Eleanor Roosevelt opened a furniture factory at Val-Kill to teach men a trade during the Great Depression. She later made it a retreat home, and then her permanent home after the death of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1945. Today, tourists can take a guided tour of the cottage and see where the Roosevelts welcomed leaders and celebrities like Winston Churchill and Shirley Temple. Visitors can watch a film called "Eleanor Roosevelt Close To Home" that explains about the site.
Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site
4097 Albany Post Road
Hyde Park, NY 12538
845-486-1966
nps.gov/elro
The Ogden Mills and Ruth Livingston Mills Memorial State Park has more than the traditional hiking and scenic views that most parks offer. It includes the 18-hole Dinsmore Golf Course--which is the third-oldest golf course in the country, according to the park. It was built in 1893 as a nine-hole course. The park also has the Staatsburgh State Historic Site, which includes a mansion designed by famous architect Stanford White. Activities include tours of the mansion and summer concerts. Outdoor sports enthusiasts can fish, cross-country ski, sled and snowshoe at the park.
Ogden Mills and Ruth Livingston Mills Memorial State Park
Old Post Road
Staatsburg, NY 12580
845-889-4646
nysparks.com/parks/33/details.aspx
The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome celebrates antique aviation with a large collection of vehicles and memorabilia from 1900 to 1935. The items include aircraft from the Lindbergh/Barnstorming era, the Pioneer Era and World War I. The collection also has automobiles, engines and motorcycles. The aerodrome, however, isn't simply a museum. It has air shows every Saturday from mid-June to mid-October. Pilots fly classic aircraft like a 1909 Bleriot. The shows include a fashion show with period outfits and an automobile parade. You even have the chance to ride in a 1929, open-cockpit New Standard biplane.
Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome
9 Norton Road
Rhinebeck, NY 12572
845-752-3200
oldrhinebeck.org
