How to Spend 24 Hours in the Hudson Valley

Visit the Storm King Art Center

Start your day the Hudson Valley way at Orange County’s Storm King Art Center. The 500-acre sculpture park marries two of Hudson Valley’s chief offerings: nature and art. Grab a coffee (or better yet, a hot chocolate) as you stroll through fields of native wildflowers, woodlands, and over rolling hills. To see more of the outdoor museum’s 100-plus sculptures by renowned contemporary artists (and to knock out your culture fix and daily workout in one go), take advantage of Storm King’s for-hire bicycles and helmets. In May 2018, the art complex will unveil two temporary exhibitions, giving you even more to see. You’ll be glad you cleared your morning to experience all that this (highly ‘grammable) attraction has to offer.

Have a delicious lunch at American Bounty

All that exercise is bound to work up an appetite. Hudson Valley locals know that to find the most fortifying lunch around, one has to go back to school. Put the windows down on your scenic drive (45 minutes) to the Culinary Institute of America’s Hyde Park campus. Hudson River views and epic landscape vistas hint at meals to come from American Bounty, a student-staffed restaurant using regional and seasonal ingredients. Here, salads with caramelized apple and cider vinaigrette, Meiller Farm striploin with garden vegetables, and spring pea soup with baby carrots and bacon lardons grant guests a taste of the Hudson Valley.

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Check out the bar scene

Nightfall calls for bar hopping, Upstate style. With cellars dating back to the 1830s, Brotherhood Winery in Orange County is the oldest winery in America. Tour Brotherhood’s hand-excavated cellars, home to some of the oldest vintages in the United States, before ordering a tasting, like the fan-favorite Varietal Flight, sweet-tooth satisfying Traditional Flight, or the World Flight featuring wines imported from its sister winery in Chile. (Tip: This bucket-list winery is open to just 5 pm Sundays through Fridays and until 7 pm on Saturdays).

Keep the drinks and good vibes flowing by heading to the nearby Angry Orchard, where you’ll participate in a 200-plus-year-old Hudson Valley tradition. Cider has been crafted and consumed in this area for centuries, with modern-day drinkers gravitating toward one Walden, New York, cidery in particular. Programming at the 60-acre Angry Orchard includes behind-the-scenes tours, tastings, and live music and food evenings. However, a (not-so) standard drink—the orchard offers upwards of 10 cider varieties—around the outdoor fireplace feels remarkable in itself.

Stock up on tasty treats at Talbott & Arding

Load up for your journey home at Talbott & Arding, a Hudson market selling local cheese and provisions. Cheesemonger’s focaccia, blueberry bran muffins, and roast beef sandwiches with horseradish mayo make for delicious, if fleeting, souvenirs.