Rhinebeck

Rhinebeck, in the middle of the Hudson River Valley, was settled by the Dutch in 1686 and the Rhineback Village Historic District still has two hundred architecturally significant houses dating to the early 18th century. The Beekman Arms, from 1766, is a good starting point for bike tours over scenic roads past historic sites of Rhinebeck and surrounding villages. Take a foray into historic gardens: the Beatrix Farrand Garden was designed in 1912 by Farrand, the first recognized female landscape architect; the Rose Garden at the Roosevelt National Historic Site contains 28 varieties of roses and is the burial site of President Franklin ...

Rhinebeck, in the middle of the Hudson River Valley, was settled by the Dutch in 1686 and the Rhineback Village Historic District still has two hundred architecturally significant houses dating to the early 18th century. The Beekman Arms, from 1766, is a good starting point for bike tours over scenic roads past historic sites of Rhinebeck and surrounding villages. Take a foray into historic gardens: the Beatrix Farrand Garden was designed in 1912 by Farrand, the first recognized female landscape architect; the Rose Garden at the Roosevelt National Historic Site contains 28 varieties of roses and is the burial site of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt; at the Gardens at Locust Grove there are 100 acres of vegetable and perennial gardens surrounded by hiking trails. Get in touch with your inner self at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies. The Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck offers theater and music performances; the Fisher Center for Performing Arts at Bard College hosts opera, drama and dance companies. Hundreds of award winning chefs have graduated from The Culinary Institute of America where you can sample some of its current students' cooking at the institute’s five distinctive restaurants.

About the Expert

Frances Folsom is the author of CitySpot Palermo, a contributor to the Reiskits guides to Milan and Italy's Lakes Region, and Thomas Cook's Independent Traveller USA.