about The Dutchess Wine Trail.

FDR's Springwood, the lifelong home of America's only 4-term President
Presidential Library and Museum
Mrs. Roosevelt's Val-Kill Cottage
Summer Programs for children and their families.
Tours:


Guided tour of FDR's home

Self-guided tour of the Museum, grounds, gardens, and trails of this 300-acre site. Start your visit at the Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center and watch the introductory film. Arrange for self guided tours of the Presidential Library and Museum, and Ranger-led tours of the historic home.

Press "Blue Button" for schedule of events, fees & reservations, things to do, things to know before visiting, family events, kids section, and more about this National Historic Site.

The word is: At least one day is recommended to experience Franklin D. Roosevelt, National Historic Site. Visit Springwood, Top Cottage retreat, and Eleanor Roosevelt's Val-Kill Cottage along with the grounds, the library, family events and more.

This simple statement expresses her love for the modest house she called Val-Kill. The only National Historic Site dedicated to a first lady, Val-Kill welcomes visitors in the style of Mrs. Roosevelt. Come and be part of the entire Roosevelt Experience at Eleanor Roosevelt's Val-Kill.

Eleanor Roosevelt chose Val-Kill for her retreat, her office, her home, and her "laboratory" for social change during the prominent and influential period of her life from 1924 until her death in 1962. During that time she formulated and carried out her social and political beliefs. This is the place most closely associated with one of the most prominent women of 20th-century America.

Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill (ERVK) works to preserve ER's home as a living memorial, a center for exchange of significant ideas, and a catalyst for change and the betterment of the human condition. They offer programs such as the Girls Leadership Workshop, held every summer.

Enjoy fun things to do with your children this summer. Join a park ranger for free Summer Family Programs. Press "Blue Button" for a schedule and description of Family walks and hikes on the grounds of the FDR estate. "Play like Franklin Roosevelt did in the olden days of the 19th century. Learn to use a Jacob’s ladder, a jump rope, or the hoop and stick." Previous scheduled walks for children included:

Springwood Stroll: A Historic Site Grounds Walk
ER’s Woodland Walk: Nature Study at Val-Kill
FDR’s Boyhood Fun

Press "Blue Button" for schedule of events, fees & reservations, things to do, things to know before visiting, family events, kids section, and more about this National Historic Site.

The word is: At least one day is recommended to experience Franklin D. Roosevelt, National Historic Site. Visit Springwood, Top Cottage retreat, and Eleanor Roosevelt's Val-Kill Cottage along with the grounds, the library, family events and more.

"The Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site was established as a monument to an era rather than a tribute to any one person or family. The estate illustrates a way of life modeled on the English country house and is only unusual today because so few examples survive in the 21st century. More than a place to discuss the lifestyles of the rich and famous, the park offers a window into the philosophy of the American country house, the lives of its domestic staff, and its relationship to the surrounding community.

Formal Gardens
"The Frederick W. Vanderbilt Garden Association was formed in 1984 with a mission to restore the Formal Gardens as closely as possible to their appearance in the 1930s." Visitors may walk the grounds, hike carriage trails, or picnic at the overlook." The above information is sourced from the National Park Service.

Press "Blue Button" for directions, kids and teachers' section, history and culture, and planning a visit to the Vanderbilt Mansion.

The word is: Tour the house and stroll the 200 + acres of park land that boast centuries old tree plantings, stunning Hudson River and Catskill Mountain views and Italian Gardens. At least one full day is recommended to experience the Vanderbilt Mansion and Franklin D. Roosevelt, National Historic Sites.

Millbrook Winery officially opened for tours and tastings in 1988, and today produces 8,000 - 10,000 cases of wine a year, specializing in Chardonnay, Tocai Friulano, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. The winery has earned recognition for these wines in such prestigious publications as The Wine Spectator, The New York Times, The New York Daily News, Hudson Valley Magazine, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Encyclopedia of Wine, and Bon Appetit.

Essential to the Millbrook Wine Experience is an informative and enriching tour of the Winery, which will leave you with an insider's view of the entire winemaking process, from careful tending of the vineyards to our Winemaker's art of vinification. Tours are complimentary and conducted every day. Millbrook Vineyards & Winery is open year-round, seven days a week with the exception of some holidays. Press "Blue Button" for more about Millbrook Vineyards & Winery.

Our 6 acres of vines are planted in Dutchess Cardigan, a somewhat gravelly loam of great depth. The natural pH is 6.3, and the soil is rich in nutrients and well balanced in minerals, without the need for artificial amendments. Our Pinot Noir vines are all traditional Dijon clones grafted on American rootstock. They are hand planted and hand trained onto a VSP trellis system.

Oak Summit's PINOT NOIR has received an amazing array of awards including 3 Gold Medals, a Silver and a Bronze from the Hudson Valley Wine & Grape Association's 2005 Grand Competition at the Culinary Institute of America. And also, the prestigious CORNELL CUP for the best wine in the Hudson Valley AVA. And, among others, the DCEDC Agriculture Awards for 2005 and the Silver Medal from The American Wine Society's 21st Annual Competition. Press "Blue Button" to see photos of Vineyards, Tasting Room, Sunset View over the lake, and more about Oak Summit Vineyard.

Clinton House State Historic Site has foundations which are two feet thick. The walls are constructed of rough fieldstone, while the gabled ends are made of wood. It is named in tribute to George Clinton, first governor of New York State, who resided in Poughkeepsie for twenty-one years.

A few years later, after apprenticing at nearby Millbrook Vineyards and also with Oregon's renowned Ponzi family, Richard was ready to start his own winery. With six vintages completed, an impressive number of medals, and another vintage ready for the bottle, that dream is a reality. Fully established with a reputation for high-quality, affordable wines that are delicious and food friendly, Alison Wines is expanding with popular strawberry and blueberry dessert-style fruit wines as well as great-tasting apple wines.

We are proud to be a New York State farm winery in our favorite place, the Hudson Valley. We take care that our wines reflect the special climate and growing conditions found in New York. Happily, this produces just the sort of wines that we love: complex enough to enjoy over and over, accessible enough to sip alone, and versatile enough to complement any meal. For us wine is about everyday enjoyment with food, with family, and with friends. We hope you find the same enjoyment with our wines that we do. Press "Blue Button" for more about Alison Wines & Vineyards.

Sheep Dog Trials
A sheepdog trial course tests a dogs ability to do the various jobs a sheepdog will see on the farm. Sheep may need to be gathered from the pasture, or moved about the farm or sorted and penned. While the trial is a competition wherein each handler attempts to show that their dog is tops, trials have proved of fundamental importance in directing the development and breeding of the Border Collie.

Magic, Music & Ventriloquism
Fantastic magic, great sounding music and just an awesome display of ventriloquism.

Mad Science
Mad Science is the worlds leading science enrichment provider, delivering unique, hands-on science experiences for children that are as entertaining as they are educational. The Mad Science team will also be operating a "Panning of Gems" activity area, where kids can select a bag of "mine rough", dump it into a screen, and pan out all the dirt to find the minerals - which they can keep!

Dutchess County Sheriff K-9 Demonstration
Experience first hand how the K-9 unit of the Dutchess County Sheriff Department apprehends criminals by using the canine senses of smell. Your child my even be called to help the officers during their demonstration.

Leaping Lama Contest
Come see these 6 foot lamas challenge each other and defy gravity! Who will leap the highest? Who will take home the first place ribbon? You can not miss this example of sportsmanship.

Two by Two Petting Zoo
Kiddie Rides
Pumpkin Patch
Make a Scarecrow
Farm Market and Pumpkin Painting
Hula Hoop Sheep Toss
Animal Alley
Child Bouncy Slide
Putt-putt Golf
Hay Maze and Scavenger Hunt

Transportation by Train

Take the Amtrak to Rhinecliff, followed by an approximate 5 minute taxi ride.

Take the MTA Metro North to Poughkeepsie, followed by an approximate 45 minute taxi ride.

Margaret Lewis Norrie State Park adjoins Ogden Mills and Ruth Livingston Mills Memorial State Park and together, comprise more than 1,000 acres. Margaret Lewis Norrie State Park offers a full menu of exhilarating recreational opportunities and activities for visitors of all ages.

A serene wooded area with glimpses of the river provides an ideal location for camping. A marina consisting of slip space and a boat launch ramp is a popular area within the park. Press "Blue Button" for directions, and more about the activities and attractions available at Margaret Lewis Norrie State Park.

Things To Do
Biking
Boat Launches
Cabins Campsites
Cross-Country Skiing
Dockage
Fishing
Golf Grills
Hiking
Marina (Marina Pump Out Stations)
Nature Trails
Pavilions
Picnic Tables
Powerboats
Scenic Views
Showers (Handicap Accessible)
Snowshoeing Trails
Tent/Trailer Sites

Darius Ogden Mills, father of Ogden Mills, established the family fortune by investing in banks, railroads and mines. Ogden Mills, like his father, was a noted financier and philanthropist. In 1882 he married Ruth Livingston, whose family had been prominent landowners in the Hudson Valley since the 17th century. In 1890, Ruth Livingston Mills inherited her childhood home and property which had once belonged to her great-grandfather, Morgan Lewis, the third governor of New York State. In the 1890s Mr. & Mrs. Mills commissioned the prestigious New York City architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White to remodel and enlarge their home. Work began in 1895 and when completed in 1896, the house had been transformed from a 25-room Greek Revival style home into a Beaux-Arts mansion of 65 rooms and 14 bathrooms. Although the interior was lavishly decorated, mostly in the styles of 17th and 18th-century France, many architectural features of the earlier Livingston home such as the trims, moldings and many of the fireplaces had been preserved. This melding of grandeur and heritage is characteristic of the American Renaissance period.

Owning five homes, the Mills family resided in their Staatsburg home primarily in the fall and entertained as many as 80 guests at a time. The home and surrounding property was passed to their son, Ogden Livingston Mills in 1929. After his death in 1937 his sister Gladys Mills Phipps inherited the property and in 1938 donated the house and 192 acres of the estate to the State of New York as a memorial to her parents. Today the elegant mansion, restored to its turn-of-the-century appearance, is open for tours and the house and grounds offer special events throughout the year.

Attractions
Biking
Cross-Country Skiing
Educational Services
Gift Shop
Group Tours
Hiking
Historic Site
Interpretive Sign
Picnic Area
Scenic Views

Stepping Stones Museum for Children, named one of America's top 50 children's museums, features interactive exhibits, educational programs and fun for the whole family. With four main galleries, a toddler's-only gallery and more than 80 hands-on activities, Stepping Stones offers visitors ages 10 and under plenty to explore and discover.

At Stepping Stones, children can climb a kapok tree and learn about tropical rainforests and conservation, report the weather from a real weather station, fly a simulated helicopter, or take a journey through the water cycle. With new exhibit experiences and programs introduced all year long, each visit is truly unique. Press "Blue Button" to learn more about the wonderful activities available at Stepping Stone Museum.

Since our opening, enthusiastic, sold-out audiences have enjoyed Peter Yarrow, Marcel Marceau, Barbara Cook, Moscow Boys Choir, Joan Baez, and The Bacon Brothers. Film-goers have seen a range of movies from Oscar-winners such as Traffic and Chocolat to family fare to our international film series. Community events such as the Ridgefield High School Orchestra Concert and the Annual Town Meeting found a new home at The Playhouse.

While we can all agree with Shakespeare that "the play's the thing," we also know that this beautiful theater adds a great deal to the experience of a performance or movie. In an age of multiplexes and stadiums, what a pleasure to be in an impeccably renovated, historic theater with near-perfect acoustics!

Notable Beginnings, Legendary Performances
Designed in 1938, the auditorium in "the old high school" was at one time the center of Ridgefield's cultural life. In its heyday, before being abandoned in 1972, it was home to school performances as well as community events and town meetings. During World War II, residents had the privilege of twice hearing the legendary Arturo Toscanini conduct here.

In its new life, The Ridgefield Playhouse has been designed to embrace its former role and more. The interior preserves the hall's excellent acoustics that make it an ideal venue for musical performance and live theater. At the same time, retractable draperies cover the walls enabling the "deadening" effect needed to show movies. Thanks to a generous legacy from Patricia Schuster, founder of the Ridgefield Studio of Classical Ballet, the stage was built to have the resilience necessary for dance performances. Parts of the old stage rigging have been preserved and supplemented to enable use of the stage's large fly space. Stage lights and a state-of-the-art sound system have been installed.

Echoing the importance of the town of Ridgefield in the theater's life is a hand-painted mural covering the lobby walls with familiar scenes of historic Ridgefield. The mural, a gift from a Ridgefield couple, was created by a local artist. Other murals enliven the interior of the performance area as well as the entryway to The Playhouse; all were gifts of Playhouse supporters. Press "Blue Button" to explore the Ridgefield Playhouse."

Ridgefield Playhouse -- 80 East Ridge Avenue, Ridgefield, CT 06877

Title Rating Runtime Showings Wolfman, The R 102min Starts on Sun, Mar 21

The Ridgefield Theater Barn is excited about its upcoming season with cabaret seating at candlelit tables, we offer superior entertainment, so BYO refreshments and join us.

Each season, Stamford Center for the Arts creates, presents and promotes the highest quality entertainment, education and outreach programs that include the best in live theatre, concerts, comedy and dance entertainment from throughout the world.

The Palace Theatre, a 1580-seat Thomas Lamb designed vaudeville house, was acclaimed as "Connecticut's Most Magnificent" when it opened in 1927. The Palace was restored and re-opened in 1983 for live theatre, concerts and art exhibitions in the Sackler Gallery.

Rich Forum, which opened in 1992, is an arts and communications center. Rich Forum includes the 757-seat Truglia (proscenium) Theatre; the Leonhardt Studio (black box theatre); the Mercede Promenade; and the front-of-the-house upper level that includes the elegant Rossi Salon and the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Gallery.

Both the Rich Forum and Palace Theatre seasons include performances by Connecticut Grand Opera and Orchestra, Stamford Symphony Orchestra, New England Lyric Operetta, Ballet School of Stamford, Young Artist Philharmonic, Lumina String Quartet, Zig Zag Ballet, The Perry Players, as well as stage productions specifically for young audiences.

Since its inaugural season (1992-93), Rich Forum most recently presented such productions as the Pulitzer Prize-winning Dinner with Friends, Thunder Knocking on the Door, ART, The Threepenny Opera, and SCA's Fringe Festival. The Palace Theatre and Rich Forum attracted such diverse and luminous events and performers as Lily Tomlin, Peter, Paul & Mary, Tom Jones, B.B. King, Carrot Top, Harry Belafonte, Drummers of West Africa, Vienna Choir Boys, Balanchine's The Nutcracker, Late Nite Catechism, George Winston, It's A Wonderful Life, The Big Apple Circus, Annie, Liza Minnelli, Itzhak Perlman, Johnny Mathis, Michael Feinstein, Emanuel Ax, Yo-Yo Ma, Isaac Stern, Ray Romano, Willie Nelson, Tony Bennett, Judy Collins, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and more.

In 1996, Stamford Center for the Arts established a month-long festival, Celebrate! Black History, which has evolved into a year-round African-American Cultural Series featuring numerous and varied events, many of which are free for local and statewide youths, adults and families.

They can jump on a bouncing bug, try to walk across a moving bridge or climb into a hawk's nest to survey their territory. Wiggle like a worm across two huge maple leaves, and crawl through an ant's nest. Dig for fossils in the huge sand pit. They also can become the captain and crew of the boat that's anchored here.

Nature Trails
Our trails connect with the 88 acre-Bartlett Arboretum on the north end of the Museum's property.

New England Working Farm
Explore our traditional working farm and discover the sounds, smells, and textures that evoke memories and reveal the nature of farmlife. Observe staff conduct the daily chores that maintain this active, productive farm. Heckscher Farm is a living resource for learning. Children and families make personal connections to a not-so-distant past when farming was a major way of life in the region. Through observation, exploration, and participation, visitors can immerse themselves in the experiences of farming.

Education
We are an Educational Institution. The Museum's 10-acre farm provides educational and recreational activities. At the Stamford Museum and Nature Center, we offer year-round classes in art and nature for toddlers through adults. Press "Blue Button" for more information about the Stamford Museum and Nature Center.

Things To Do
Hiking / Walking
Playground
Nature Trails
Working Farm

A typical Stamford Symphony Orchestra season features: five pairs of Classical Concerts, three Pops Concerts, a student concert designed for elementary students, and a Family Concert Series.

The Stamford Symphony is the resident orchestra at the Stamford Center for the Arts' newly renovated, 1586-seat Palace Theatre. The Palace Theatre is in downtown Stamford in the heart of Fairfield County.

In 1980, Music Director Roger Nierenberg ascended our podium. Maestro Nierenberg's commitment to the SSO and the community has resulted in the expansion of the classical subscription series, the creation of new music and education programs, and the recognition of the Stamford Symphony Orchestra as a musical treasure by the local community, and "a major cultural force" by the New York Times.

In 2003, Maestro Nierenberg announced he would step down as Music Director. Eckart Preu was named Music Director of the Stamford Symphony Orchestra in June 2005. Maestro Preu is a superb musician, an energetic community leader, and an artistic visionary.

Historical Note: The Stamford Symphony Orchestra was first organized in 1919. It ceased operations temporarily after World War II, when many of the orchestra's European musicians returned to their homelands. The orchestra was revived in 1967, and with Skitch Henderson's appointment as Music Director in 1974, the Stamford Symphony became the fully professional orchestra it is today.

In the late 1880’s, hazards created by the Middle Ground Flats opposite the City of Hudson made navigation of the Hudson river at that point extremely risky for the busy shipping route. After much petitioning to the Congress of the United States, a survey was completed and an appropriation of $35,000.00 was approved by Congress in 1872 to build the Hudson City Lighthouse now known as the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse.

The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse is one-hundred and thirty three years old. Steps and measures need to be taken to preserve any house wherever it is located. The unique location of the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse, in the middle of the Hudson River, makes monumental demands on its owners for the house's preservation. The age of the house, the currents, the tides, the wakes of passing boats, the rushing spring flood waters, and the ice flows in 133 year winters have, and continue to compromise the foundation of the historic structure. At this time it is a priority that the foundation be repaired. Press "Blue Button" for photos, history, and more about the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse.

LocalWineEvents.com offers a user-friendly city search feature in the state or country of your choice, making it easy to find out what’s going on in your part of the world. Once you have selected the specific city, you simply choose those events of interest or select the subject pages such as “Wine & Food Educators,” “BYOB Restaurants” or “Food, Wine and Lodging” located at the top of the city webpage. LocalWineEvents.com users may also sign up to receive “The Juice” newsletter and e-mails about local wine events happening in their area. . . Tom DiNardo, Wine Adventure Magazine.

Press "Blue Button" to for the Local Wine Events.

If there are one or more “Wine trails’’ active in the region, we have provided links to their sites as well. Wine trails are groups of wineries that are related geographically and work cooperatively to encourage visitors to learn about the fine products they are bringing to the market. Many of the wine trails have special event programs that feature wine and food pairing events throughout the year. These events are listed along with the winery-specific events in the Calendar of events for the individual regions.

Map Center To see a statewide map indicating the location of the various regions. You can easily identify how to move from one region to another if you have time for an extended visit. By then clicking on the specific region of interest, you will get a more detailed map.

Hudson River Valley Wine Region
North of New York City, graced by the beauty and temperature-moderating effects of the majestic Hudson River, lies one of America's most historic wine regions. Even more important than the water's effect on the air, the steep palisades funnel maritime breezes through the region, which today hosts more than 20 wineries building on the tradition of the oldest vineyard and winery in America. A pioneering region for French-American grape varieties such as Seyval Blanc and Baco Noir, the Hudson River Region has also proved hospitable to the more delicate European grape varieties such as Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc.

Within the larger Hudson River Region, on the West side of the Hudson River enjoy the "Shawangunk Wine Trail," named after a nearby mountain range. On the East side of the Hudson River is the "Dutchess Wine Trail". Press "Blue Button" to view Uncork New York".

The collectors who founded the American Folk Art Museum subscribed enthusiastically to the notion of a homogenous national heritage, and this was reflected in the art they collected and, consequently, in the gifts they gave to the museum. The collection was launched in 1962 with the gift, appropriately enough, of a gate in the form of an American flag that celebrated the nation’s centennial. In the forty years since, the museum’s collection has continued to grow and evolve and now includes artworks from the seventeenth century through the present. New thoughts about the makeup of American society have expanded collecting goals, but as the “American Anthem” exhibition makes all too clear, the museum still has a long way to go toward remedying a balance weighted heavily in favor of the field’s early interests and directions. In other words, the opening of the new American Folk Art Museum does not suggest that the museum’s collection is “complete” or that things will not continue to change. Like American folk art itself, it merely marks a moment in time, with all its concomitant forces, for us to say this is where we are now, but the journey continues.

The American Folk Art Museum's exhibit "American Anthem” is an unabashed song of praise to the nation, for the simple reason that American folk art is essentially patriotic, whether celebrating national events, decrying the nation’s dark days, or describing personal moments. Refuge, freedom, ingenuity, land of opportunity, these are phrases identified with the mythology of America, and they are ideas indelibly imbedded in America’s vernacular arts.

Over this period of spectacular scientific achievement, the American Museum of Natural History has played a leading role in exploration, discovery, and theoretical advances in the natural sciences. Central to these efforts has been the accumulation of one of the world's great Museum collections. The Museum was a leader in forging new theories on the way we look at cultures, biological organisms, and indeed the very evolution of life. Today, science at the American Museum of Natural History thrives and expands on these earlier accomplishments.

Science areas to explore at the American Museum of Natural History include: The Institute for Comparative Genomics, The Division of Physical Sciences and a new Astrophysics Research Program, The C. V. Starr Natural Science Building, The Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, Anthropology and Cultural Studies, Paleontological Exploration, Vertebrate Zoology, Exploring the Vast Diversity of the Invertebrates, Digitization of the Library Collections.

The above are only a sample of the initiatives currently underway at the Museum that is intended to define the institution's leadership in 21st-century science. This is a time of unprecedented disclosure of the secrets of the gene, the biota, and the history and workings of the earth, the planets, and the universe. Technologies in computation, imaging, genomics, and comparative biology that is now readily adopted in Museum science seemed more like alchemy only a few years ago. Traditional assumptions about the history and interactions of humankind are broadly disarmed by the changing modern world of cultural interrelationships. And now, as never before, the kind of science fostered by the Museum is needed to define effective stewardship for Earth's eroding natural environments. In these exciting and challenging times, the Museum will continue to seize extraordinary opportunities to transform our scientific vision into meaningful results, a strategy that has served the Museum throughout its history.

Press the "Blue Button" to enter the astounding world available to explore at The American Museum Of Natural History.

On June 18, 2004, The American Numismatic Society officially opened its new headquarters at 96 Fulton Street in lower Manhattan. The ANS contains America's most comprehensive collection of coins, medals and paper currency from every part of the globe. The 35,000 square foot former bank building also encompasses the world's largest numismatic library. The library embraces two full floors. There are educational and research facilities now available to international scholars, students and the general public who are interested in studying coins, medals and other treasures in the Society's superb collection.

The Asia Society Museum is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization. The Society provides a forum for building awareness of the more than thirty countries broadly defined as the Asia-Pacific region, the area from Japan to Iran, and from Central Asia to New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

Through art exhibitions and performances, films, lectures, seminars and conferences, publications and assistance to the media, and materials and programs for students and teachers, the Asia Society Museum presents the uniqueness and diversity of Asia.

In collaboration with a network of museums and visual arts institutions both national and international, The Chelsea Art Museum seeks to present important, but relatively unexplored dimensions of 20th and 21st Century art, particularly focusing on artists that have been less exposed in the United States than in their home countries. The museum, a 30,000 sq. foot renovated historic building in the heart of Chelsea, is located opposite the piers which served as entry for the arrival and assimilation of foreign cultures into New York. This location provides a powerful symbol of the museum’s mission: to be a meeting point, a destination for exhibitions and works from Europe, the Americas and Asia and returning CAM generated exhibitions to those partners both overseas and within the United States.

The Chelsea Art Museum also serves as the home of the Jean Miotte Foundation which is dedicated to archiving, preserving, presenting and making available for exhibitions the work of Jean Miotte. Rotating selections of Miotte’s work are shown on a regular basis, as are selections from the permanent collection which includes rare holdings of such artists as Pol Bury, Mimmo Rotella, and J.P. Riopelle.

The permanent collection of the Chelsea Art Museum includes many European abstract artists often labeled as Informel, including Corpora, Lakner, Kirkeby, Millares, Miotte, Santomaso, Schumacher, Stöhrer, Thieler, Vedova. The collection also holds American abstract artists Francis, LaNoue, Mitchell, Motherwell, Riopelle; a large body of works by the Affichiste Mimmo Rotella; and works by Jean Arp, Olivier Debré, Jean Fautrier, and Ellen Levy. Sculptors in the collection include Bernar Venet, Pol Bury, Kanter, Jeff Beer, Johannsen and Zadkine. The collection also has an important selection of rare books and works on paper.

Exhibitions at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan are created and built by a team of education specialists and designers and tour both nationally and internationally. Based on the idea that students learn by doing, each theme-based exhibition uses hands-on activities, interactive components and larger than life environments to encourage students to explore in new ways and make learning fun.

Engaging, hands-on programs at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan make learning fun. Key observation, analytical and problem solving skills are developed through applied learning using directed experiments, exhibition exploration, open-ended art projects and more. Activities support learning in the areas of science, math, language and the creative arts, and our interdisciplinary approach to themes appeals to students with a variety of learning styles. Programs conform to New York State and City learning standards, are adapted to each grade level and can be tailored to classes with special needs

The China Institute Gallery has presented over 90 exhibitions, encompassing all areas of Chinese art. With its renowned reputation for high quality exhibitions, scholarly catalogs and interpretive programming, China Institute Gallery has become a unique resource for the general public, scholars, students and connoisseurs to learn about Chinese art and culture.

Every exhibition presented at the Museum sets out to explore, often for the first time, some important feature of academic art and the institutions that nourished it in 19th-century and early 20th-century Europe. Utilizing loans from distinguished international collections, both private and public, previous exhibitions here have examined, among other topics, the training of artists; the world of the Salon with its competitions and juries; the 19th-century fascination with the Orient, reciprocated from Cairo to Paris; the influence of photography, travel, and archeological discoveries of the classical past; and the reproduction of artworks for an international market.

The Dahesh Museum of Art collection contains paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculptures, and books by the most popular artists of 19th-century and early 20th-century Europe. Artists such as Barye, Benouville, Bouguereau, Bonheur, Cabanel, Gérôme, Leighton, Picou, Troyon, and Vernet explored the subjects preferred by their fellow academicians, and by the growing middle-class audience who visited the annual Salons in Europe’s major cities. Sumptuous landscapes, exotic "Oriental" scenes, closely observed animals, grandiloquent images from history and myth, and intimate scenes of everyday life form the core of the Museum’s collection. Works by masters acclaimed today, and also by artists known only in their day, are viewed side-by-side, as they were 150 years ago.

The Ellis Island Immigration Museum is part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and is one of the country's most popular historic sites. In 2001, The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, in partnership with the National Park Service, unveiled the American Family Immigration History Center. This exciting family research facility at Ellis Island provides visitors with advanced computer and multimedia technology, printed materials, and professional assistance for investigating immigration history, family documentation, and genealogical exploration.

The Ellis Island Immigration Museum is located in the Main Building of the former immigration station complex and tells the moving tales of the 12 million immigrants who entered America through the golden door of Ellis Island. Today, the descendants of those immigrants account for almost half of the American people.

One of your ancestors - a parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent, risked everything to come to this country. Their courage and determination provided the freedom, opportunities and lifestyle we all too often take for granted. Press "Blue Button" to enter The Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation Visit "The American Immigrant Wall of Honor". You can "Search the Wall", "Link to your Heritage", "Honor Your Grandparents" and 'Search for your Family Records!

Best known for its innovative, award-winning exhibitions, the Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology also has one of the world's most important collections of fashion and textiles, which it collects, conserves, documents, exhibits, and interprets for the purposes of education and inspiration.

The collections continue to grow as pieces are donated or purchased. New acquisitions are considered when they are either exceptional examples or fill a gap in the collections. Today the FIT's Museum collections have a dual function: as design laboratories used by students and professionals and as repositories where historically important objects can be safely preserved and exhibited for the education and aesthetic pleasure of present and future generations

The Frick Collection was founded by Henry Clay Frick, the Pittsburgh coke and steel industrialist. At his death, Mr. Frick bequeathed his New York residence and the most outstanding of his many art works to establish a public gallery for the purpose of “encouraging and developing the study of the fine arts.” Chief among his bequests, which also included sculpture, drawings, prints, and decorative arts such as furniture, porcelains, enamels, rugs and silver, were one hundred thirty-one paintings. Forty-seven additional paintings have been acquired over the years by the Trustees from an endowment provided by the founder and through gifts and bequests. As of the end of 1995 The Frick Collection housed a permanent collection of more than 1,100 works of art from the Renaissance to the late nineteenth century.

The art of The Frick Collection includes superb examples of Old Masters, English eighteenth-century portraits, Dutch seventeenth-century works of art, Italian Renaissance paintings, Renaissance bronzes, Limoge enamels, Chinese porcelains, and French eighteenth-century furniture. Artists represented in the Collection include Rembrandt van Rijn, Giovanni Bellini, El Greco, Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer, Francois Boucher, Thomas Gainsborough, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Joseph Mallord William Turner, James McNeill Whistler, Francesco Laurana, Jean-Antoine Houdon, and Severo Calzetta da Ravenna.

The Frick Collection, although small, has played a very significant role in collecting and connoisseurship in the United States. The types of paintings collected by Mr. Frick deeply affected the taste of Americans in the decades after his death, first and foremost, that of Andrew Mellon, his close friend, and other collectors who gave to The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., founded by Mellon. Later, the example of The Frick Collection helped determine the nature of museums such as the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. It was, and continues to be, the model for many other collectors and institutions, whether or not they achieve the standards of collecting or the atmosphere of The Frick Collection as we know it today.

The bottom half of the Hayden Sphere houses the Big Bang, where visitors will be transported to the beginning of time and space, experiencing a dramatic, multisensory re-creation of the first moments of the universe. From here, visitors continue on an awe-inspiring journey that chronicles the evolution of the universe by following the Harriet and Robert Heilbrunn Cosmic Pathway, a sloping walkway that takes them through 13 billion years of cosmic evolution.

See the breathtaking Passport to the Universe at the Hayden Planetarium, that reveals the wonders of our universe in a way never before possible in a planetarium. No longer dependent on a single, multi-lens projector, the presentation is driven by computers and processors that treat the audiences to realistic close-up views of star fields and planets, taking them on an exhilarating flight through a virtual re-creation of our universe, into the Orion Nebula, out of our galaxy, and deep into intergalactic space. After reaching the edges of our known universe, the tour takes a "virtual shortcut" back to Earth, in a free fall, headlong through a black hole.

The hangar deck houses three of the legendary aircraft types which originally flew from the Intrepid during World War II: an original TBM Avenger torpedo bomber, and replicas of an F6F Hellcat fighter and an SB2C Helldiver dive bomber.

On the flight deck and portside aircraft elevator, America’s modern military cutting edge is represented by a Navy F-14 Tomcat, an Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon, a Marine Corps aV-8C Harrier, and an A-12 Blackbird spy plane formerly in service with the CIA. During your visit, you’ll also find international air power on display with a British F-1 Scimitar, a French Entendard IV-M and a Polish MiG-21.

The Intrepid Sea-Air Museum's helicopter collection includes two Vietnam-era UH-1 Hueys, a Marine Corps AH-1J Sea Cobra, and a fully restored Army AH-1G Cobra gunship. Press "Blue Button" to browse through the "Intrepid Sea-Air Museum" website, and then plan your visit!

The story of the lighthouse was popularized by the children's book The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge, by Hildegarde H. Swift. In this fictional account of Jeffrey's Hook lighthouse, the structure was presented as a symbol of the significance of a small thing in a big world. After the proposed removal of the lighthouse in 1951, the lighthouse became a celebrated "child's landmark," representing importance and permanence, The children cried out to "save the lighthouse" and so it was to be.

See The Little Red Lighthouse book.

The Jeffrey's Hook lighthouse, which formerly had stood as the North Hook Beacon at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, from 1880-1917, was reconstructed in 1921 by the United States Bureau of Lighthouses as part of a project to improve the navigational aids on the Hudson River.

Visit the Lighthouse
Scheduled tours offered spring through fall by the New York City Urban Park Rangers. Press "Blue Button" for tour information and more about the Little Red Lighthouse.

A recent exhibition "WALDSEE-1944" is an exhibition that commemorates the annihilation of Hungarian Jewry during the summer of 1944, when Jews deported by the Nazis to their deaths at Auschwitz were required to write deceptive postcards from "Waldsee" to their families, reassuring them that all was well. Seventy international artists have created their own visual symbolism, in the form of the postcard, to commemorate the Hungarian Holocaust. Among the artists are William Kentridge, Judy Chicago, Tobi Kahn, Archie Rand, Ida Appelbrog, Hanan Harchol, Margalit Mannor, Lynn Avedenka, Ruth Weisberg, Leonard Meiselman, Natan Nuchi, Richard McBee, Donald Woodman, and Mark Podwal.

In 1944, Frieda Schiff Warburg, widow of the prominent businessman and philanthropist, Felix Warburg, donated the family mansion on Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street for use as The Jewish Museum. Located along New York's prestigious Museum Mile, this elegant landmark structure, in the style of a French Gothic chateau, has been our home since 1947. In 1993 an ambitious expansion and renovation project doubled the gallery space, added a glorious permanent exhibition, created classrooms and an auditorium for educational programs, and improved public amenities, including a café.

Through more than 28,000 objects including painting, sculpture, works on paper, photographs, archaeological artifacts, ceremonial objects, and broadcast media, The Jewish Museum's collection demonstrates Jewish identity and its evolution through visual art. It is one of the largest, most extensive collections of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.

Café Weissman, located at The Jewish Museum, is proud to offer innovative kosher cuisine prepared by Foremost Glatt Kosher Caterers serving an exquisite selection of delicious salads, pasta dishes, desserts, and beverages.

What will you remember most about your trip to NYC? Will you remember when you struck a pose and dazzled the paparazzi, when you sang live at the American Idol Experience, when you forecasted the weather with Al Roker, or perhaps when you made Jennifer Lopez blush? In a city with millions of things to see and do, there is only one place where over 200 of the world's top celebrities provide you with an interactive experience of a lifetime. For a trip to remember, visit Madame Tussauds, New York City's House of Wax Museum.

The Metropolitan Museum's permanent collection consists of more than two million works of art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded in 1870 by a group of American citizens, businessmen and financiers as well as leading artists and thinkers of the day, who wanted to create a museum to bring art and art education to the American people.

The Metropolitan Museum's painting collection began in 1870, when three private European collections, 174 paintings in all, came to the Met. A variety of excellent Dutch and Flemish paintings, including works by such artists as Hals and Van Dyck, was supplemented with works by such great European artists as Poussin, Tiepolo, and Guardi.

The collections continued to grow for the rest of the 19th century. But it is the 20th century that has seen the Met's rise to the position of one of the world's great art centers. Some highlights: a work by Renoir entered the Met as early as 1907. The Met has become one of the world's great repositories of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art. In 1910 the Metropolitan was the first public institution to accept works of art by Matisse. By 1979 the Museum owned five of the fewer than 40 known Vermeers. The Department of Greek and Roman Art now oversees thousands of objects, including one of the finest collections in glass and silver in the world. The American Wing holds the most comprehensive collection of American art, sculpture, and decorative arts in the world. The Egyptian art collection is the finest outside Cairo. The Islamic art collection is without peer.

In 1880, the Metropolitan Museum moved to its current site in Central Park. The original Gothic-Revival-style building has been greatly expanded in size since then, and the various additions now completely surround the original structure.

Among the additions to the Met are: the Robert Lehman Wing (1975), which houses an extraordinary collection of Old Masters, as well as Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art; the installation in The Sackler Wing of the Temple of Dendur (1978), an Egyptian monument (ca. 15 B.C.) that was given to the United States by Egypt; The American Wing (1980), whose magnificent collection also includes 24 period rooms offering an unparalleled view of American art history and domestic life; The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing (1982) for the display of the arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas; the Lila Acheson Wallace Wing (1987), which houses modern art; and the Henry R. Kravis Wing, devoted to European sculpture and decorative arts from the Renaissance to the beginning of the 20th century.

The Metropolitan Museum continues to refine and reorganize the collections in its existing spaces. In June 1998, the Arts of Korea gallery opened to the public, completing a major suite of galleries – a "museum within the Museum". In October 1999 the Ancient Near Eastern Galleries reopened. And a complete renovation and reinstallation of the Greek and Roman Galleries is underway: the first phase, The Robert and Renée Belfer Court for early Greek art, opened in June 1996; the New Greek Galleries premiered in April 1999; and in April 2000 the Cypriot Galleries open to the public.

In June 2002, the Museum of Arts & Design was selected by The New York Economic Development Corporation (EDC), on behalf of Mayor Bloomberg, to redevelop Two Columbus Circle with the goal of bringing a vibrant cultural resource to the area. “I am delighted that Two Columbus Circle will be re-born as a museum and a distinguished work of architecture that will serve as a demonstration of the vitality of New York and the pivotal role that the arts play in the economic, social, and educational life of the city.” Mayor Bloomberg

Opening in 2008, the new Museum of Arts & Design will more than triple its space to 54,000 square feet from 17,000 square feet in its present location. The Museum’s exhibition space will increase fourfold. For the first time since its founding in 1956, the Museum will be able to present and expand its permanent collection of art objects, including ceramics, fiber, glass, metal, paper, wood, mixed media, and design–one of the most distinguished collections of its kind in the world. MAD will also double its gallery space for the display of special exhibitions organized by the Museum and other national and international arts institutions.

The 30,000-square-foot Museum on the waterfront at 36 Battery Place in Manhattan's Battery Park City, with its six-sided shape and tiered roof symbolic of the six points of the Star of David and the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, has proved a powerful attraction as one of New York City's newest cultural destinations. The Museum of Jewish Heritage goes beyond recounting the horrors of the Holocaust. Its mission is to educate people of all ages and backgrounds about the broad tapestry of Jewish life over the past century, before, during, and after the Holocaust.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust - a testament to the endurance of a people, teaches essential and unforgettable lessons about the danger of intolerance. The Museum, like the history of the Jewish people, is a combination of celebration and sorrow, triumph and tragedy. Every object, every display, and every voice is a demonstration of the legacy of courage in the face of adversity that sustained the Jewish people through one of the worst periods in human history.

Each year, the Museum observes Yom HaShoah with a candle-lighting ceremony that brings together Holocaust survivors and high-school students throughout the New York area in a moving demonstration of the power of passing memories from one generation to the next. Hearing the history directly from those who lived it has an impact on students that is far stronger than any book, film, or lecture. As the years pass, it becomes still more important for succeeding generations to hear first-person accounts of this incredible tragedy.

The Museum of Modern Art seeks to create a dialogue between the established and the experimental, the past and the present, in an environment that is responsive to the issues of modern and contemporary art, while being accessible to a public that ranges from scholars to young children. The ultimate purpose of the Museum declared at its founding was to acquire the best modern works of art. While quality remains the primary criterion, the Museum acknowledges and pursues a broader educational purpose: to build a collection which is more than an assemblage of masterworks, which provides a uniquely comprehensive survey of the unfolding modern movement in all visual media.

The Museum of the City of New York's name says it all. With our unique mandate, to engage visitors in exploring the past, present, and future of the five boroughs of New York City and to explore the city's astonishing cultural diversity, we have the opportunity to present a wide variety of exhibitions, public programs, and publications, all investigating what gives New York its singular character. In this year alone, we have presented exhibitions on our own neighborhood of East Harlem, on the oldest community of Jews in North America, on the community-centered values of labor radicalism in the Bronx, on the glamour of "New York style," and on the rich legacy of black theater. Our city's constantly changing built environment was explored through exhibitions of photographs of the subways and through investigations of new design and new architecture. Public programs investigated everything from school reform to solutions to traffic congestion to the future of women in the New York workforce.

Please join us as The Museum of the City of New York continues to explore what makes New York New York.

The National Academy Museum houses one of the largest public collections of nineteenth- and twentieth-century American art in the country. It comprises over five thousand works in almost every artistic style of the past two centuries, from the linear portraiture of the Federal period and the naturalistic landscapes of the Hudson River School to studies of light and atmosphere that inform Tonalism and American Impressionism; from the gritty realism of the Ashcan movement to the modernist movements of Fauvism, abstraction, and photo and magic realism. Masterworks in these and other styles have come into the National Academy Museum's collection mainly as gifts from newly elected National Academicians in compliance with membership requirements; thereby continually enriching the collection.

The National Sports Museum will provide an experience unlike any in New York City, the nation or the world. As a family-oriented attraction, the NSM's exhibits will engage people of all ages through an interactive and celebratory environment. The NSM will include permanent and rotating exhibits, a 360-degree immersion theater, special event spaces, an extensive retail area, and a sports-themed café.

The National Sports Museum's "Immersion Theatre" - During a spectacular 8-minute film presentation, National Sports Museum visitors will occupy the center of the theater space, surrounded by a multi-layered 360-degree video projection system. The film begins with images of empty stadiums and arenas, then proceeds through time-lapse photography to show those venues fill with fans.

Then the games begin: first serves thunder off rackets, drives explode from metal woods, footballs soar from the punter's foot and basketballs tip to one side. The intensity builds as the games proceed and visitors are taken through half-times and time-outs, building to a pulsating final sequence, showing fans celebrating after a thrilling win. Throughout the film, on a Jumbotron, athletes, fans, owners and coaches at all levels of sports talk about each stage of "the game" as it is shown. Press "Blue Button" for more information on the exciting National Sports Museum.

In 2005, the New Museum of Contemporary Art will begin construction of a new home at 235 Bowery at Prince Street. This 60,000 square foot facility will greatly expand the Museum's exhibitions and programs, and will be the first art museum constructed in Downtown New York's modern history.

The Police Museum started to focus more on the history of the department and policing in New York with the appointment of its first curator, Detective Alfred Young who supplemented the displays of the museum with his own, extensive collection of police memorabilia. Detective Young is also credited with designing the current Medal of Honor. By March 2002, the museum opened at its permanent home at 100 Old Slip, the site of the old First Precinct stationhouse, a building that itself reflects the rich history of the NYPD.

Our building at 100 Old Slip was built in 1909-11 and designed by the notable architectural firm of Hunt & Hunt. This building was constructed as the new home for the First Precinct. It was considered a model police facility when built and chiefs of police throughout the country visited the new stationhouse looking to copy some of its features in their own new buildings. This building replaced another stationhouse built on the exact same spot in 1884, in fact the new stationhouse used the same foundation as the building it replaced. The 1884 stationhouse was constructed on the site of the former Franklin Market. It was built in the Neo-Italian Renaissance style. Its visual power was created by a rhythmic series of tall arches, heavy rusticated walls and restrained ornamentation. The building's distinctive profile with its dominating cornice is reminiscent of the Palazzo Riccardi in Florence and is now the home of The New York City Police Museum.

Today, The New-York Historical Society offers a world of information such as the wealth of significant objects housed in the Luce Center, their power to fascinate, evoke the past, and convey the physical reality of history complements the special exhibitions, library resources, and public programs that are also available to visitors. By presenting such treasures in a format at once transparent, adaptable, and accessible, the New-York Historical Society is charting an important new path in the museum community.

Press the "Blue Button" to explore the New York Historical Society & Museum website.

At The Paley Center for Media, you have the opportunity to access an international collection of more than 140,000 programs covering almost 100 years of television and radio history, including news, public affairs programs and documentaries, performing arts programs, children's programming, sports, comedy and variety shows, and commercial advertising. Programming from some seventy countries is represented in the collection.

In our library you choose a program from the collection. Then you go to watch or listen to it at a console individually - or with up to four people at a family console.

You can also drop in to a screening in one of the Paley Center's theaters. Each day we screen a wide variety of programming from our collection, from David Bowie in performance or a look at the work of Jim Henson or the short films of Saturday Night Live. In our theaters you enjoy the communal experience of watching television together. All of the programming is also available for you to watch or listen to at an individual console through the library.

Throughout the year we offer numerous public programs in the Media as Lens subscription series that bring together writers, directors, producers, actors, critics, journalists, and artists from many disciplines to discuss everything from the creative process behind television and radio to the current trends in media and popular culture, to global political situations. Press "Blue Button" for more information about the The Paley Center for Media.

In June 1943, Frank Lloyd Wright received a letter from Hilla Rebay, the art advisor to Solomon R. Guggenheim, asking the architect to design a new building to house Guggenheim's four-year-old Museum of Non-Objective Painting. The project evolved into a complex struggle pitting the architect against his clients, city officials, the art world, and public opinion. Both Guggenheim and Wright would die before the building's 1959 completion. The resultant achievement, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, testifies not only to Wright's architectural genius, but to the adventurous spirit that characterized its founders.

The Guggenheim collection "online" premiered in April 2001 with a selection of works of art from the New York museum's holdings. Currently representing 169 artists, the collection online encompasses both the classic and the new—from the Guggenheim's earliest work, an 1867 landscape by Camille Pissarro, through more recent acquisitions, a 1998–99 sculpture by Robert Gober—striking a balance that reflects the dynamic tenor of the institution as a whole. Each work may be viewed at small, medium, or large resolution, and is accompanied by insightful commentary.

The Studio Museum in Harlem has a long tradition of presenting programs that address prevalent issues in contemporary art by artists of African descent. Through the Department of Education and Public Programs, we offer a range of activities and programs that engage a diverse cross-section of artists of various disciplines, writers, scholars and critics who share diverse perspectives with our audiences.

Programs include: Architectural Walking Tours, Artists-In-Residence Open Studios, Books & Authors, Director's Dialogues, Hoofers' House, Inside/Out Gallery Tour, Poetry @ SMH, Sunday Salon, The Fine Art Of Collecting, Vital Expressions in American Art: Performance @ SMH.

In the Winter 2001, The Studio Museum in Harlem launched a new initiative Expanding the Walls: Making Connections Between Photography, History and Community, a intergenerational program that uses SMH's James VanDerZee Collection/Archives as the point of entry for people of all ages to share experiences and perspectives on community, identity, history and culture. Expanding the Walls was conceived to allow SMH to develop vital relationships with three distinct populations--youth, families, and senior citizens, as well as the cultural institutions and community based organizations that provide services to these groups.

Over the past decade museums around the nation have undertaken special initiatives to strengthen community relationships. Providing access to the arts, addressing the needs of under-served populations and using museum collections creatively to reflect the identity and interests of community have been the driving forces behind new programs. In developing programs that best meet the needs of their varied constituencies, the museum field has made it a priority to address communities who are often marginalized within the traditional paradigm of museum education. While the field has invested a great deal of time and resources in redefining the role of the museum in communities, many of these efforts have not been sustained and or the programs were intended to function as one-time exposure activities.

The Studio Museum in Harlem has over the last three decades successfully served as a resource for scholars, educators and more traditional museum visitors. In its geographic community-Harlem-however it has been perceived as exclusive and elitist. Its programs, while reflecting the standards of the museum field, have not always addressed the interests of its immediate community.

Expanding the Walls is a program that has been conceived to challenge habitual museum education practices by creating an environment where there is a clear exchange of information and an interactive pedagogical process between community and the institution, and between different generations. At the core of this new initiative is a program through which youth are trained to use photography and the visual arts in general to facilitate discussions of larger social issues in the context of exhibitions presented at The Studio Museum in Harlem. Press "Blue Button" for more information on "Expanding the Walls" and the many exciting events at The Studio Museum in Harlem.

The collection at The Cloisters is complemented by more than six thousand objects exhibited in several galleries on the first floor of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's main building on Fifth Avenue. Renowned for its architectural sculpture, The Cloisters also rewards visitors with exquisite illuminated manuscripts, stained glass, metalwork, enamels, ivories, and tapestries.

Much of the sculpture at The Cloisters was acquired by George Grey Barnard (1863–1938), a prominent American sculptor and avid collector of medieval art. While working in rural France before World War I, Barnard supplemented his income by locating and selling medieval sculpture and architectural fragments that had made their way into the hands of local landowners over several centuries of political and religious upheaval. He kept many pieces for himself and, upon returning to the United States, opened to the public a churchlike brick structure on Fort Washington Avenue filled with his collection - the first installation of medieval art of its kind in America.

Through the generosity of the philanthropist and collector John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (1874–1960), the museum and all of its contents were acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1925. By 1927, it was clear that a new and larger building would be needed to display the collection in a more scholarly fashion. In addition to financing the conversion of 66.5 acres of land just north of Barnard's museum into a public park, inside which the new museum building would be located, and donating seven hundred acres of additional land to the state of New Jersey across the Hudson River to ensure that the view from The Cloisters remain unsullied, Rockefeller contributed medieval works of art from his own collection (including the celebrated set of seven South Netherlandish tapestries depicting "The Hunt of the Unicorn") and established an endowment for operations and future acquisitions.

Press "Blue Button" to see highlights from the collection housed at The Cloisters and presented online.

Yeshiva University Museum presents exhibitions with an interdisciplinary focus that reflect the diversity of the Museum’s collection of more than 8,000 artifacts. As a resource for scholarly research, Yeshiva University Museum’s exhibitions provide unique opportunities for artists, historians, collectors, and ethnographers to examine, compare, and research objects, ideas, and techniques. Its contemporary art shows offer the public the opportunity to survey art being created by living Jewish artists throughout the world.

Features Include: Four Galleries, Exhibition Arcade, Multilingual Tours in English, Hebrew, Spanish, Russian, & Yiddish, Outdoor Sculpture Garden, Docent Lounge, Children’s Workshop, 250 Seat Auditorium, Kosher Café.

Whether you're nose-to-nose with Western lowland gorillas in our famous Congo Gorilla Forest , spotting snow leopards in our naturalistic Himalayan Highlands Habitat, or experiencing almost an acre of an indoor Asian rain forest, you're always within roaring distance of the world's most amazing wildlife. In the end, you'll know that your admission fees went to a conservation organization that has more expert researchers in the field than any other. Together, we make a difference.

Press "Blue Button" for photos, education about animals and their habitat, and to explore the Bronx Zoo website.

The Godwin-Ternbach Museum, officially established in 1981, had its genesis in the Queens College Art Collection. Drawing on its extensive and varied works, loans of artworks from other collections, and the rich educational resources of Queens College, the museum offers a dynamic schedule of changing exhibitions and programs. Through its outreach, art education programs as well as publications, lectures, music, films, and workshops are made available to individuals of all ages.

Press "Blue Button" to explore the Godwin-Ternbach Museum. For more information about the exhibition or lectures series, call 718-997-4747. Admission to the exhibition and lecture series is free.

. . . Canandaigua New York was chosen as the ideal location for the New York Wine & Culinary Center. A small city perched on the north shore of Canandaigua Lake, it is a major tourist destination during the summer months. Canandaigua is known for its historical architecture, bustling main street and proximity to many farms and wineries . . . Overlooking the City's picturesque pier, the new Center building is designed to be inviting and a stunning showcase for exhibitions, classes and eating and drinking experiences. Press "Blue Button" to visit the New York Wine & Culinary Center website.

Outdoor Discovery Center
The Outdoor Discover Center is located at 100 Muser Drive (entrance to the center is on Muser Drive across from 174 Angola Road) in Cornwall, NY.

Wildlife Education Center
See the Living Hudson Exhibit; a multi-sensory experience full of the flora and fauna native to the Hudson Estuary. Follow the journey as water trickles down a highland creek into a wetland pond. The pond empties into a freshwater stream which then joins the Hudson River Estuary.

The Neversink Valley Area Museum occupies historic canal-era buildings in the D&H Canal Park right on the Neversink River.

For the Kids
The Neversink Valley Area Museum has a number of activities that are especially suited to kids and their families.

The County Park, our home, has lots of grass and a playground.

Children love our Narrated Boat Rides along the D&H Canal (Sundays: 30 minute boat rides, boat seats 12 people, rides are $5.00).

Information Source
The history of Fort Montgomery and Fort Clinton during the American Revolutionary War; a War of Independence between the Americans and England, is sourced from interpretive signs at the Fort Montgomery Visitor Center and on the Fort Montgomery historic trails.

Click to enlarge sign about Fort Montgomery in the American Revolution.
The interpretive sign reads: Welcome to Fort Montgomery "You are standing near the western end of Fort Montgomery: a Revolutionary War fort built to defend the Hudson Highlands and protect American control of the Hudson River. On October 6, 1777, the British captured Fort Montgomery and destroyed it in the days that followed. "Trails from this parking area lead to two of the fort's redoubts. The trail that passes beneath the highway will take you to the Fort Montgomery visitor center and Fort Montgomery's remains where interpretive signs will help you understand the history of the fort and the battle." Today, Fort Montgomery is an archeological site and a historic ruin. Fort Montgomery was the scene of a fierce battle for control of the Hudson River during the American Revolutionary War; the Hudson was considered strategic by both the Americans and the British during the American War for Independence.
Building Fort Montgomery and Fort Clinton "Early in the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress realized that the Hudson River was critical to the American cause. If the British controlled the river, they could divide the rebellious colonies. Therefore, the Americans began work on Fort Montgomery in March 1776. . . " . . . When the Americans discovered that the land on the opposite side of the Popolopen Creek was higher and would threaten Fort Montgomery if held by the enemy, they began constructing a second fort there, called Fort Clinton. They connected the two forts by a pontoon bridge. . . "Fort Montgomery was a bustling community of hundreds of people. Soldiers, laborers, merchants, families, servants, and slaves lived at or visited the fort. Ships and boats arriving and departing added to the atmosphere of a small city. "Supplies were often hard to obtain, morale was often low, and discipline was a chronic problem. Nevertheless, Forts Montgomery and Clinton were largely complete by October 1777, when the British attacked them." Fort Clinton "Originally, the commissioners in charge of the work were confident that no overland attack on the fort was possible, but misgivings led them to begin extending the fortifications inland. They began fortifying several pieces of high ground that became Fort Montgomery's three redoubts. The realization that a higher piece of ground just across the Popolopen Creek threatened Fort Montgomery led to the construction of Fort Clinton."
Click to enlarge sign about the Battle of Fort Montgomery in the American Revolution. The interpretive sign reads: Battle of Fort Montgomery "To aid Lieutenant General John Burgoyne's British army stalled at Saratoga, Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton sailed from New York with 3,000 British, German, and Loyalist soldiers and a flotilla of warships. On the morning of October 6, 1777, Clinton landed 2,100 of his men on the west side of the Hudson River near Stony Point. This force followed a narrow trail through the mountains, where they ran into a party of 30 men sent from Fort Clinton to detect the British advance. After beating the Americans back, Sir Henry Clinton sent 900 men around Bear Mountain to attack Fort Montgomery. The rest would wait to attack Fort Clinton until the first group had reached Fort Montgomery. "In the afternoon, the British began an assault on both forts, which were defended by no more than 700 men. At Fort Montgomery, the Americans kept the British at bay as the two sides exchanged musket fire. When the Americans refused to surrender, the British stormed both forts. Taking advantage of the growing dark and the smoky haze from the battle, many of the Americans escaped, but as many as 275 were taken as prisoners to New York City where they remained for much of the war. "Following the battle, the British destroyed Fort Montgomery, garrisoned Fort Clinton, and burned New York's capital at Kingston. Then, receiving orders to join Sir William Howe's army near Philadelphia, Clinton's men destroyed Fort Clinton and sailed back down the Hudson. Although captured and destroyed, the forts had presented enough of an obstacle to keep the British forces in New York from aiding Burgoyne's army. The following year, in 1778, the American began rebuilding their defenses, this time at West Point."
Click to enlarge photo of the Wounded Patriot at the Battle of Fort Montgomery.
	Men in the photo represent two American patriots: Private, Ulster County Militia, and Private, 5th New York Regiment. The militiaman, in civilian clothing, is armed with a British musket. He assists his wounded comrade carrying a French musket from the 1750s.
The American Revolution - 1777: History of Fort Montgomery and Fort Clinton The following historical accounts record the Battles of Fort Montgomery and Fort Clinton from different historical perspectives: The War of the Revolution, by Christopher Ward, Volume II (Macmillan, 1952) "An opaque fog lay close to the surface of the Hudson River on the morning of October 5, 1777. The awakening bugles of General Israel Putnam’s Continentals at Peekskill on the eastern shore of the river seemed muted by the white and misty blanket. The slow-rising sun burned irregular holes in it, however, and through these the General’s sentinels, who had been posted south of his encampment during most of the summer, saw something that banished their accustomed boredom. There were barges and galleys downriver—many of them—and above the low lying haze rose the towering masts of British frigates. From downriver, too, came the muffled sounds of alarm guns. The long-dreaded invasion of enemy troops from occupied New York had begun. The elderly Yankee Israel Putnam was busy at once. An oarsman, rowing desperately, bore messages across the wide stream to Fort Montgomery, an unfinished cluster of earthworks then under the command of the thirty-eight-year-old governor of the new state of New York, Brigadier General George Clinton. At this bastion, nearly a hundred and fifty feet above the spot where the Popolopen Creek joins the Hudson, the Governor received Putnam’s letter. Immediately he sent a summary of its contents to his older brother, General James Clinton, then in command of Fort Clinton, a smaller stronghold on the steep south bank of the narrow creek. In the meantime, the British under Sir Henry Clinton (a distant cousin of the American generals of the same surname) were disembarking at Verplanck’s Point on the east bank of the Hudson, not far below Putnam’s headquarters. The grating of their boats in the shallows of the river, the sharp voices of their officers ordering immediate formations, came strangely through the thick fog to the ears of Putnam’s scouts, informing them only that the invaders were in considerable numbers . . . . . . Perhaps the Battle of Fort Montgomery would have been utterly neglected had not two young American soldiers chosen to visit the site on a sunny spring day of the following year. Historians do not usually end their chapters on such footnotes as these men provided, but their reports have so documented the narrative that they deserve place here. One of them, a young chaplain named Timothy Dwight (later president of Yale College), wrote in his journal that while he was climbing from a river barge to the place where the battle had been fought, the stench of dead bodies caused him great distress. We found, at a small distance from Fort Montgomery, a pond of a moderate size, in which we saw the bodies of several men, who had been killed in the assault upon the fort. They were thrown into this pond, the preceding autumn, by the British … Some of them were covered at this time; but at a depth so small as to leave them distinctly visible. Others had an arm, a leg, or a part of the body, above the surface. The clothes which they wore when they were killed, were still on them, and proved that they were militia; being the ordinary dress of farmers. Their faces were bloated and monstrous; and their postures were uncouth, distorted and to the highest degree afflictive . . ." Battles Of The Revolutionary War: 1775-1781 by W.J. Wood (Dec 23, 2003) "On October 6th, 300 Continental soldiers of the 5th New York regiment, 100 artillerymen of Lamb's Artillery, and some 300 Levies and militiamen defended the unfinished Fort Montgomery and Fort Clinton against a combined force of roughly 2,100 Loyalists, Hessians, and British regulars led by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton attacked Forts Montgomery and Clinton from the landward side (which was only partially completed) with support from cannon fire from British ships on the Hudson River. The land columns attacking from west of the fort consisted of the New York Volunteers, the Loyal American Regiment, Emmerich's Chasseurs, the 57th and the 52nd Regiments of Foot. The Americans had emplaced an iron chain and a boom across the Hudson River, protected by four warships, to impede the British flotilla. Lt. Col. Mungo Campbell and several British regulars approach the fort with a flag of truce indicating that they wish to avoid `further effusion of blood.' Clinton sends Lt. Col. William S. Livingston to meet the enemy. The British officer requests that the patriots surrender. They are promised that no harm would come to them. Livingston, in turn, invites Campbell to surrender and promises him and his men good treatment. Fuming at this audacity, the British resume the fight. British ships working against an ebb tide attack the forts and American vessels. A steady volley ensues with each side receiving a share of the bombardment. British officers Campbell and Vaughan close in on all sides of the twin forts. Leading his men into battle, Campbell is killed in a violent attack on the North Redoubt of Fort Montgomery. Vaughan's horse is shot from under him as he rides into battle at Fort Clinton. After a fierce battle lasting until dark, the British pushed the courageous Americans from the forts at the points of their bayonets. The defenders are overpowered by sheer numbers and the British gain possession of Forts Montgomery and Clinton. American casualties numbered about 350 killed, wounded and captured, while the British paid a price of at least 190 killed and wounded. Those who were not killed or did not escape are shipped to the infamous Sugar House Prisons in New York City and then onto British "hell ships" (prison ships) in the harbor. A "return," or report of prisoners, is sent to communities in the Highlands to inform families of their loved ones' capture. It is up to the families to send provisions lest the prisoners starve. Countless patriots perish on the prison ships. U.S. Army battle map, The Battle of Fort Montgomery, 5-6 October 1777 U.S. Army battle map, The Battle of Fort Montgomery, The British Attack, Dusk, 6 October 1777 Forts Montgomery and Clinton, located just south of West Point, were built for the defense of the Hudson Highlands in 1776. It was here that British and loyalist troops overwhelmed Clinton's outnumbered patriots in October. Although the Americans lost the battle for the Highlands, a relative handful of Americans aided in delaying British reinforcements from joining Burgoyne in the upper Hudson Valley and allowed Gates to gain much needed militia reinforcements in time to ultimately win Burgoyne's surrender at Saratoga." A guide to the Battles of the American Revolution by Theodore P. Savas and J. David Dameron (Savas Beatie LLC, NY 2006) American Perspective: "Waiting within the American fortifications on Bemis Heights was the bloodied Continental Army led by Maj. Gen. Horatio Gates. Not an audacious commander, Gates was content to await General Burgoyne's next move. While Gates market time on Bemis Heights, Patriot forces assigned to defensive positions guarding the entrance to the Hudson Highlands worked to complete two forts on the Hudson River 100 miles south of Albany, New York. Their commander was Brig. Gen. George Clinton (not to be confused with the British commander with the same last name). The forts over which the American Clinton (who was also governor of New York) labored were named Montgomery, in honor of fallen Patriot Gen. Richard Montgomery, and Clinton, after himself as commander of the forces in that region. Built on opposite banks of Popolopen Creek, which emptied into the Hudson River on its western shore at a strategic bend, eight miles south of West Point, the bastions were key to the strategic defense of the Hudson Highlands. Fort Montgomery guarded the northern bank of the creek and Fort Clinton the southern bank. To the east of both forts flowed the majestic Hudson River. All told, the American fielded 600 men and 20 pieces of heavy artillery. The Patriots strung a heavy iron chain across the river and seeded the water with log obstacles to disrupt any maritime assault upon the American forts. Patrolling the Hudson were two Americans warships, Montgomery and Congress, supported by a handful of smaller vessels . . . . . . Fort Clinton was constructed on the south side of Popolopen Creek on a rocky ridge overlooking the Hudson River below, oriented to cover a 400-yard wide plain before the drop to the waterway. Fort Montgomery also overlooked the Hudson River, but was situated on the northern shore of Popolopen Creek, which ran west from the Hudson . . . After a perfunctory request that the defenders capitulate (which was rejected), the twin assaults began. There was no element of surprise or effort at finesse. The British attached nearly simultaneously with the sun setting behind Lt. Col. Archibald Campbell's columns. Sir James Wallace's British river fleet also arrived and opened fire on the American vessels and forts, providing the British land forces with supporting fire. Fort Montgomery fell first . . . Fort Clinton's defenders offered a better account of themselves, but the outcome was the same. Sir Henry Clinton ordered his command to launch a direct attach (there was little room to maneuver). His regulars and Hessian allies swept forward through a line of obstructions, taking terrible casualties during the approach and in the close-quarter fighting that followed. The weight of British metal carried the day, however, and within a short time the garrison was dead, wounded, captured, or fleeing . . . By 7:30 or 8:00 p.m. the fighting was over. Only 300 Americans, including Generals James and Governor George Clinton, escaped, most from Fort Montgomery . . . Casualties: British: 190 killed and wounded; American: 350 killed, wounded, and captured." Fort Montgomery as a Historic Ruin New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has decided not to recreate Forts Montgomery and/or Clinton. "Because of the limits of available information, any recreation would be inaccurate and would hide the violent end of these massive fortifications. Instead, the remains are preserved, just as the have survived the ages, as hallowed ground." Fort Montgomery stands as an archeological site and a historic ruin. Fort Montgomery, Today Today, Fort Montgomery is an archeological site and a historic ruin. This Historic Site is a genuine vestige of our nation's struggle for independence. Visitors will see the actual foundations of the fort's buildings and remains of the fort's earthworks. Visit Fort Montgomery and tour the remains of the 14 acre fortification, perched on a cliff overlooking the Hudson River. The site includes a Visitor Center and interpretive trail that guides visitors past the fort's ruins to breathtaking views of the Hudson River. The Visitor Center features artifacts discovered in Fort Montgomery, mannequin displays, a 3 dimensional map model, and a 14 minute orientation film. Attractions Include Audio-Visual Programs Demonstrations Group Tours Hiking Interpretive Signs Scenic Views Self Guided Tours Visitor Center

Click trail marker for the Historic 1777 & 1779 American Revolution Trail.

The sign reads: The Historic 1777 & 1779 Trails "You are walking part of the 1777 historic trail that retraces as nearly as possible the routes taken by the British army during the Revolutionary War. "The 1777 trail represents the route taken by British General Sir Henry Clinton's forces on October 6, 1777. After landing 2100 men at Stony Point, he marched north to capture Forts Clinton and Montgomery. At Doodletown, the trail splits. The east branch of the trail follows the march of forces under Sir Henry Clinton and Major General John Vaughn that captured Fort Clinton. The west branch follows the route of Lieutenant Colonel Mungo Campbell's force, which captured Fort Montgomery. "The 1779 trail traces the route taken by Brigadier General Anthony Wayne's Corps of Light Infantry in its assault on the British fortifications at Stony Point just after midnight on July 16, 1779. After a brief but fierce fight, Wayne's men captured Stony Point, achieving one of the Continental Army's most spectacular victories."

Walk the grounds of the Historic 1777 & 1779 Trails at Fort Montgomery Historic Site. You can pick up the 1777 & 1779 trails close to the Bear Mountain Bridge and/or near the Fort Montgomery Visitor Center.

History
Palaia Vineyards "Pa-Lie-Ahh" is named for our winemaker's grandfather, Angelo Palaia who emigrated here from Italy and passed his winemaking skills on to his son and grandson. We have taken the basics he gave us , and with modern winemaking techniques have been able to make some truly outstanding wines. Here at Sweet Clover Farm, we believe in celebrating and preserving the history of our family, country, town and homestead. We are proud to be the owners of a working farm that has been in the Hudson Valley for over 200 years. Once a dairy farm, it is now home to over 10 Acres of vineyards with more planned for the future. The 200 year old bank barn had been restored over the last 3 years and is now a beautiful winery on the lower level, with storage and a tasting room above preserving the look and feel of the historical building. We invite you to come and visit. Press "Blue Button" for history, photos and more about Palaia Vineyards and be sure to visit our winery.

History There was a hill in Orange County New York. The hillside overlooked what used to be an old Indian road used before the Dutch got here and then later it became a Colonial road leading to the local iron works and forge. The road ran alongside a stream for most of its distance, the name of the stream was Trout Brook, but us kids, we used to just call it Silver Stream.

Today there are five varieties grown here at Silver Stream Winery: Cabenet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Traminette and an Alsatian variety known by the tongue-twisting name of Gewurtztraminer. We are producing about estate grown wines and other New York State varietals. We also make a vinegar that will knock you socks off and then hang 'em up on the bedpost. Press "Blue Button" to explore the exciting wines that are available here in the Hudson Valley of New York and at Silver Stream Winery.

George Washington (February 22, 1732 - December 14, 1799), also called Father of his Country, was an American general and Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) and later the first President of the United States (1789–1797). He also served as President of the 1787 Constitutional Convention. George Washington is recognized as one of the most important figures in U.S. history. George Washington played an important role in both the "French and Indian War" and in the "American Revolution".

In 1754, Washington was commissioned as a colonel in the Virginia militia. In 1755, Washington accompanied the Braddock Expedition of the British Army during the French and Indian War. In 1757, he resigned his commission and married Martha Dandridge Custis, the wealthy widow of Daniel Parke Custis. The couple moved to Mount Vernon where he took up the life of a genteel farmer. He became a member of the House of Burgesses. By 1774, Washington had become one of the colonies' wealthiest men. In that year, he was chosen as a delegate from Virginia to the First Continental Congress and the next year to the Second Continental Congress. He did not support colonial independence until 1776, when he read Thomas Paine's "Common Sense".

In the First Continental Congress, twelve colonies sent delegates to discuss how to return to a state of harmonious relations with the Mother Country and not have a revolution! But radical thinking won out. Parliamentary acts were declared "unconstitutional". Taxes were not paid, an import-export ban was established, and Colonists were urged to arm themselves. The "shot heard 'round the world" was fired at Lexington where armed colonists tried to resist British seizure of an arsenal. Eight Americans and 273 British soldiers were killed. The Revolutionary War began. The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775 and they declared themselves the government. They also named George Washington Commander in Chief of the newly organized army.

The Revolutionary War ended in 1783 and unlike many other revolutionary leaders, Washington voluntarily relinquished power. On December 23, 1783, General George Washington resigned his commission as Commander-in-Chief of the Army to the Congress, which was then meeting at the Maryland State House in Annapolis. This action was of great significance, establishing the precedent that civilian elected officials, rather than military officers, possessed ultimate authority. If Washington had wanted to retain power he may have been able to seize it. There was some support among his most devoted followers for making Washington a permanent ruler or king, but Washington, like most of the Founding Fathers of the United States, abhorred the very idea. This established an important precedent of republican democracy throughout the world.

On February 4, 1789, America's first presidential election took place. On April 30, 1789, standing on the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City, Washington took his oath of office as the first President of the United States.

Congressman Henry Light Horse Harry Lee, a Revolutionary War comrade, famously eulogized Washington as "a citizen, first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen".

For most of the 18th and into the 19th century, the Ellison family had important commercial dealings in milling and trade. From their mill, flour was shipped down the Hudson River to New York City and the West Indies. At present, remains of the mill, with traces of the underground racecourse, and the Jane Colden Native Plant Sanctuary may be visited. Explore how the Ellisons and other families of the mid-Hudson Valley lived 200 years ago.

Point of Interest Knox's Headquarters State Historic Site is fun for the children and family of all ages.

Attractions
Costumed Interpreters
Demonstrations
Educational Services
Gardens
Group Tours
Guided Tours
Hiking
Interpretive Sign
Picnic Area
Re-enactments
Scenic Views

Washington was pleased that the army was better housed, fed, and clothed than ever before in the long war, but life for the officers and troops at the Cantonment remained hard. It was at the New Windsor Cantonment that the cease fire orders were issued by Washington ending the eight-year War of Independence on April 19, 1783. The final success, however, was the gradual, orderly disbandment of the army at the Cantonment, and the peaceful march of its still largely unpaid officers and men back to their homes or new pursuits.

New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site is fun for children and family. See the staff in reproduction period dress and uniforms demonstrate musket drills, blacksmithing, military medicine and camplife activities. View the exhibits at the Visitor Center and the reconstructed Temple Building, which served as a chapel for the soldiers.

Attractions
Audio-Visual Programs
Costumed Interpreters
Demonstrations
Educational Services
Group Tours
Guided Tours
Hiking
Interpretive Sign
Picnic Area
Re-enactments
Scenic Views
Self Guided Tours
Visitors Center/Museum

The word is: Wonderful day out for the kids and children of all ages.

Parks attractions include: Biking, Boat Launch Sites, Fishing, Hiking, Hunting, Ice Fishing, Museum / Visitor Center, Recreation Programs, Snowshoeing

Storm King takes its name from Storm King Mountain, located five miles from the Art Center, whose dramatic slope and peak were favorite subjects for the painters of the Hudson River School. The experience of Storm King, which beautifully unites art and nature, is different with each visit, as changing seasons, light, and weather conditions transform the landscape and the work.

Founded in 1960, the Storm King Art Center is among the world’s most vital modern-art organizations. Its permanent collection of sculpture dates from 1945 to the present and includes works by many of the twentieth century’s most influential artists. The art is meticulously integrated into a landscape of superb vistas of rolling hills and fields—planted with native grasses—and forests. The permanent collection, which includes several specially commissioned site-specific works, is often complemented by both temporary outdoor installations and exhibitions in the museum building.

Among the artists whose work may be seen at Storm King are David Smith, represented by thirteen major sculptures; Alexander Calder, with the fifty-foot-high stabile The Arch (1975); Isamu Noguchi, whose Momo Toro (1977–78) was commissioned by Storm King; Mark di Suvero, with four monumental works; Richard Serra, whose Schunnemunk Fork (1990–91) is installed on ten acres; Louise Nevelson, with City on a High Mountain (1983); and Andy Goldsworthy, whose Storm King Wall (1997–98), a 2,278-foot-long, serpentine wall made of fieldstone, was also commissioned by Storm King.

Visitors may walk through the grounds or take a self-guided tour aboard a handicap-accessible tram that travels through the main portion of the grounds. An audio-guide is available for rental at the museum shop.

Based upon captured British materials brought to West Point after the British defeat at Saratoga in 1777, the Museum collections actually predate the founding of the United States Military Academy. When the Academy opened in 1802, many Revolutionary War trophies remained to be used for cadet instruction. By the 1820s, a teaching collection of artifacts existed at the Military Academy and after the Mexican War (1846 - 1848).

West Point was designated by Executive Order as the permanent depository of war trophies. In 1854 the first public museum was opened and in 1989 the West Point Museum in Olmsted Hall opened at Pershing Center. Today it represents the culmination of more than two centuries of preserving our military heritage. Press "Blue Button" for West Point Gallery, History of US Army Gallery, American Wars Gallery, and more about West Point.

At this time we choose not to have a tasting room. Instead we enjoy going into various communities and getting to know our customers on personal basis. On weekends during the spring, summer, and fall months, one of us is usually at a farm market or a local liquor store where the wines can be tasted and bought. If you would like a listing of where we will be, please e-mail us and we will add you to our mailing list. Press "Blue Button" for Pazdar Winery.

Enjoy music every weekend in August. Music starts at 2:00 and ends at 5:00. The Cafe will be open serving fruit & cheese platters and sandwiches. Press "Blue Button" for more about Applewood Winery.

Comments: Apple Picking starts Labor Day Weekend.

Francesco carefully selected and assembled the equipment that would allow him to demonstrate his wine making expertise. At first he only made a few barrels of wine, but as the years went by, his production began to increase. He continued to perfect his winery's quality, and in 1994, the first varietal, as well as blended wines were created: Chardonnay, Zinfandel, and Chenin Blanc.

Francesco has expanded his vineyard on a sun-drenched hillside, due to the ever-increasing demand for Demarest Hill wines. When asked why he makes wine, Francesco responds: "It's the people. When they take a sip of my wine and smile, that's my reward." Press "Blue Button" for more about The Demarest Hill Winery and Distillery.

We sponsor a music series, "Uncorked and Unplugged in the orchard" featuring live music every weekend - rain or shine. Doc's Cider House is our new venue to enjoy music, wine and food throughout the year. Enjoy our Bakery where we offer fresh breads, pastries and specialty items, all prepared by our Culinary Institute of America trained chefs. Every autumn, our guests are invited to enjoy our lavish orchards and Pick-Your-Own apples and Pears. Pear picking begins in August. Warwick Valley Winery and Orchards' commitment to fine food and wine are why we are referred to as a "Bit of Tuscany in the Hudson Valley".

Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery is open all year round. We sponsor a music series, "Uncorked and Unplugged n the Orchard" featuring live music every weekend - rain or shine. Our bakery is open every weekend year round. We offer fresh breads, pastries and specialty items, all prepared by our Culinary Institute of America trained chefs.

Every autumn, our guests are invited to enjoy our orchards and Pick-Your-Own apples and Pears. Pear picking begins in August. Apples begin to ripen shortly thereafter in early September. With thirty varieties we have an apple for every palate. Please, bring your family to meet our family and enjoy our farm, winery and orchards. Press "Blue Button" for more information about Warwick Valley Winery.

Winemaking is an ancient and honored art, and nowhere is this more evident than at Brotherhood, America's Oldest winery. The winery was established by a European emigre, John Jaques, who produced the first commercial vintage in 1839. Brotherhood has been in continuous operation since that time, making the winery the oldest in the United States. Brotherhood Winery is listed in the New York State Register of Historic Places and is listed as a National Historic Landmark.

The winery, nestled in the foothills of the Catskills, offers visitors the opportunity to "step back into history". Our original buildings house vast underground cellars comparable to those of famous European wineries. Visitors stroll the beautifully landscaped premises, tour the romantic underground cellars, and taste a variety of award-winning wines. Press "Blue Button" for more about Brotherhood, America's Oldest Winery.

Comments: Call for the dates of "Special Events" such as: Grapestomping.

In 1970, a group of concerned citizens organized the Chapel of Our Lady Restoration, Inc. and raised funds to purchase and restore the ruin. Their work accomplished, the building was re-dedicated on September 18, 1977 as a Chapel for people of all faiths.

Today, the Chapel is not affiliated with any church or religious organization. It is administered by a volunteer Board of Directors which is pleased to offer it as an ecumenical setting for weddings and other significant events. The restored structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Press "Blue Button" for information about the music series.

"In 1960 the society acquired the Foundry School building, which was built in about 1830, enlarged in the 1860s, and used for the education of the foundry's teenage apprentices as well as its employees' children. In 1971, a wing was added to house the society's holdings related to the West Point Foundry. Since the establishment of this museum, the society's members, many of them extraordinarily informed about the history of the Highlands and the county, have continued to dedicate their time and talents as docents, researchers, and educators.

"Today, the organization is known as The Putnam County Historical Society & Foundry School Museum (PCHS–FSM) . . . The purpose of the society is to collect, preserve, and present to the public historical and cultural materials pertaining to Putnam County, especially the Philipstown area, the West Point Foundry, and the Hudson Highlands . . . The museum organizes changing exhibitions, with accompanying catalogues, and provides educational programming for the public."

From the front lawn at Boscobel, one can see the Constitution Marsh Sanctuary and Constitution Island immediately below, the Bear Mountain Bridge to the south, the United States Military Academy at West Point across the river, and Storm King Mountain to the north. Spectacular views of the Hudson River and the Hudson Highlands, including Crow’s Nest, Storm King, and Sugar Loaf Mountains are visible from Boscobel’s grounds. The Hudson has been an inspiration for artists through the centuries, and great works by Thomas Cole, Asher B. Durand, Thomas Doughty, Thomas P. Rossiter, and Frederic Church, have depicted the majesty of the River and its surroundings.

Boscobel was originally located in Montrose, New York, about fifteen miles south of the present site, with views overlooking the Hudson River at Haverstraw Bay. It was built by States Morris Dyckman (1755-1806), a descendant of one of the early Dutch families of New Amsterdam.

The Boscobel Mansion dates from the early nineteenth century and contains one of the nation's leading collections of furniture and decorative arts from the Federal period with high-style furniture by Duncan Phyfe and other recognized New York cabinetmakers of the day. Much of Dyckman's English china, silver, glass, and part of his library have also survived and are on exhibit.

Point of Interest There are many tourist attractions and things to do close to Boscobel. Visitors can explore the quaint nineteenth century village of Cold Spring with its antique and specialty shops, Historic West Point, Storm King Art Center, Theatre, and beautiful Parks including Bear Mountain State Park.

Point of Interest The Hudson River was recently named one of ten "American Heritage Rivers."

Attractions
Guided Tour of Boscobel mansion
Self-Guided Tour of beautiful grounds
Rose Garden, Orangery, Springhouse and Garden House
Woodland Trail
Panoramic Views of Hudson Highlands

High standards, and the beautiful Garrison Landing Riverfront Park site, have attracted 90 regionally and nationally known artists with traditional and alternative crafts. Stately willows, views of West Point, free rides upon the sloop Woody Guthrie, regional food artisans and wineries, Acoustic Music Series live performances, a new Gourmet Food Court, and remarkable artists. Press "Blue Button" for the Annual Fine Arts & Crafts Fair.

The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival began in 1987 with a modest outdoor production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream performed under the stars in a meadow at Manitoga, in Garrison, New York. One year later, Boscobel Restoration, a Hudson River estate in Garrison, became the Festival’s new site. It offered a magnificent setting, ample parking, and an established reputation as a tourist attraction. Once in its new home and under a big tent, the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival grew dramatically.

The Festival is dedicated to producing the plays of Shakespeare with an economy of style that focuses its energy and resources on script, actors, and audience. We communicate the stories with energy, clarity and invention and distill rather than embellish the language and action. We challenge ourselves and our audiences to take a fresh look at what is essential in Shakespeare’s plays.

Reviews Ben Brantley, The New York Times
"Far more than the starry productions in Central Park, Mr. O'Brien's vivacious interpretations make Shakespeare breathe in the present tense, but without hyperventilating." "Few stages have wings like those of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, where the theater is an open-sided tent perched on a riverside knoll." For a classic summer night of theater, the glorious grounds of Boscobel provide perfect set and setting. Pre-theater picnicking sets the mood as festival-goers choose their view of the Hudson Highlands. Press "Blue Button" for season schedules, plays, and more about the Shakespeare Festival.

Before the play begins, picnic on the spectacular grounds of Boscobel Restoration, or eat at one of many excellent restaurants in Cold Spring and Garrison; and then enjoy an enchanting Shakespearean performance. What a wonderful way to spend an evening!

PPA is proud of the remarkable variety of performances that have found a home at the Depot. This includes but is not limited to: plays new and old, musicals, poetry, Youth Theatre, Teen Open Mics, Silent Films, Music Tracks, and The Art Garden. PPA has been active and proactive in upgrading the interior of the Depot Theatre, in acquiring and installing high-quality equipment, in providing financial assistance to ensure the commitment of the Depot Theatre staff and volunteers and encouraging local participation at every level. Press "Blue Button" for theatre performance schedule and more about the Philipstown Depot Theatre.

After the performance, find a good place to eat at restaurants in Garrison and Cold Spring.

Things to Do
Beach (sandy beach)
Biking
Boat Launch
Boat Rentals
Camping Sites
Fishing
Food
Hiking
Horseback Riding Picnic Table and Pavilions
Playground
Recreational Programs
Showers
Winter Fun

Cross-County Skiing
Ice Fishing
Snowmobiling

Our farm store features many varieties of apples including Macintosh, Crispin, Jonamac and Ida Red. The Store is open year-round with apples and pasteurized cider. Goold Orchard's sweet apple cider is freshly pressed in our own mill the old fashioned way, through oak racks. Goold's cider is made from a blend of sound, firm apples and flash pasteurized to insure a flavorful, safe, fresh juice. Quality and freshness are maintained by storage at near freezing temperature in our large refrigerated holding tanks. Press "Blue Button" for more about Brookview Station Winery and Festival.

Orchard Attractions
Bakery Store
Fall Festival - Including Brookview Station Wine Tent featuring farm wineries from across New York State
Brookview Station Winery's Apple Wine
Apple Pickin' Time

"Bennington, in fact, was one of the most important fights of the Revolution, contributing as it did so largely to the final surrender of Burgoyne's whole army at Saratoga, and the utter ruin of the British invasion from the north. It is also interesting as an extremely gallant bit of fighting . . . There stood the enemy strongly entrenched on a hill, and Stark, calling his undisciplined lines about him, went at them . . . He and his men fought well their hand-to-hand fight on that hot August day, and carried the entrenchments filled with regular troops and defended by artillery. It was a daring feat of arms, as well as a battle which had an important effect upon the course of history and upon the fate of the British Empire in America." Henry Cabot Lodge

This battle was fought on August 16, 1777 in a British effort to capture American storehouses in Bennington to restock their depleting provisions. The British forces had underestimated the strength of their enemy and most of their men were killed or taken prisoner while the Americans sustained smaller losses. The British surrendered on October 17, 1777, after two unsuccessful battles in Saratoga.

Casualties and losses were recorded as:
American losses: 30 killed and 40 wounded = 70 casualties.
British losses: 207 killed and 700 captured = 907 casualties.

Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site is located in Grafton, NY 12082, in Rensselaer County in the Hudson River Valley. Bennington Battlefield is the location of a Revolutionary War battle between the British forces of General John Burgoyne and Colonel Friedrich Baum against the American forces under Brigadier General John Stark and Colonel Seth Warner. Press "Blue Button" for more about Bennington Battlefield.

Today's Trailside Museums and Zoo occupy 40 acres on a bluff 250 feet over the Hudson River. The trails, including the first section of the Appalachian Trail, are among the oldest in the country; they link the various homes of Samantha, the eagle, and other birds of prey, the bear den, as well as habitats for beavers, a river otter, foxes, coyotes, and more.

Children enjoy the various presentations of indigenous wildlife, geology and herpetology. On display are Native American artifacts, models of Revolutionary War battles fought on-site, and an exhibit of the origins of the Boy Scouts, and four Museum buildings. See the bald eagle, black bear, owl, river otter and more animals local to Bear Mountain.

The Trailside Museum and Wildlife Center also highlight the history of the area. Learn about the importance of Bear Mountain in the American Revolutionary War. Visit historic 1777 & 1779 Trails that retrace the routes taken by the British army during the American War of Independence. Visit Fort Montgomery, a Revolutionary War fort built to defend the Hudson Highlands and protect American control of the Hudson River and learn about the Battle of Fort Montgomery and Fort Clinton.

Young children, older children, and adults all enjoy visiting each of the Museum buildings that house different exhibits. Visit the Local Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fish Museum, the Geology Museum, History Museum and Nature Study Museum.

The word is: One of the best music venues in the Tri State region . . . the jazz is great and the blues are hot!

Things To Do
Biking
Cross-Country Skiing
Hiking Trails / Walking
Picnic Tables
Playing Fields

The Stony Point Battlefield marks the "Battle of Stony Point" and the victory of the American light infantry over the British in a daring midnight raid.

Visit the site of the Battle of Stony Point, one of the last major Revolutionary War battles in the northeastern colonies. This is where Brigadier General Anthony Wayne led his corps of Continental Light Infantry in a daring midnight attack on the British, seizing the site's fortifications and taking the British garrison as prisoners on July 16, 1779.

By the late 1770s, the war had been raging for four years and both sides were eager for a conclusion. Sir Henry Clinton, commander of the British forces in America, attempted to coerce General George Washington into one decisive battle to control the Hudson River. As part of his strategy, Clinton fortified Stony Point. Washington devised a plan for Wayne to lead an attack on the fort. Armed with bayonets only, the infantry captured the fort in short order, ending British control of the river.

The site features a museum, which offers exhibits on the battle and the 1826 Stony Point Lighthouse, as well as interpretive programs, such as reenactments highlighting 18th century military life, cannon and musket firings, cooking demonstrations, and children's activities.

Attractions Include
Children's Activities
Costumed Interpreters
Demonstrations
Educational Services
Group Tours
Museum and Visitors Center
Picnic Area

The top of a lighthouse is called the lantern. The inside of a lantern is called the lens. In 1856, a fifth-order Fresnel lens was installed and a larger, fourth-order lens installed in 1902. The lens in use now is a period fourth-order lens on loan from the United States Coast Guard.

Lighthouses were operated by keepers who had to make sure that the lights were burning and fogbells were ringing in bad weather. A keeper's house was either built into a lighthouse or constructed separately close by. Nancy Rose, the Keeper of the Stony Point lighthouse, kept the light for 47 years, from 1857 to her death in 1904.

The lighthouse was built on a new foundation, located to the south of the former location, traces of which are still visible on the adjoining small island. Inside the house is a kitchen, sitting room and equipment room on the first floor and three bedrooms and a bath on the second. The light tower extends above the living quarters with an octagonal deck housing the light. Situated 53 feet above the mean water line, the lantern room contained an optic fifth-order Fresnel lens providing a 270 degree arc of light that was visible for 12 nautical miles.

In 1979, the Esopus Meadows Lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The road to restoration didn’t really begin until 1990 when the Save Esopus Lighthouse Commission was formed. Press "Blue Button" for history, photos, and more about the Esopus Meadows Lighthouse.

Whitecliff is working with European vinifera varietals such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc and Riesling, and quality hybrids like Seyval Blanc and Vignoles, including small plantings of Pinot Noir and Merlot. We are pioneering use of Gamay Noir grape in the Hudson Valley for a true Beaujolais-style Nouveau.

Whitecliff Vineyard is rooted in the centuries-old agricultural traditions of the Hudson Valley. Visit us and see how fertile soils and beautiful surroundings contribute to the vineyard, and are reflected in the fine, flavorful wines that are a vivid expression of this region—the oldest winemaking region in America. Visitors are invited to sample wines in our tasting room and enjoy the spectacular view of the Shawangunk cliffs from the deck. Press "Blue Button" for more about Whitecliff Vineyard.

In 1913 construction started on a new lighthouse, which is the structure known to area residents today as the Rondout Lighthouse. The largest and last 'family' light built on the Hudson River, the third Rondout Lighthouse, was first lit on August 25, 1915.

Enjoy hiking the Interpretive Nature Trail that follows the course of the fitness trail through the upper area in Hasbrouck Park and is approximately 1 mile in length. It is suitable for young children and adults. Thirty-two different varieties of trees are identified along the trail through the use of signage, and a brochure is available to assist visitor's with locating the trees and providing interesting facts regarding some of the species. In addition to the trees, the trail offers spectacular views of the serene waters of the Hudson River, Rondout Creek, Rondout Lighthouse, and also the Ponckhockie section of Kingston. Press "Blue Button" for history, architectural details, and more about Kingston Point Lighthouse.