Springwood, a grand house located in Hyde Park, New York, was the home of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. FDR was born in the house in 1882. It opened to the public in 1946 as a museum that contains many of his personal effects. His presidential library is located on the estate grounds. Photo by Crunch

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The Hudson River’s newest bridge, the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge in Tarrytown, New York, includes a pedestrian walkway enjoyed by walkers, bikers and sightseers. Photo courtesy of NYSDED

Growing up in New York City, I loved my family’s drives along the Hudson River. But as an adult, even though I’m a sucker for jaw-dropping views, I was always in a rush to get somewhere and never stopped along the way.  

Last spring, my husband Paul and I decided to finally explore the Hudson River Valley. We were blown away by what we learned, the treasures we saw, and, oh yes, the incredible views.  

Home base for three days was a hotel on the outskirts of Poughkeepsie, New York. Even though our surroundings looked like a strip mall, it proved to be a convenient headquarters for our outings.  

One of Poughkeepsie’s biggest local attractions is the 212-foot-high Walkway over the Hudson — the world’s longest elevated pedestrian bridge, at 1.28 miles.  

Opened in 1889 as a double-track railway bridge and a major transportation artery, it reopened as a pedestrian walkway in 2009. As we walked across the span, we enjoyed the views of the Catskills to the north and the Hudson Highlands to the south.  

FDR history 

Our first stop out of Poughkeepsie was nearby Hyde Park, New York and Springwood, the family home of President Franklin D. Roosevelt located there.  

The original house on the Springwood estate was built in 1793 and renovated in 1850 into an Italianate-style villa. FDR was born there in 1882.  

Our expert tour guide, Roy, pointed out remnants of the original house, visible on the west façade. Eleanor and Franklin transformed the house into a Colonial Revival-style mansion and enlarged it to accommodate their growing family. 

Inside the home, we saw ancestral portraits, political mementos, and many of FDR’s collections, including his collection of nearly a million stamps.  

Roy led us into the president’s cozy study, where FDR met visitors, held press conferences, and did at least one radio address, a famous “Fireside Chat.”  

While the house was lovely, it was certainly understated compared to the other mansions in the area. A few of the Roosevelts’ guests (which included Winston Churchill and Queen Elizabeth) were surprised by that, but then again, it started out as a farm.  

Be sure to visit Sara’s Rose Garden, where Franklin and Eleanor are buried. Its centerpiece is one very large, unadorned Vermont white marble block designed by none other than FDR himself. 

Also located on the grounds of Springwood is the FDR Library, which tells the story of his presidency through exhibits, short movies and interactive touch screens. FDR was the first president to propose building a presidential library. 

In the library’s Map Room are six interactive tables that show key countries and meetings that took place during World War II. The library also houses his collections of ship models, prints and paintings, state gifts and family heirlooms. 

The Vanderbilt Mansion 

Just a couple of miles down the road from Springwood is one of the Vanderbilt mansions. And although it’s in a whole separate class from Springwood and was considered modest compared to the Vanderbilts’ homes in New York, Bar Harbor and Newport, that’s not a word I’d use to describe it. I’d go with “over the top” (okay, that’s three words).   

With exotic wood paneling, imported marble, lush velvets and French tapestries, the Vanderbilts tried to emulate the kings and queens of Europe.  

What I found interesting was how this impressive mansion became part of the National Park Service. With no children, the Vanderbilts left the mansion to a niece, Margaret Van Alen.  

During the Depression, Van Alen tried unsuccessfully to sell it. Instead, her neighbor FDR convinced her to donate the house and furnishings along with 200 acres to the U.S. government. Of course, she got a big tax break.  

West Point 

About an hour north of Hyde Park is the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, established in 1802. Because its site is situated high above the Hudson River, George Washington thought it was the ideal location for a fort to prevent the British from taking control of the river during the Revolutionary War.  

We took a 90-minute bus tour that combined history lessons and explanations of how West Point operates today.  

We got to see the cadets going about their daily activities, including military drills and all 4,000 of them lining up for the mess hall.  

We saw multiple cannons, a 65-ton iron chain that was strung across the Hudson River to block British invasions along the main transportation water (something that proved unnecessary since it never happened), and places of interest today: the parade grounds, football stadium and chapels.  

General Douglas MacArthur led West Point from 1919 to 1922 and introduced sports there. Most astonishingly, his mother was probably the original “helicopter mom” because she lived in the West Point Hotel during his four-year stay.  

George Patton spent five years at the school because he failed math, and Dwight Eisenhower was said to be quite a jokester and a rule breaker, once showing up without his pants. His academic achievements were not outstanding, but he did manage to earn 100 demerits in his last year. 

On our own we toured the museum, which has galleries showcasing the history of the U.S. Army, warfare and weapons.  

Storm King Art Center 

Only 20 minutes from West Point is the Storm King Art Center, America’s largest outdoor sculpture park.  

More than 100 large-scale contemporary sculptures are set on 500 acres of rolling fields, wooded groves, meadows and wetlands, with the beautiful Storm King Mountain as the backdrop.  

There are pieces by Alexander Calder, Mark di Suvero, and Isamu Noguchi. Two must-sees are Andy Goldsworthy’s “Storm King Wall” and Maya Lin’s “Storm King Wavefield.” 

Beacon, New York 

When it was time for food, shopping and some noshing, we stopped in Beacon, a Hudson River town with blocks of restaurants, art galleries, boutiques, collectibles shops and Victorian architecture.  

We stopped by the Hudson Valley Marshmallow Company’s store to sample some gourmet flavors: French toast and cookies ‘n’ creme. For everything chocolate, we headed to HAKAN Chocolatier.  

Another draw to Beacon is its many hiking trails, from easy to difficult.  

For our final night in the area, we decided to stop in Tarrytown for dinner and rest before our trip home. We’ll return to the area, directly to Tarrytown, this fall to see the foliage and celebrate Halloween. 

If you go 

For this road trip, expect about a five-hour drive from Maryland to Poughkeepsie. You could also fly to New York City or take Amtrak’s Northeast Regional to Stamford, Connecticut and rent a car. Poughkeepsie is about two hours from NYC; 90 minutes from Stamford. 

If you’re at least 62, consider buying a National Park and Federal Recreational Lands Senior Pass ($20 for one year/$80 for life). It gets you into the Roosevelts’ home and the Vanderbilt Mansion, each of which otherwise costs $15. 

Take a tour wherever it is offered. You’ll learn many interesting facts. Tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Get them as soon as you can, since they fill up quickly, even mid-week. 

Make reservations online for West Point at Westpointtours.com. Reservations must be made at least one hour before the tour starts and are only done online.  

You can stay in Poughkeepsie, which is centrally located and has many national chain hotels and some B&Bs. Or you can stay at the Tarrytown House Estate (rooms start at $240 per night), which has amazing views of the Hudson River and the Governor Mario Cuomo (formerly Tappan Zee) Bridge.