Whenever Teen Traveler has an extracurricular activity that takes her away from home for a weekend, Rich and I try to make the most of our 48 hours of treasured kid-free couple-time. We often head to Dutchess County where we can enjoy an easy, affordable and fun night or two away from home and be back in NYC in time for her return.
Two hours from NYC in the Hudson Valley, Dutchess has a burgeoning artisan food and beverage scene, history and culture and nice hotels. We’ve visited in gorgeous fall, gray February and blooming June and found ways to have fun in all seasons.
Here is what we have seen and done, where we sleep, and most importantly, what we have found to eat and drink, on our Hudson Valley romantic getaway.
More Ideas for Couple Time:
• A Couple’s Getaway to Upstate New York (Hudson Valley West)
• 15 Romantic Hotels for Couples
• A Kid-Free Weekend in New Hope, PA
A Dutchess County Hotel For Every Budget
My Top Hotel Pick for a Romantic Getaway Upstate:
On our most recent getaway for two, we stayed at the Inn at Bellefield, a stylish and relatively new Residence Inn property right on Route 9, which is Dutchess County’s main corridor. Guests have to be older than 21, which makes it perfect for a kid-free romantic getaway.
The best part of the hotel is the lobby, which is built around a striking hanging fireplace. A stylish bar is open in the evening serving food and emphasizing local wine, beer and spirits. It feels cozy and sophisticated to grab a drink and settle into one of the sofas near the fireplace.
A shop in the lobby sells local products, including beauty products, wine, honey, fashion accessories and chocolate. That’s something you don’t usually see in a hotel and I thought it was a nice touch. And convenient if you want a bottle of wine to share in your room.
The rooms are all suites with kitchens, a living area, a very comfortable king-sized bed and a modern bathroom. The living area and kitchen were basic, but we liked having a comfortable place to sit, plus real mugs and a stove to make tea at night and real glasses for wine.
The TV swiveled to face either the bed or the couch, which was a clever detail. As I’m seeing more often these days, we could use our own Netflix or Prime account on the tv. Each side of the bed had two outlets and USB ports (deciding who gets to charge their phone first is not romantic).
There is free parking and the room price includes an above-average breakfast buffet. There were ingredients to make your own granola or to add to yogurt, cereal or oatmeal. There were also real croissants in addition to the usual eggs, potatoes and sausage.
The hotel somehow felt like it should have more amenities, and, indeed, there’s a second wing planned that will have a spa and a pool. These will make it into the destination hotel that I think it wants to be.
The Bellefield’s location is ideal if you are visiting the area colleges. It’s literally across the road from the Culinary Institute of America, less than five minutes to Marist College and 15 minutes from Vassar. It’s also ten minutes to either Poughkeepsie or Hyde Park and barely more than that to the Vanderbilt Mansion.
There were a lot of people gathered in the lobby for a Marist event when we were having breakfast on our first morning.
3 More Hotels I can recommend:
• The Worthwhile Spurge: We got to have a peek at the Mirbeau Inn & Spa in downtown Rhinebeck while we were there. The rooms are small and have a more old-fashioned feel than I expected. But they all have fireplaces and alluring modern clawfoot soaking tubs in the bathrooms, making them cozy and definitely romantic.
A nice “library” with a fireplace is a good place to cuddle up with each other and a good book on a gray day. The bar is classic, bright and welcoming.
Guests can use the spa’s sauna, steam room, outdoor heated spa pools and a cozy, softly lit relaxation room with a fireplace. They give you plush robes to wear when you do. Book spa treatments you might want before you arrive as its popular for day-spa-goers.
It’s nice to be in central Rhinebeck and able to walk to its several good restaurants. You can also take advantage of its fun shopping and an art-house movie theater that’s usually showing something interesting.
Tip: If you book any spa treatment as a non-hotel-guest you can stay to use the relaxation room, sauna, steam room and pools; a very nice extra. The spa is for those 18 and older.
• Good Value & Good Location: The Doubletree by Hilton in downtown Poughkeepsie got a major makeover a year or so ago after Hilton took over the independent hotel on this spot.
Breakfast and parking are included in the room rate. Standard rooms are a good size with arm chairs, mini-refrigerators and microwaves, details I appreciate. The suites have full-size refrigerators, dining counters, large living areas and soaking tubs.
It’s a popular choice for guests to area weddings and parents visiting Vassar and Marist. And it’s a good choice if you’re traveling to Dutchess by Metro-North or Amtrak trains.
It’s very close to the Walkway over the Hudson and Bardavon Opera House, a historic theater that the servants at the gilded-age mansions used to attend on their days off. It now presents a variety of musicians, comedians, holiday shows and the Met Opera in HD.
We stayed here before the make-over and it was fine but not a stand-out. I think all the improvements have increased the odds of us staying here again.
• Affordable & Appealing: We’ve also stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, five minutes south of Poughkeepsie and exactly halfway between Beacon and Rhinebeck.
We liked their breakfast and free afternoon cookies. There is an outdoor pool for summer weekend and free parking. It felt freshly redone when were there a few years ago.
Dutchess County Romantic Weekend Cheat Sheet
Book the Bellefield Hotel for a kid-free hotel experience
•Dine at the CIA for a unique restaurant experience.
• Choose Lolita in Pougheepse for a good, casual pizza night
• Book a spa treatment at the Mirbeau Inn and stay for lunch and the relaxing amenities
• Tour one of the area’s Gilded Age mansions or explore Franklin Roosevelt’s presidential library.
You Plan for the Best Hudson Valley Romantic Getaway from NYC
I’ve explored Dutchess County over three or four visits now. So this is far more than a weekend’s worth of Hudson Valley activities. But it offers options. Choose a sampler weekend where you do a little of everything. Or theme your weekend to focus on the historic sites, gardens or local beverage makers.
Get Outdoors in picturesque settings
All the historic mansions have nice grounds that you can explore for free. The Vanderbilt Mansion and Locust Grove in particular are known for their gorgeous gardens.
• For gardens without a mansion head to Inishfree Garden, ten minutes from the town of Millbrook, which offers a lovely two-mile path around a lake.
The gardens were designed according to Japanese and Chinese design principles over several decades, starting in the 1920s. As you would expect, it’s visually holistic and very tranquil.
On your way to the lake, stop and explore the garden with stacked stones, small waterfalls, fountains and hidden bridges. It has something of a fairy garden feel about it.
Tip: Inishfree requires paid admission.
• Outdoors, over the river: Poughkeepsie is on the eastern side of the mile-long Walkway over the Hudson, a former railroad bridge that offers lovely views of the Hudson Valley and is a connector for bike trails on both sides of the river.
I write more about it in my post about planning a couple’s weekend in the Catskills.
Explore Historic Homes
Hyde Park and the remarkable FDR Library
Hyde Park, the site of Franklin Roosevelt’s childhood home and presidential library, is my absolute favorite Dutchess Destination. Roosevelt had a colorful personality. He was president longer than any other president, presided over a turbulent period in history and garnered a fair amount of controversy. There is a lot to see here.
Roosevelt was the first president to want a public repository for his papers and created the library while he was still in office. The public part is a large interactive museum that explores his 12 years in office.
Sit in a 1930s tenement apartment and listen to one of his weekly “fireside chats.” Examine a wall of political cartoons created by both his supporters and his many critics. See his cluttered Oval-Office desk and the car he had adapted so he could drive without using his feet.
There is also a room dedicated to First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, which isn’t typical. But she was a public person in her own right during and long after FDR’s time in office. She wrote for newspapers, did diplomatic work and answered letters from women around the country who asked her for advice on everything from careers, to love, to fashion.
You can explore the library on your own and visit the Hyde Park mansion on your own or on a guided tour, which I recommend.
Make sure to leave time to visit Top Cottage, which requires a shuttle ride and can only be seen via a tour by a National Park Ranger. It’s an intimate space with a unique history.
It was FDR’s retreat from his busy, quasi-public home. It’s also the spot where he hosted the King and Queen of England for a very important Barbecue, and sat with Winston Churchill discussing World War II and its aftermath.
You can also visit Vall-Kill, Eleanor Roosevelt’s home, which in some ways is more interesting than FDR’s Hyde Park mansion. A ranger tour there will tell you about her rich social life and the many things she did in public life with FDR and on her own after he passed away.
Mills Mansion at the Unique Staatsburg State Historic Site
Ogden Mills, who greatly expanded this Greek Revival mansion after his wife inherited it, is not as well-known as other Gilded-Age characters.
But via his marriage, extended family, circle of friends and his father’s business interests, he sat squarely at the intersection of much of what was going in upper-class society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which makes the family and the house interesting.
The hugely influential architecture firm McKim Mead & White designed the expansion, which is reason enough to visit the house and grounds.
But the staff creates specialty tours that focus on particular topics, including how NYC society was impacted by the Titanic disaster or what life was like for free Black citizens who lived in the area. These are unique and worth seeking out.
We chose a tour inspired by Downtown Abbey and The Gilded Age. A docent dressed as a butler showed us the house through the eyes of the servants. We saw the “below-stairs” rooms where they lived and worked, which are not usually open to the public.
We also saw the opulent upstairs rooms through the eyes of the people who worked 16 hours a day to cook, prepare for and clean up after the family and their many guests.
Mills was a good employer who sent his servants to NYC when they needed health care and gave each servant a $20 gold piece at Christmas every year. His butler, housekeeper and groundskeeper all married, had their own homes on the property and retired into relative wealth. His first footman even bought a home in Newport and had servants of his own.
The Very Gilded Vanderbilt Mansion
Unlike Hyde Park, which was built with discreet “old money,” the opulent Vanderbilt Mansion was built to let visitors know just how much money the family had.
With bedrooms modeled on Versailles and sitting rooms designed to impress, this home makes the Mills Mansion look modest.
The tour, also given by a National Park ranger, includes colorful stories of the family and the house and only takes about an hour.
Tip: Hyde Park and the Vanderbilt mansion are National Historic Sites. The park rangers at both places are incredibly well-informed and go out of the way to talk to local people and gather first-hand recollections of events that happened at both places. If you have a chance to take one of their excellent guided tours, do it.
Appreciate Modern Art
Vassar and Bard colleges both have small, progressive art museums with rotating exhibits on their campuses. I haven’t visited either one yet. But they’re ideal if you would like to check out some new photography and other artwork without having to commit to a large museum.
But many people travel to Dutchess specifically to visit Dia: Beacon, a contemporary art museum in a former box-printing factory. The building’s high ceilings and large spaces make it ideal for large-scale, free-standing pieces of art.
Much of this art — say, a pile of glass shards, or string hung from the ceiling in large geometric shapes — befuddles me and I can’t relate to it. But anytime Rich and I spend an hour at Dia we manage to see something we find interesting. And at the very least, it always gives us something to talk about.
This time, I liked large copper structures that reminded me of ships’ hulls, that visitors could wander around and through.
Tip: Beacon is the southernmost of the Dutchess towns you’ll want to visit. We usually stop off to explore here on our way up from or back to New York City.
Antiquing in Millerton
Millerton is about 25 miles east of Rhinebeck, a bit away from the Hudson River corridor we usually explore. We’d heard that this town near Millbrook is good for antiquing, and we drove over to check it out.
It’s smaller than Rhinebeck or Beacon and feels less trendy than Red Hook. But along a two-block stretch of Main Street we found a good half dozen antique stores and an interesting vintage clothing store. Among them we found a wide array of items and price tags and we spent almost two hours window shopping.
It’s a small enough town that there is an afternoon gap between when the coffee places close and restaurants open for dinner. During exactly that hour, we found ourselves in need of a place to warm up and relax a bit, before driving back to Rhinebeck.
Most of the day-trippers find their way to Harney’s, which sells a large variety of loose-leaf teas and has a small tea shop attached. It was crowded and lacked a restroom, though, so we passed it by.
At the opposite end of town we found Willa, a stylish restaurant that was open for dinner at 5:00 and had a friendly bartender. I happily sipped warm mulled wine while Rich had a red hen, a grapefruit-and-ginger-based mocktail.
The menu, with dishes like mackerel toast, seafood bisque and lamb loin with celery root, looked lovely. If we hadn’t made dinner plans in Rhinebeck we probably would have stayed and had an early meal here. Next trip.
Indie Movies Galore
Redhook, Hyde Park, Rhinebeck and Millerton all have art house movie theaters, but none are listed on Fandango. It’s a good thing to keep in mind for a rainy day or if you’re looking for an evening activity that doesn’t involve dining and drinking.
Bardavon Opera House often has movie events, including sing-a-longs, movies with live organ music and classic movies that are a treat to see on a big screen.
Touring The County’s Tasting Rooms
Wine
The Hudson Valley launched a wine trail in the 1990s (it extends to both sides of the Hudson River). In recent years, it has evolved into a beverage trail with opportunities to sample and buy locally made wine, cider, spirits and even mead.
I would say sampling at least a couple is an essential part of a couple’s getaway weekend up here.
Millbrook Vineyard & Winery was one of the first wine wineries to put down roots in Dutchess, and it has grown and grown since we first visited more than 20 years ago.
They redid their tasting room a few years ago with a series of small bars rather than one large one, so each server can focus on a small group. No matter how busy it is you can really get to talking with the person pouring wine for you, which makes the visit informative and fun.
We liked the dry Riesling, unoaked Chardonnay and appropriately sweet Tocai Friuliano.
After sampling a flight you can go to the upstairs bar to enjoy a glass of your favorite wine on the deck overlooking their vines; downstairs there’s a grill in the warm weather. Y
You can also pick up a bottle of your favorite wine and picnic at tables overlooking a pond and more vines.
On the day we visited we had also stopped in the town of Millbrook, where a green market had stands selling local produce, cheese, meat, baked goods and hard cider. We browsed, sampled and bought picnic provisions. After our tasting we tucked into these goodies at one of several picnic tables overlooking a pond and more vines.
We had other places to go, but if you have time and nice weather you can take a short hike around the vineyards either before or after lunch.
Bourbon
On that same visit we also stopped into Taconic Distillery, where we could easily have settled in for the afternoon. The tasting room has a cozy and welcoming vibe while a broad patio has picnic tables, a fire ring for cooler days and a gorgeous view.
In addition to the excellent smoked Manhattan we had to try, you can order cocktails made with the house bourbon, rye and rum. We also sampled the house’s New York maple syrup aged in bourbon barrels, which makes its way into some of the drinks. I guarantee you’ll bring home a bottle of either syrup or spirits, possibly both.
The tasting room opens at noon on Saturdays. There’s no food but you can BYO snacks. Take a cocktail out on the patio, add a deck or card or your favorite portable game and some farmer’s market cheese and salumi. You have a pleasant afternoon in store.
Dennings Point Distillery has a tasting room on a side street in Beacon. It’s less picturesque, but the spirits are just as good.
In addition to its good bourbon, Dennings Point has an incredibly good apple brandy and a honey-and-herb-infused liqueur called Maid of the Meadow that I absolutely loved. Put it over ice in the summer or sip it straight to warm you in winter.
The tasting room opens at 2:00 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Head here to unwind and discuss the merits of contemporary art after your visit to Dia: Beacon.
Tip: Beacon has developed enough of a food and beverage scene to warrant a food tour through town. If you have the time, seriously consider it.
Mead. Yes, Mead
We have fermented our own mead and are always eager to sample other interpretations of this honey-based alcoholic beverage. Slate Point Meadery has a tasting room in downtown Poughkeepsie that’s usually open on Saturday afternoons. Unfortunately, it was closed on the holiday weekend we last visited, so we have yet to give it a go. It will have to wait for our next visit.
Dutchess County Restaurants We’ve Liked
Dining at the other CIA
Many people go up to Dutchess County specifically to dine at the student-run restaurants at the Culinary Institute of America.Among its three gourmet restaurants, American Bounty is my favorite.
Not many people know that the cooking school runs its own microbrewery, and it brews very good beer. When school is in session you can buy an IPA, wit and seasonal brews on tap or in cans at The Egg, the school’s student grocery.
You can find the beer on the menus at all of the restaurants, too. If you can catch its sporadic Post Road Brew Pub pop-up, make a reservation and go. The casual, beer-centered dining, including a towering hamburger, is a treat.
If you can’t get reservations at the CIA, don’t worry. There are plenty of other places to have a good meal.
Rhinebeck Restaurants
• We had lunch at the Mirbeau’s Willow restaurant on our most recent visit. Quite a few of our fellow diners had hotel robes on and were clearly having lunch as part of a spa day.
The restaurant has healthy “spa food” and I saw some salads go by. But it was a gray February day so most guests, robes or not, were tucking into rich, deep brown onion soup, sandwiches and hamburgers, which come with caramelized onions and tomato jam.
Rich liked his steak sandwich, which came with caramelized onions, mushrooms, gruyere cheese and au Jus for dipping. My turkey sandwich came with apples, brie and fig jam on Focaccia. It was light and fresh with good flavors. Both came with crispy truffle fries.
We also had an order of charred Brussels sprouts that were tossed in balsamic vinegar and came with chipotle aioli for dipping. They were addictive and make for a great shareable side or appetizer.
• We’ve had several good dinners at the locavore-focused Terrapin. I like to share appetizers, including the goat-cheese wontons, crispy artichokes and truffled deviled eggs. I love both of the quesadillas; one with duck and fontina, and the other with brie, figs and shallots.
On our last visit, Rich enjoyed braised short ribs with caramelized onions and mashed potatoes. I liked my pappardelle with hearty lamb ragu.
• We also had terrific upscale Italian food at Market Street, a low-key restaurant that’s on a side street and easy to overlook, but worth seeking out.
I had a good roast chicken with charred lemon that came with a summery romesco sauce. Rich had a rich mushroom ragu over pasta. Our local friends always get the meatballs for an appetizer.
Pizza in Poughkeepsie
We were too tired to drive very far on our first night at The Bellefield, so we took our chances with a pizza place called Lolita, whose prime draw was that it was five minutes away.
It’s under the Walkway over the Hudson, on a residential street almost straight down from the Marist main gate. It had a local feel, was hopping on a Saturday night and was a good find.
Everyone around us was ordering the piled kale Caesar salad, so we did the same. They somehow managed to diminish the rough chewiness that makes me avoid raw kale. Our pot of pickled vegetables with celery root, hot peppers, carrots and cauliflower was sweet and tart and clearly made in-house.
We shared a thin-crust, brick-oven pizza with wild mushrooms. It had a good balance of mushrooms, cheese and sauce. The truffle oil was nicely aromatic but not overdone.
Lunch in Redhook
We’d heard a lot about Red Hook and had never driven through it, so we headed there to find lunch after visiting the Mills mansion. It doesn’t have as much as Rhinebeck in the way of shopping, but it had a few good lunch options, including three different gourmet grocery stores that also have prepared food at lunchtime.
We went to the Corner Counter, which was busy, thanks to the draw of local beer and wine to go with freshly made waffles, gourmet sandwiches and a menu of grilled cheese sandwiches.
We shared a grilled-cheese made with the house cheese blend, to which we added maple ham, grilled onions and fig jam on seeded whole-grain bread. It was warm, gooey and good. A bag of chips and hot tea rounded out the lunch.
There was also a casual Asian spot and a bakery that sold sweet and savory pies, which we’ll have to try on another visit.
Brunching in Beacon
We always wind up in Beacon on our way home, when we are looking for a late breakfast or early lunch that’s easy, quick and inexpensive.
On our last visit, we stopped by the year-round Sunday farmers market, which was busy, even in February. We bought bread and a lovely shepard’s pie to bring home and a Cornish pasty to eat while we shopped. There were also food stalls selling coffee, bagels, baked goods, BBQ and empanadas.
There were empty spots around the market, where I imagine produce sellers occupy in the warmer months.
On our way back to the car, we spotted Glazed Over donuts and were lured in by the prospect of ordering a customer doughnut. We watched fresh doughnuts go through the fryer. When they were done, we could add a glaze, a topping and a drizzle to ours.
From nine glazes, we chose lemon. And we opted for shredded coconut from among the 13 toppings that also included almonds, marshmallows, Fruity Pebbles and pretzels. We opted out of the nine drizzles that included chocolate, caramel, maple syrup, and grape jelly.
Neither of us need our doughnuts to be quite as baroque as you can make them at Glazed Over. But it’s hard to argue with a warm, freshly-made doughnut and we enjoyed our relatively simple creation.
On a past visit we had lunch at Royale Crepes, a busy place with an Eastern European accent. They have burek, Balkan stews and Turkish coffee. Rich and I had shared a savory crepe with chicken, red pepper jam, sheep’s milk cheese and a balsamic glaze. It came with a small salad and was fine to share as a light lunch. We could easily have had our own crepes if we wanted something more substantial.
More than once we’ve stopped into BJ’s, a diner that makes amazing soul food. They stew their collard greens in beef stock until there isn’t a hint of bitterness to them. When I ordered chicken and waffles, the wings were a good size and perfectly crunchy and the waffle was crisp and fluffy. It looks like a hole in the wall, but in chichi Beacon, it’s a reliable spot for inexpensive diner basics and southern classics.
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*Dutchess Tourism has helped us to arrange part of all our trips to the area. We have received complimentary stays at two of the hotels mentioned. We were hosted at the winery and the distilleries. And we received a media discount at Willow. There was no agreed-upon coverage in exchange for the support. My opinion is always my own.