Kingston, NY - if you like historic neighborhoods or walking tours, this is a nice little day trip in the Hudson Valley. The Stockade district is an eight-block area in uptown Kingston that's the original site of a 17th century Dutch settlement, and still has many preserved stone houses and buildings from those times.
I downloaded a map and brochure from the Friends of Historic Kingston's website (fohk.org) and did our own self-guided tour of the 1658 Stockade district. There is also another guide for the Rondout district by the waterfront. FOHK offers guided walking tours on certain days between May-October as well.
This part of Kingston is a cute artsy town with some nice restaurants, shops, and cafes, and was lovely to stroll around. There are too many good restaurants to name (Yelp can help you with that!), though Hoffman House is notable for being a tavern set inside a 1679 stone house. I also recommend checking out Rough Draft Bar & Books (a cozy cafe-bookshop with brews both caffeinated and carbonated) and the delightfully eclectic Kingston Consignments.
Kids especially will also enjoy visiting the Volunteer Fireman's Hall & Museum! Sadly, it was closed on the day we went even though they were advertised being open, as I gather their hours are rather haphazard. read more