Well worth visiting including the on-site museum. I would say think about the historical context as…read moreto when this was being built.

This is an interesting outdoor place to come and visit. Words cannot describe the gentlemen…read morespending 40 years to complete this. You have to come and see for yourself the hours of shaping stones with hand tools to be an outdoor art piece that is beautiful to see, walk around to enjoy. There are park benches around where you can sit and enjoy a snack and take in all the different levels of this outdoor artwork. The entry to the park includes a road that you have to share with in/out traffic. Drive slowly and turn out if needed to let the other traffic pass. Be patient and you will enjoy the beautiful outdoors. Cost: $11 online. In person is $1 extra Tip: 1) Purchase tickets online. As we were leaving there was a sign that said park at full capacity and only those with pre-purchased tickets were allowed into the park. 2) Main parking lot can get full fast. It wasn't until after we parked and went to the ticketing office there was a sign for overflow parking. 3) I did not see a bathroom anywhere, so plan accordingly.

Hubby recently booked a Polar Express experience with Catskills Mountain Railroad for our family,…read moreand I have to say, I was beyond ecstatic! This was a first for all of us and it was especially meaningful for me. My husband has been helping me relive my childhood one memory at a time, so being able to experience this together as a family was truly special. I'd never seen or read The Polar Express in its entirety though I'd heard so many wonderful things about it, which made me even more excited for the train ride. From start to finish the experience was magical. The highlight for me was the hot chocolate. It was absolutely amazing! The cookies were nice too, though they were more on the okay side, but the fact that they came from a local bakery made it feel that much sweeter. The trip was full of joy and excitement. It was a beautiful way to create family memories and celebrate the holiday season. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to add a bit of magic to their Christmas traditions.

If you like looking at tree trunks, this is the ride for you! If you can't sit on boards for more…read morethan a few minutes, bring a pillow. Only one of the open air "carriages" has backs on the benches... the others are just... benches. There are two enclosed carriages but the windows don't open. We came through Kingston on a river cruise, and this was one of the excursions. I imagine the special rides are really good... Polar Express, maybe the Easter ride. Good for children, too, but for mature adults, I wish I'd caught an Uber to the Farmers Market instead.

Gorgeous restored Jacobean style mansion built in 1893 for Sarah Morgan, the sister of financier…read moreJ.P. Morgan. The tours average about two hours. Tour guides are well versed on the lifestyle of the wealthy Morgan family and what life was like during the Gilded Age of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Hours are Daily 10AM to 4PM. Do call and check ahead as the 28,000 square foot home is often host to private party events and weddings. Check out their website: https://gildedage.org/ Enjoy!

What a great time and beautiful day to visit Olana with friends. We signed up for the house tour…read more($20) and it was so worth it. We learned so much about the artist, Frederic Edwin Church. He was a central figure in the Hudson River School of American landscape painters, best known for painting large landscapes, often depicting mountains, waterfalls, and sunsets. He was so well traveled and brought back his favorites from around the world. The trails are all free but there's tours, if you want. The shop has a lot of great stuff!!!!

We came here on Wednesday. Toured the house first floor . Ground staff and gift shop with a short…read morefilm about Federic Church. He designed the building and collected art pieces from all over the world . His paintings are everywhere .It's a must visit those who are visiting Hudson NY.

I'm so glad we found Tour with Donovan after searching for tours of the wineries in the Hudson…read moreValley. Donovan is awesome. Very professional, listened to what we wanted, then took us to three wineries that were fantastic. Each winery had its own unique character and the wines were spot on, as well the spirits in the last one we went to. Donovan's van was very clean, well air conditioned, and had all the amenities needed to go from one winery to the next. He's very knowledgeable of the area, well prepared, and an all around fun and great guy. He picked us up at our hotel at Marriott Courtyard Poughkeepsie and after the tour dropped us off at the Beacon Train station it really worked out very well. We'll be gathering a group of friends and hopefully do another tour in the fall or before Christmas. For sure we will pick Tour with Donovan again! Thanks Donovan!

My 8 friends and I took a 5 and a half hour tour with Donovan and it was beyond perfect. Donovan…read moreworked with me on planning the entire itinerary and made sure we were visiting wineries I'd never been to before that would fit the type of vibe I was looking for, since I was the birthday girl. Donovan set up each reservation so I had to do nothing but, book my trip with him and when he arrived he even had champagne and bottled water for us! At each stop Donovan made sure that we were treated like royalty. He didn't just drop us off, he got out with us and set us all up comfortably at each winery even going out of his way to get ice for our wine and helping us choose the best reviewed wines at each stop. Then Donovan even took pictures of our group at each stop and then sent them all to me to make sure I had memories of our trip. Donovan's vehicle was clean and well taken care of. All 9 of us fit comfortably with room for a few more. He was so hospitable and so much fun to hang out with on our drive to each stop. He played the music we liked and kept us laughing the entire time. I can't say enough about Donovan. I would definitely recommend him 100%.

3/18/26: The Vanderbilt Mansion is a must see when visiting Hyde Park!…read more You first drive up a winding driveway, till you reach the visitor's center to purchase tickets. Should you have a National Service Park Pass, you'll be able to enter for free. It's best to call at 9 AM just to be sure there's availability. Inside the center, you'll find restrooms and a large display of the Vanderbilt family tree. Our docent Mike first started the tour at the visitor center. Mike was very knowledgeable and had wonderful wit. The visitor center used to be the guest house for Mrs. Vanderbilt's bachelor friends during their stay over. Mike walked us over to the main estate. The outside of the estate is stunning. We then entered the beautiful estate. All the furnishings are absolutely gorgeous. The last part of the tour is walking down the servants stairs. However, the best photo view is probably looking up from the bottom of the staircase. Hope you enjoy the photos. Photos are allowed, but without flash.

Our primary purpose in coming up to Hyde Park was to visit the Roosevelt sites, but we figured we'd…read morestop here at neighboring Vanderbilt Mansion since we were already in the area. It was well worth the stop! Tours are required to enter the mansion and last an hour. It was well worth it - our tour guide was fantastic - engaging, knowledgeable, and fun. This 54 room estate was owned by what our tour guide described as the "Vanderbilt least likely to star in a reality show," his wife Louise was fascinated by France so all of her spaces are heavily French inspired, and despite a very clear upstairs/downstairs division, these Vanderbilts left significant portions of their fortune based on individual years of service to their servants in their will. The story of how this mansion ended up with the National Park Service was also interesting - the home itself was left to Louise's niece, who, while wealthy, was unable to pay the taxes on this additional large property. So she attempted to sell - but it was the Great Depression and there were no buyers. Neighbor Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed a plan: offer to sell the property and home intact to the NPS for $1 as he also made arrangements to transfer his neighboring property to them, as well. The grounds themselves are lovely - the Vanderbilts maintained formal gardens and are free to explore. There is a stunning view - referred to as "a millionaire's view" at the time - of the Hudson River. Tickets can be purchased for house tours in the visitor's center. Note that the home does not have air conditioning so it can get toasty in warm weather.

TEP deserves more than 5 stars for the amazing start to finish service we experienced on our 7 day…read moreadventure to Peru to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. From the time we signed up, to the time we boarded the plane to return home, TEP took care of every detail. We commented amongst ourselves that we felt like kids on vacation with our parents, as we didn't have to worry about any of the details - just show up and follow Neptali (our guide). From airport pickup in Cusco in luxury Mercedes vans where we were promptly served Coca tea to help with the altitude acclimation, to group dinners at amazing Peruvian restaurants, to historical tours and education on the history of the Inca - everything was covered and taken care of for us. And that was all before the amazing trek along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu! Of course the trek itself was the highlight of the trip, and although it was extremely challenging for us, TEP's unbelievable attention to detail did not fail us on the trail. With nearly a 2:1 porter to trekker ration, our every need was met on the trail. We dined like kings every meal, and were consistently amazed with the quality (and nutritional appropriateness) of the food our chef and sous chef were able to put out with minimal kitchen conveniences. The thing I felt was most special about TEP's approach to this trip was the focus on gaining a cultural and historical appreciation for what we were experiencing. Every step along the way, we learned about the native people of Peru, the Inca civilization, the many ruins we came across, the vegetation we saw and how it was and is used, and the history of modern Peru. It was the trip of a lifetime, and have the help of The Explorer's Passage made it so much more enjoyable, and so much more memorable. The value of what they provide is amazing for the cost....rather, for the investment. I highly recommend them!

What a fabulous tour! I did the "Washington in NYC" tour in June 2017 and it was such a wonderful…read moreexperience! So much fascinating historical information that I can't wait to share with all my friends now; such a great group of fellow explorers; and all so perfectly run - well planned, perfectly on time, with a great variety of sights and insights for all types of travelers. I recommend this tour highly - and will be on the lookout for future adventures from The Explorer's Passage! :)

Been wanting to come here for awhile as my mom kept sending me it on fb lol. Knew we'd be up at my…read moremom's this summer so we of course planned a little trip to Cooperstown. We got here an hour before closing which probably isn't enough time but my son is 3 so it was perfect for him. The carousel which I thought was super cute my son ran for dear life from. It's a carousel! lol. Seriously the way he ran you'd think we were trying to lure him to the carousel of death. So sadly no ride on that but everything else was really cool to check out. Random chickens around my son was happy seeing it all. Gift shop was closed as we left but we came back the next day to check that out :) I definitely plan on coming back here as my boy gets older where he can actually pay attention to things.

I had the BEST Independence Day EVER! Went to the July 4th celebration at the Farmers' Museum in…read moreCooperstown. There was a reading of the Declaration of Independence on the village green, complete with 13 lemonade toasts and accompanying "Huzzah!!"s. I learned about broom making, printing, natural remedies and pill making, among many other things. Just roaming through the historic village and farm was fascinating!! All the animals were so relaxed and super well cared for. The thing that totally blew me away though, was the Empire State Carousel! All the animals on it are hand carved, and are all animals found in NY. The whole thing was simply gorgeous! There was a young woman that went around before the carousel started and told you the name of "your" animal, it's history and special facts about it. Loved the whole day!! ** right after my visit, I bought a membership because I plan on going back often!

This cave is actually Fulmer mine area. Enjoy the hike up the mountain. Extremely hot, that day so…read morewe stood at the mouth of the cave to cool down! Area known for being a source of hematite. Will hike around the area again as there are several trails to hike. Delaware river is at the base and got a nice view of tubers enjoying the river along the way. We'll have to try that too sometime.

Great hike! I would recommend this hike to everyone. Very nice views. We did the whole loop and was…read moreworth it

We visited the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome with family and friends, including a 4-year-old and a…read more2-year-old. It's a great weekend outing -especially on a nice weather day. I wasn't sure the kids would stay entertained through a two-hour air show, but they did (mostly!), and being outdoors definitely helped. The show itself was fun and laid-back, with a loose storyline, impressive stunts, and a nostalgic vibe. You can bring your own food and drinks, or grab something from the concession stand, which was reasonably priced. The small gift shop has cute souvenirs for kids, and the nearby hangars filled with old planes and vehicles were great to explore before the show started. The only downside was that it was a bit hard to hear the narration over the PA system, but it didn't take away from the experience. Overall, a charming, family-friendly day trip worth checking out.

Super cool to see all of these planes in action at the Aerodrome air show. As well as other…read morememorabilia, beautiful old cars and trucks. The staff does a great job of keeping it lively, and fun for the whole family. Only downside, it was HOT and HUMID and felt like we were melting. So spring or fall might be a better time to visit.