A driving day from Midtown up the Hudson to the Rivertowns: the Gothic Revival mansion at Lyndhurst, lunch on Tarrytown's Main Street, the working mill and manor house at Philipsburg Manor, Washington Irving's grave and the Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow, and a late-afternoon walk around Swan Lake in the Rockefeller preserve.
Time
9–10 hour day
Driving
About 2–2.5 hours of driving in total
Best time
All year; best late September to early November
Updated
$4 USD
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Lyndhurst, a Gothic Revival mansion above the Hudson
Washington Irving's grave and the Old Dutch Church of the Legend
The millpond at Philipsburg Manor and a loop around Swan Lake
What’s in the guide
Detailed stop guidance, rules, practical pitfalls, a route map, Google Maps, Waze and Apple Maps links and weather alternatives. Read it online any time, or keep it offline in the Greg’s Guides app for iPhone and iPad. See an example guide →
Plan for the conditions
Expected seasonal weather
From late September to early November the lower Hudson Valley usually brings cool mornings, mild and often sunny afternoons, and chilly evenings, with occasional rain as fronts pass. Fall color in the lower Hudson Valley usually arrives in the second half of October. Days are short: by mid-October sunset is a little after 6 pm, and earlier after that. Wind off the river can make Lyndhurst's lawns feel colder than Midtown. These are seasonal expectations, not a forecast for your travel date; check the NWS forecast the evening before and the morning of your trip.
Admission and parking are separate. Check current conditions before departure.
A driving day from Manhattan up the Hudson Highlands: the riverside lawn at Boscobel, Main Street and the waterfront in Cold Spring, an easy loop and cliff overlook at Little Stony Point, the big daylit galleries of Dia Beacon, and an early dinner on Beacon's Main Street.
10–11 hour day·About 3.5 hours of driving in total
Best: Mid-September to early November
$4 USD
History & heritage
Midtown Manhattan → Home of FDR → FDR Library → Culinary Institute of America → Vanderbilt Mansion → Val-Kill → Walkway Over the Hudson
A long day up the Hudson from Midtown: Franklin Roosevelt's Springwood home and presidential library, lunch cooked by students at the Culinary Institute of America, the Gilded Age Vanderbilt Mansion above the river, Eleanor Roosevelt's Val-Kill and a late-afternoon walk across the Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie.
12–13 hour day·About 4.5 hours of driving in total
Best: Late September to October
$4 USD
Farms, wine & waterfront
New York City → Orient Beach → Greenport → North Fork winery → Sound Avenue farm stand
A long driving day from Manhattan to the far end of Long Island's North Fork: a quiet bay beach and maritime forest at Orient Beach State Park, lunch and the antique carousel on the harbor in Greenport, one unhurried winery tasting on Route 25, and pies from a Sound Avenue farm stand on the way home.
12-hour day·About 5–6 hours of driving in total
Best: Mid-September through October
$4 USD
Scenic drive & Hudson Highlands
Midtown → State Line Lookout → Perkins Memorial Tower → Hessian Lake → Trailside Zoo → West Point → Lake Tiorati
A fall-color driving day up the Palisades Interstate Parkway from Manhattan: the cliff-top view at State Line Lookout, the summit road and stone tower on Bear Mountain, a walk around Hessian Lake, the Trailside Museums & Zoo beside the Bear Mountain Bridge, the West Point Visitors Center and a quiet lake in Harriman State Park on the way home.