Dateline: December 3, 2008
Much like Newport, New York's Hudson Valley is home to some of the region's finest architectural masterpieces, which served as mansion homes to industrialists and the landed gentry. These elegant mansions are even more breathtaking when adorned with Christmas decorations. Here's your guide to seeing some of my home state's finest splendor this holiday season.
Hint: Most of the Hudson Valley mansions have wonderful gift shops, and your purchases support preservation!
Boscobel, a Federal-style mansion in Garrison, New York, overlooking the Hudson River and West Point, will offer Traditional Candlelight Tours the evenings of Friday, Saturday and Sunday December 12, 13 and 14, from 5 to 8 p.m. Hundreds of flickering candles, fresh greens, live music, a roaring fire and a cup of wassail combine to make for an enchanting holiday affair. Daytime Holiday Tours of Boscobel are also offered December 12-31 daily except Tuesdays and Christmas Day. Visitors will have a chance to see the mansion decked out for the holidays and to learn about holiday traditions and entertaining during the Federal period.
Clermont State Historic Site invites you to celebrate Christmas with the Livingston family the weekend of December 13 and 14 during a free public open house. Special candlelight tours of Clermont will also be offered this year from 3-6 p.m. on December 20. After your tour, enjoy Christmas treats and a bonfire in the mansion's back yard.
Candlelight Tours at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, are scheduled for December 20, 21, 27 and 28, departing from 4 to 8 p.m. The manor house will be decked out in greenery, and the neighboring Ferry House tavern will be alive with a Twelfth Night celebration featuring fiddle music, dancing, crackling fires and tasty refreshments. Reservations are required. Tickets may be purchased online or by calling 914-631-8200, ext. 618.
Washington Irving's Sunnyside in Tarrytown, New York, will host a brand new holiday experience this year. Inspired by Irving's famous character, Rip Van Winkle's 20 winters of slumber, visitors will see an illuminated dreamscape created with state-of-the-art LED technology on a walk through the woods. An original soundtrack scored for the event accompanies the mesmerizing display. Winter WonderLights will be held December 11-14, 18-23, 26-30 and January 2-3. Entry passes are $75 per car and must be purchased in advance, either online or by calling 914-631-8200.
Located in Tarrytown, New York, Lyndhurst is a fortress-like Gothic Revival Mansion on the Hudson River. This National Trust for Historic Preservation property welcomes visitors to its Fairy Tale Holiday Evenings on Saturdays and Sundays in December. Celebrate the season as you tour the mansion's lavishly decorated rooms and enjoy live music and hot mulled cider. Reservations are required.
Celebrate a "Gilded Age Christmas" at Staatsburgh State Historic Site in my home hamlet of Staatsburg, New York, on select dates November 28-December 31. You'll marvel at the splendid dining room decorations at this Gilded Age landmark, also known as the Mills Mansion. If there's snow--take the kids! They'll love
sledding with a Hudson River view.
Welcome the season with music and refreshments at Vanderbilt Mansion's free Holiday Open House on Friday, December 12 from 6-9 p.m., and see sparkling trees and other elaborate Christmas decorations during tours from November 28 through January 4 at this gracious mansion in Hyde Park, New York.
Visit the Franklin D. Roosevelt Home in Hyde Park, New York, on December 13 from 6-9 p.m. for a glimpse of how the president and his family celebrated the holidays. FDR's mansion will be decorated in World War II-era style. Admission to the event is free. If you're visiting Hyde Park with children, plan to arrive earlier in the day for special holiday events from 1 to 5 p.m. at the FDR Presidential Library including the opportunity to make holiday cards to send to the men and women serving on the
USS Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, a U.S. Navy missile destroyer; to have a photo taken with Santa; and to visit the children's book fair for author readings and shopping.
Sculptor Frederic Church's picturesque and eclectic home, Olana, in Hudson, New York, will host Holiday House Tours on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in December. The tours focus on how the Church family celebrated the holidays at home and feature a reading of eldest son Frederic Joseph's 19th-century letter to Santa Claus. Olana also hold a popular annual Holiday Bonfire on Saturday, December 6, starting at 4 p.m. For tour reservations, call 518-828-0135.
Wilderstein, an imposing Queen Anne Victorian mansion in Rhinebeck, New York, will be decked out in floral splendor for the holiday season. For nearly 25 years, talented florists and designers have transformed the first floor of Margaret (Daisy) Suckley's home into a Victorian Christmas wonderland, and visitors can enjoy self-guided tours of the mansion on weekends from November 28-December 28. Make reservations for the special Yuletide High Tea on Saturday, December 6 by calling 845-876-4818.
Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, New York, is best known as home of telegraph inventor Samuel F.B. Morse, but the mansion's original owner, Henry Livingston, Jr., also has a claim to fame. Some scholars believe he's the true author of the classic Christmas tale, "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." On weekends in December, Locust Grove celebrates the magic of Christmas past with special holiday season tours. The mansion's rooms will be decorated with trees that showcase passages from this beloved holiday poem. Sundays feature hunts for kids, with clues from "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." Make reservations for Locust Grove's second annual Twilight Holiday Tour and Dinner at the mansion on Saturday, December 6, by calling 845-454-4500.
