Gardens and Estates of the Hudson River Valley plus New York City

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:
STONECROP- was the former home of Frank Cabot (Quatre Vents, Quebec) and is comprised of 63 acres of exotic and native plants. The gardens are filled with ponds and waterfalls. Voted # 1 on our 2016 and 2018 Hudson Valley Garden tour. www.stonecrop.org

KYKUIT Four generations of the Rockefeller family enjoyed the palatial estate call Kykuit – meaning “lookout” in Dutch. The house and gardens appear to hover on this hilltop above the Hudson River valley. Formal gardens include the Rose Garden, Morning and Brook gardens, Italian garden, and several terraced areas. www.hudsonvalley.org.

NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDENS – See spectacular exhibitions inside a landmark glasshouse that also features a tropical rain forest and cactus-filled desert with plants that can be seen nowhere else in New York. Explore 50 diverse gardens and plant collections across 250 acres of year-round beauty throughout the National Historic Landmark landscape, including 30,000 magnificent trees. Discover the 50-acre Forest, Rock Garden, Home Gardening Center, a tropical rain forest, a cactus-filled desert, and an ever-changing landscape of magnificent flowers and lush foliage in the nation’s premier Victorian-style glasshouse.

The High LINE was built in the 1930s, in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District as part of a massive public-private infrastructure project called the West Side Improvement. It lifted freight traffic 30 feet in the air, removing dangerous trains from the streets of Manhattan’s largest industrial district. Abandoned in the 1980′s the High Line went into decay and disrepair and was rediscovered in 2000, after a photographer captured the beauty of the industrial relic in photos: overgrown with wildflowers — an abandoned structure essentially reclaimed by nature in a matter of 20 years. Construction on the park began in 2006. The first section, from Gansevoort Street to West 20th Street, opened June 9, 2009. The second section, from West 20th Street to West 30th Street, opened in spring, 2011 and its expansion continues.
Untermyer Gardens has been called “America’s greatest forgotten garden”. It is a fascinating slice of Yonkers history, and a lovely oasis of half wild/half cultivated natural beauty right off busy North Broadway. The formal gardens and koi pools are stunning, with gardens encompassing many styles. It’s a cross between a walk in the woods and discovering the ruins of the Gilded Age!

Locust Grove’s stately trees, rolling hills, and vistas from a bluff high above the Hudson River all combine to create a grand landscape garden that preserves much of the sense of peace established by Samuel Morse (inventor of the Morse Code) more than 150 years ago. www.lgny.org

VANDERBILT MANSION is a monument to the social and economic changes that took place during this Gilded Age. Views of the Hudson River make a fine setting for the opulent Vanderbilt mansion. Vanderbilt, who graduated in horticulture from Yale, indulged his passion for gardening in the Terraced gardens that cover 3 acres with trellises, pools, a loggia, and brick walls. Maintained in its original design, the grounds boast rare species as well as perennial favourites in abundance. www.nps.gov/vama.

Beatrix Farrand Garden at Bellefield
Located on the grounds of the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, the garden was created in 1912 by Beatrix Farrand, a landscape gardener whose work defined the American taste in gardens throughout the first half of the 20th century.
Walkway over the Hudson: It is the longest foot bridge in the world. Built as a double track, steel cantilever railroad bridge, it was completed on Jan. 1, 1889, and went out of service on May 8, 1974. It was opened as Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park on October 3, 2009.
www.walkway.org

BLITHEWOOD GARDENS: Is a classic example of a walled Italianate Garden that was designed circa 1903 by Francis L. V. Hoppin. Situated on a steeply sloping bluff approximately 130 feet above the Hudson River, Blithewood is a 45-acre section of the Bard College campus that was once part of a historic estate. This garden remains as breathtakingly beautiful as ever, including its awe-inspiring backdrop of the Catskill Mountains and Hudson River.

WETHERSFIELD GARDENS – This ten-acre formal garden is arranged in the classical style, like the Italian villas of the 17th century. Full of scenic views and statues, bursting with colourful flowers and interesting landscaped gardens. www.wethersfieldgarden.org

LYNDHURST ESTATE AND GARDENS: Lyndhurst, also known as the Jay Gould estate, is a Gothic Revival country house that sits in its own 67-acre (27 ha) park beside the Hudson River in Tarrytown, New York. Is renowned for its weeping, copper beeches! Due to timing, this might be a visit to the grounds only.

UNION CHURCH of Pocantico Hills: Stained-glass windows by European masters, commissioned by the Rockefeller family, adorn this unassuming country church. Henri Matisse’s last commissioned work, the Rose Window, and nine windows by Marc Chagall create a dramatic combination of light and colour, art, and spirituality.
Our tour will also include some very extraordinary private gardens in the region.
Originally, we had hoped to spend at least one night in Manhattan, but with the extremely weak Canada Dollar and the very expensive NYC hotels, we have eliminated the hotel stay in NYC. The tour has been modified to include all the highlights along the Hudson River, plus the number one must-see garden attraction in New York City, the High Line, plus a visit to the New York Botanical Garden.

Itinerary

Day 1 – Departing early, we start our day with Margaret’s homemade muffins and continuing on Interstate 81, we have a lunch/picnic break (included), then continue towards New York’s capital, Albany. Our welcome dinner is at a local restaurant close to the newly renovated Holiday Inn Express Wolf Road, Albany. (L, D)

Day 2 –After a hearty breakfast we begin to discover our gardens of the Hudson River Valley. We will experience the combination of nature and art, so harmoniously blended to express grace and elegance of the Hudson River Landscape. We will tour the gardens of Blithewood. We will explore the pretty town of Rhinebeck for lunch (your expense). Followed by a tour of the Vanderbilt Estate and a wander through their famous rose gardens. We will stop for a “tailgate party” at the Beatrix Farrand Garden at Bellfield before heading to Fishkill and the Hilton Garden Inn – which will be our home for four nights. Dinner (included) will be with the group. (B, D)

Day 3 – Still discovering…. but this time – NEW YORK CITY!!!!! After breakfast, we will make our way into NYC where we will walk the beautiful High Line and marvel at such a beautiful experience in downtown Manhattan. After, we will then travel to the New York Botanical Gardens – for a tram tour and lunch (on your own) More free time will be given after lunch, then we head to the newest garden in the area – Untermeyer. Then a stop at the grounds of Lyndhurst – to marvel at the weeping copper beeches. We will then return to Fishkill and relax at the Hilton Garden. Dinner is on your own. (B)

Day 4 – After breakfast, we then travel to Stonecrop – Frank Cabot’s NY Garden- for a morning tour. After we enjoy lunch (Included), we then make our way to Tarrytown. The afternoon is spent on the “Landmark” tour of Kykuit – the Rockefeller Estate. As we head back to Fishkill, we will stop for a viewing of the extraordinary stained-glass windows of the Union Church of Pocantico Hills. After arriving at our hotel, we will enjoy a dinner with the group (included). (B, L, D)

Day 5 – We start the day with a fabulous made to order Hilton Garden Breakfast. Then the discovery continues. Along with private gardens, today we will tour Wethersfield. Lunch today (included) will give us an opportunity to explore the town of Millerton, Dinner will be on your own this evening with time for shopping. (B, L)

Day 6 – After our last Hilton Breakfast, we depart our hotel and start our journey home – starting with a garden tour at the Locust Grove Estate and then experiencing the “Walkway on the Hudson” for breathtaking views. We expect to arrive home early in the evening. (B)
Please note that the itinerary is subject to change.

Your package includes:
• Return Motor Coach Transportation
• 4 nights – Hilton Garden Inn, Fishkill – 1 night – Holiday Inn Express, Albany
• Meals: 5 breakfasts(B); 3 lunches (L); 3 dinners(D)
• Admission/tours to gardens listed in itinerary – Baggage handling (when available) + all taxes
• Services of a HNA Travels Tour Director – Margaret Dailey-Plouffe

Non-refundable deposit of $500 is due upon booking with the balance due April 20th, 2025

Ready to book? Simply call us and you are on your way
• Call us at: Ottawa: 613-843-9900; TOLL-FREE 1-877-672-3030
• OR e-mail: hnatravels@gmail.com
• Pay by Cheque/Visa/Master Card.
All travellers must have a valid/current Canadian Passport – if not Canadian, please contact the office for instructions.
PICK-UP INFORMATION: This tour originates in the GTA. Please call the office for exact departure information.
Attn OTTAWA: free parking is included at a Kingston hotel OR if sufficient numbers, a shuttle service will be provided.