Things to do

For those of you visiting Rhinebeck for the first time, there's lots to see and do.   Lloyd and his family has spent decades up there and so here are some of their suggestion on what to do up there in your spare time: 

 

Lloyd's Top Picks.

  • Investigate Rhinebeck, NY.  Dine and shop and walk around Rhinebeck.  Here's a little map.
  • Go horseback-riding at Southlands
    • Alexandra and I grew up riding horses up here.  Alexandra won dozens of prizes riding (ribbons), but I did get one.  Take a one-hour beginner lesson at Southlands.  Southlands is outside the town of Rhinebeck and right next to the Belvedere Mansion where many of our guests are staying.  You need to call (845-876-4862)at least one week in advance.
  • Go Sailing on the Hudson River
    • Set up a Saturday morning or lunch cruise with Tivoli Sailing company.  It's a 3 hour cruise for 2-6 people and you don't have to know how to sail to do it.  Again you have to call at least a week in advance.  I recommend you taking the cruise that leaves from Rhinecliff since it'll be easy.
  • Hikes.
    • Some beautiful hikes and walks around here.  Check out the recommendations from my father and sister below.
  • Fruit picking at Greig Farm.
    • This is one of my favorite things to do and I always take friends and family whenever possible.  It'll be blueberry and blackberry season and perhaps raspberry and apple season to if you're lucky.   
  • Tennis
    • There are some free tennis courts near town behind the Rhinebeck Public Library.
  • Old Aerodrome
    • You can check out old airplanes and if you time it right you can watch the famous aerodrome show, where old airplanes fly around doing cool tricks.
    • If you're feeling adventurous you can go up in one of these planes with the experts in what they call a biplane ride (watch the video here) -- only two people fit in these planes!

 

Matthew's Top Picks.

  • Town of Rhinebeck.  Just walk around the village—Rhinebeck is a typical, if somewhat gentrified, Hudson Valley town, based originally on agriculture and local businesses.  Nice shops, good values, local products, helpful people.  Drive 4 miles or so west to Rhinecliff, on the Hudson, and view the mighty river and see out local train station where Lloyd’s Dad used to take the train to and back from the City while little Lloyd (as a child)and rest of the family stayed up in Rhinebeck for parts of the summer.  (Although the Dutch first developed this part of New York, the German names in the region (Rhinebeck, Germantown, Wurtemburg, etc.) come from the German Lutheran refuges from religious wars who were brought to the region by the British to work in the timber industry—chopping down our tall firs and shipping them down the Hudson to build ships etc.)
  • Hyde Park.  Drive south about 10 miles to Hyde Park -- and stop off at Franklin Roosevelt’s home and presidential museum/library.   This is one of the truly outstanding destination stops on any world historical tour.  Roosevelt’s family was an old Dutch family and large landowner.  Even if you don’t take a tour of the house/museum, a walk around the grounds is inspiring, particularly a reverential pause at the graves of Franklin and Eleanor in a rose garden (their dog Flicka is also buried nearby—tricky to find Flicka’s resting place but it is there I assure you).  Also nice short hike down to the river from the Roosevelt House—a hike which Alexandra and Lloyd often hiked with their Dad.
  • Val-Kil.  Eleanor Roosevelt’s separate home is a few miles away on Rout 9G (called Val-Kil) and is a unique historical site.  Also some hiking there but not on the river.  A totally uninteresting house from an architectural point of view, but interesting that Eleanor kept a separate house (her relationship with Franklin was complicated to say the least) and she lived there after Franklin’s death (she never much liked the big house, as her mother in law was always present and lived in the bedroom next to Franklin/Eleanor’s).
  • Wilderstein.  Actually in Rhinebeck, a Victorian house on Morton Road, home of Frank Roosevelt’s cousin Daisy Suckley, interiors by Tiffany; nice walks along the river. Daisy acted as a confident to Franklin and went down to the White House to help him out.   Lloyd and Alexandra were taken to Wilderstein as children to run around the grounds; Mrs Suckley was an old lady then and sometimes peered out at visitors.  After she died, letters between herself and Franklin, hidden under her bed, revealed that she and her cousin-President may have been more than just cousins.
  • 18th Century Homes & Bard.  Enough of the Roosevelts-- If you drive north on River Road and later Route 9G there are some wonderful 18th century homes along the Hudson, which can be visited.  Most remained within their families until recently (main families--the Livingston and Clinton families (of steamship fame; not Bill/Hillary) and other early heroes of American revolutionary and founding history in this region.  I like Clermont in Germantown and Montgomery Place, River Road in Annandale-on-Hudson—there are signs as one drives north on 9G.  Again, the grounds are wonderful even if you don’t have time for a tour (but a great place to see 18th century American architecture and furniture).  Bard College is also in Annandale-on-Hudson and has a pleasant campus and interesting art gallery, usually displaying very contemporary artists.
  • Olana & Cedar Grove.  If you love the Hudson River School of painting-- you should make the effort to drive north on 9G almost (but not quite to) Hudson New York and stop at Olana State Historical Site, the home of Frederic Church, the great American painter of the mid 19th century; the house has a somewhat weird Moorish style which Church built after returning from Europe.  Again, even if one doesn’t go into the house on tour, the views of the Catskills from Olana make one want to dig out one’s easel and paintbrushes.  Across the river, in  Catskill New York there is Cedar Grove, the home of Frederic Church’s teacher Thomas Cole, arguably a greater painter; not as interesting a house but it now has a serious exhibition on.  Again, these are sites that Alexandra and Lloyd were taken to when youngsters (although sadly neither was inspired to paint landscapes—although some good photography and a good eye for art were, one likes to think, stimulated by these forced exposures).

 

Alexandra's Top Picks.

Go Berry Picking at Greig Farms (you do not have to have children to do this!) 
Greig Farms will likely have blueberries and blackberries in season. 


Hikes/Walks


Golf

Swimming
Lloyd and I occasionally went to the town pool as kids. As a treat we were occasionally allowed to get a 5 cent fireball. Not sure if they still sell those. For hours, see schedule.


Shopping

  • Rhinebeck:
    • A.L. Stickle Variety Store:  A 5 & Dime store right in town where, as the owners say, "time has stood still."  (13 E Market Street)
    • Kitchen supply store: If you need to get some kitchen supplies, this store is fantastic. People from the culinary institute often drive up to Rhinebeck to browse or buy. 
       
  • Hudson:

Food

  • Gelato shop in Rhinebeck.
    • The best bargain for ice cream/frozen yogurt is at Holy Cow. 
  • Lloyd has probably already mentioned this, but the avocado supreme (avocado sandwich) at Rhinebeck's Health Food Store is pretty great.  (update: Sad news!  After decades, the owner sold her store to another small health food store chain.  It's not clear yet whether the cafe and Avocado Supreme will survive the transition, but Lloyd is lobbying the owner to continue the tradition -- to keep his loyal business.)
  • Sunday's Farmers' Market in town is a family favorite
  • Pastries to go or Brunch/Lunch at Calico in Rhinebeck.
    • Tiny little place that has delicious food.
  • The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is locked in Hyde Park, NY (about 20 minutes from Rhinebeck).
    • You can walk around the campus, which is right on the Hudson River, and also get a bite at their cafe. They also have a nice gift shop. 

Movies

  • Upstate Films, a very small but great movie theater right in town.
  • Lyceum 6, a larger movie theater about 10 minutes from the town of Rhinebeck (very close to Holy Cow ice-cream).