A Hudson Valley wine tour to celebrate a friend's landmark birthday was perfect! Hudson Valley…read moreBucket list did an outstanding job coordinating the day from transport and an itinerary of beautiful wineries to a magazine photo worthy picnic lunch orchestrated by an on-site host. Our group of 12 were treated like special guests everywhere we went and we were wowed by the friendly, welcoming reception at each stop and the delicious wines we were able to taste. HVBL made planning this event easy and the day memorable

Becky was the best and the day couldn't have been planned any better! Best time ever !read more

Park your car in the small lot and walk toward the Mid-Hudson Bridge, but don't go too far. To your…read moreleft you'll see a black gate, a bit of signage and a steep downward staircase.. take it. Then head under the stone tunnel and into the forest. The hike starts with a steep incline, that works the glutes! I loved it but recommend preparing yourself and wearing comfortable footwear. The area is marked with plenty of signage to keep you on trail. Lots of beauty to take in, with great views of the river, Mid-Hudson Bridge and Walkway over the Hudson. I imagine it even more magical in the Fall. Signed, The Happy Hour Huntress

A wonderful park indeed, with the highlight of a great view viewing the Hudson River and Mid Hudson…read moreBridge. Parking at the Macks Lane end can be challenging depending on the time of day, with a couple of spots and enough room to park on the side. There's enough room while getting out, and plenty of space to move around while getting to the trail. At the Johnson-Iorio Memorial Park end, there are plenty of spots to park at. Depending on your direction, the trail has an uphill/downhill gradient along the way. It's a workout for sure when going uphill. It's very easy to trip with so many rocks and tree roots on the ground, so please take caution. The trail is well indicated by its color and is shown on the tree barks hung up. Of course, the maps are provided at each trailhead for convenience. UPDATE: The white trail which I recently took is a cool trail, doing a loop that connects with the yellow in a different spot not too far from that starting point. It is steep in this section, which requires small steps along the way. There is also a shortcut to cut over to the other side to make it shorter (don't recommend it). Also, on the way, there are ruins, which were once a big Mansion that was abandoned in 1949, with unknown information on how it got destroyed. Pretty cool history. When in doubt, take a rest, it's needed.

Another great historical estate in the Hudson River Valley region. This free park/ estate has many…read moreinteresting attractions including a villa you can tour, miles of walking paths, gardens and an event venue. When we arrived on a gloomy Saturday there was only one car in the parking lot. We were not sure it was even open but it was. The staff member was very friendly. I had no idea of the history of this place and its connection to the famous inventor Samuel Morse. I wish we lived closer so I could spend more time in this area exploring the history of places like Locust Grove.

Love going to Locust Grove! It's such a cute place for parties, business meetings etc. Always clean…read moreand the grounds are gorgeous too!

We absolutely loved our evening Beacon Ghost Tour with Mark and Robin!…read moreThey are such friendly and lovely people. We learned so much about the fascinating history of Beacon and their ghosts. It's definitely a Five Star experience you don't want to miss!

We had an amazing time at the Beacon Ghost Walking Tour. Robin and Mark were extremely…read moreknowledgeable about the history of Beacon, which they would share alongside the ghost stories/experiences. We loved hearing all the stories.

What a great little historic spot tucked along the Hudson River. We were trying to kill time before…read morean afternoon wedding and I came across this place while searching online. This historic site was home to pivotal decisions during the Revolutionary War, made by George Washington himself. The museum/buildings themselves have limited hours (which are listed on the parks website) but we were able to walk the grounds freely which was nice. There are gates/fencing surrounding the site, which were locked as we went around - but toward the opposite side of the site (where I believe their designated parking lot is? We weren't sure but it looked like their lot) there is an opening where you can walk a gravel path that will take you through the site. It was really cool being able to see the buildings here. Even though the park is nestled in a neighborhood/town, I felt pretty immersed in the history just walking along the paths. We got to see the buildings that George Washington was present in, plus the various monuments that were erected on site. The state parks put up informational signs around the area so we could easily read up on the history. It was a really nice way to get even just a taste of history while we were here, which was perfect for our constricted time frame. If I'm ever traveling this way again, I'd definitely try to make it for a tour of the interiors.

Very nice park to walk around. There are few historic monuments here. Great views. If you are…read morenearby, definitely worth visiting.

Top notch service. Went on a wine tour and had a fantastic day.Professional and experienced driver…read more Highly recommended.

We booked West Point Tours to shuttle guests from their hotels in Kingston to our venue in Esopus…read more The struggle to communicate with Julie at WPT was one of the most frustrating parts of our wedding planning experience. Our venue only allowed us to use certain bus companies, so we were limited, particularly because we wanted coach buses, not school buses. West Point was recommended by our planner, as well. Though she was quick to get back to you, we found Julie, who was our point of contact, to be very difficult to communicate with, seemed frazzled, overreacted to questions, and would contact our planner, with whom she had a professional relationship, instead of just getting in touch with us. She misplaced checks, sent incorrectly updated invoices, and was continuously misunderstanding us when we'd ask about seemingly straightforward things like timing, wheelchair access, etc. We truly dreaded each time we had to speak with her or email her. The day of the wedding, though, the buses got our guests to where they need to be safely and on time, so all is well that ended well... except that one bus drove onto grass where it wasn't supposed to and got stuck. There are worse things, but if this is the best the Hudson Valley's got in the coach bus department, we can't imagine what other companies are like.

I've wanted to take this tour ($45) for a while now but finally got around to it recently on a…read morelovely fall Sunday morning. While the tour is timed at 2.5 hours...you spend closer to 1.5 hours on the island itself, factoring in the 30-minute boatride to and from the island. There was lots of parking available as the Metro Station's parking is free on weekends. I opted for the early 9:30am departure. I arrived around 9:05am and there were a few people there waiting. They started checking tickets and allowing people onto the boat at around 9:15am. The boat left on time at 9:30am. Tom was at the wheel and Jen was assisting. (Forgive me if I got the names wrong) Jen gave an overview of the sites, buildings and history of the Newburgh waterfront during the 20-minute boatride to the island. We arrived around 9:50, docked and climbed up some stairs to a waiting/dock area. We were then greeted by ___ who was our tour guide for the visit. She explained the history of the island as we made our way through the tour path...passing the castle, garden and museum. After the tour (about 30-40 minutes), visitors can explore the island on their own. There are a few areas that are accessible but not on the tour path, such as Wee Bay. I suggest exploring those areas as you will be rewarded with some amazing views! The museum is also small, but very informative...lots of little interesting facts about the island in there. Be sure to check it out. While the tour path itself is fairly flat, the other explorable areas are rocky and uneven. Its best to wear comfortable hiking/trail shoes if possible...otherwise, you will feel every sharp/uneven rock particalarly if wearing flat-bottomed shoes. There is a small shop there with snacks and some souvenirs. Bathrooms on the island. None on the boat. The group met up at the dock at around 11:30am to take the boat back to Beacon. A group was arriving at that time...likely the 11:00am tour. Overall I had a great time on the tour...learned a lot and captured some great views. Be sure to leave time afterward (or before) to explore other attractions in Beacon...such as the shop-filled Main Street.

Months after my trip here I'm still unhappy I spent three hours on this experience. I'm writing an…read moreupdate to let people know there is a Frank Lloyd Wright inspired house on Petre Island, a dozen miles southeast of Bannerman, which is open for tours! The island has been for sale for years and once it's purchased it might not be open to the public anymore.

I had a great experience with Hudson Valley Beer Tours! I was looking to arrange a tour for two as…read morea special surprise. While most companies weren't able to accommodate such a small party, this company was happy to work with us. Mike called me in advance to talk about what kind of day we wanted to have, what we like to drink and if we had any special ideas in mind. He had a great working knowledge of: which breweries had the best views; who had what kinds of products; what sort of food was served where; who had live music or special events and so on! He seemed happy to accommodate any requests we had in designing the tour, but was equally capable of crafting a great day with no help from me. It was nice to feel like I could be as much or as little a part of those choices as I wanted and know it would still be a great day. Our tour was also with Mike - who was on time, communicative, friendly, a good driver and an overall great guide. We had a wonderful day full of fantastic beer, some tasty cider, great food and good music. I would absolutely use Hudson Valley Beer Tours again in the future!