Hudson Valley Scenic Drives
Flying Solo For Singles
So, you’ve got an entire day to yourself and you want to make the most of it. As a child, spending a day in your own company called for serious imagination. Now, you can count on the Hudson Valley Region to help bring some of those adventurous inclinations to life!
First things first. Pick up an early morning cup of hot apple cider and a fresh breakfast pastry at Golden Harvest Farms on Route 9 in
Kinderhook. Now, you’re ready to take flight. That’s right, you’re going to fly! Head over to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodome, where you can sign up for your own seat in a 1929 New Standard open cockpit bi-plane. Soar like a bird over the Hudson River and back and pick up a few flying tips along the way (you’ll want to arrive early, before 10:00 am, since seats are sold first come, first served.)
If weather keeps you grounded, check out some real flyers at the Hudson Valley Raptor Center in nearby Stanfordville. Eagles, Hawks and Great Horned Owls are just a few of the magnificent creatures that call the center home.
Downtown Rhinebeck definitely has a high “cool factor” and is getting all sorts of attention for its unique shops filled with artsy gifts, clothing and furnishings. The variety of restaurants reveals the presence of trained chefs from around the globe. Autumn always calls for a slice of something fresh, usually in the apple flavor, so stop in Calico Restaurant & Patisserie on Mill Street for an apple tart tossed with sour cream and cinnamon and topped with streusel.
If your day of adventure falls during the week, head over to the Apple Pie Bakery Café in Hyde Park on the grounds of the Culinary Institute of America. Order your home cooked lunch and award-winning pie to go so you can spread out your own special picnic on the magnificent lawn and take in the scene. Check out the list of cooking classes while you’re at it!
Hyde Park also boasts some of the most famous trails in the area. Wander along paths that cross the grounds of several of the nation’s most elegant homesteads. Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, the Vanderbilts, and several other notables found the valley’s setting worthy of their most sacred hours. Strap on your own hiking shoes and see what all the fuss was about—especially in autumn!
In more of a James Bond mood? Craving more of a challenge? Climb to Sky Top Tower on the Labyrinth Trail at the incredibly scenic Mohonk Mountain House, where you can “spy” on six neighboring states.
It’s back to the basics for late afternoon. Sample the “simple life” of farming at the 576 acre Stony Kill Farm & Environmental Education Center in Wappingers Falls. With a variety of programs for individuals, trails for hiking, fishing spots and a well stocked library, this working farm encourages personal growth!
If minimalist art is more your style, venture further south to Storm King Art Center, America’s largest sculpture park with 500 acres in Mountainville, off Hwy. 32. You’ll find the kid in you wanting to sprint across the vast rolling fields of grass sprinkled with enormous, colorful, intriguing works by noted artists such as Alexander Calder and Louise Nevelson. Take some of the creativity and courage as you leave.
Night is falling. Are you ready for the perfect ending to your special day? Wind your way back up north on Rte. 9W to Ulster Park where you’ll begin to feel a certain mystery in the air. “For ages we have terrified the souls of New York State,” say the folks at the Headless Horseman Hayrides and Haunted House, named “#1 hayride in America” by American Airlines. Test your mettle on the famed ride, then tiptoe through one of three haunted houses and the famed labyrinth-style corn maze. Comfort food is available to enjoy with the nightly dazzling feats of John Shaw, master illusionist. You may have seen him on “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” and several other national programs. His spectacular feats of human illusion will have you guessing all the way home!
Time for sleep and to dream up another adventurous getaway in the Hudson Valley Region!