It poured most of the night, sometimes so hard it woke us up. This morning was overcast and cloudy but by 11 am there were signs of clearing skies. We arrived at the Vanderbilt Mansion just in time for the Noon tour.
From the NPS site:
Historically known as Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site is one of the region's oldest Hudson River estates. For nearly two centuries, this place has been home to socially prominent New Yorkers. A superb example of its type, Hyde Park represents the domestic ideal of the elite class in the late nineteenth-century America. It provides a glimpse of estate life, the social stratification of the period, and the world of the American millionaire during the era historians refer to as the Gilded Age.
The National Park Service preserves over 200 acres of the original property, including historic buildings, original furnishings, manicured landscapes, natural woodlands, formal gardens and associated documents. The centerpiece of the estate is the mansion, a masterpiece of American Beaux-Arts design by the distinguished architectural firm McKim, Mead & White.
Online Publications Related to Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
Vanderbilt Mansion: A Gilded-Age Place, Historic Resource Study (2008) (pdf)
Cultural Landscape Report for Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site Vol. I (1992) (pdf)
Cultural Landscape Report for Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site Vol. II (2009) (pdf)
Cultural Landscape Report for the Vanderbilt Mansion Formal Gardens (2011) (pdf)
Our tour guide was very informative and had us laughing a lot. The mansion is quite beautiful and very much inviting, unlike some of the other Vanderbilt Mansions we have been to.
This 55,000 square foot summer home was used only two or three weeks a year. Just one of several homes owned by Frederick and Louise Vanderbilt.
. Despite it’s size the home interior design and furnishings makes it warm and welcoming.
Despite their wealth both were very generous to their staff paying twice the going wage of the era, providing free care from the Vanderbilt's physicians and giving each employee a Christmas bonus and a summer party. Frederick and Louise did not have any children of their own and doted on their nieces and nephews. Louise also spent time with the children in the village helping them and their families as much as she could. At Christmas she would shop for her servants children and deliver two gifts to each of them personally - one they needed and one they wanted.
When Louise died in 1926, Frederick sold his other homes and returned to this estate for the last 12 years of his life. The Hyde Park Mansion was left to Louise’s niece, Margaret Louise Van Alan, who having no luck selling the home donated it to the NPS as suggested too her by her neighbor Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was open to the public in 1940 with all of its original furnishings.
After finishing the mansion tour we took a ride to the Mills Mansion. Unfortunately it was closed and only open to the pubic on Thursday thru Sunday. It is amazing the number of mansions in Hyde park. Our tour guide told us that the other side of the Hudson housed a lot of churches, monasteries and orphanages while this side of the Hudson had all the mansions. She said this side was called the monetary side and the other side the monastery side – and she didn’t make it up- it is true!
Would have liked to see the inside!
We drove through the park and stopped to get a photo of what looked like a castle on the other side of the Hudson. It was hazy –so couldn’t get a clear picture.
Then there were the waterfalls:
And the Coach House:
And the Historic Train Station:
We stopped at the Everyday Diner for a very delicious lunch.
There are several diners in the area – more then we’ve seen in any one area across the country. After eating we decided we had to do the 2.5 mile round trip Walkway over the Hudson.
Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park
In October 2009 the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park opened as a legacy project of the Hudson Fulton Champlain Quadricentennial. The park provides access to the Hudson River's breathtaking landscape for pedestrians, hikers, joggers, bicyclists, and people with disabilities. The bridge deck stands 212 feet above the river's surface and is 6,768 feet (1.28 miles) long, making it the longest, elevated pedestrian bridge in the world.
Did You Know?
More than 40,000 people attended the opening weekend, October 3-4, 2009.
The Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge was built in the late 19th century to link New York and New England to an extensive, nationwide railway network. For decades, it was a major rail corridor for both freight and passengers.
After a fire in 1974, the bridge was abandoned and sat for decades as an orphaned relic. This brand new park was made possible due to the unwavering commitment of the community, who, through a non-profit organization called Walkway Over the Hudson, forged a public private partnership involving the State of New York, the federal government, neighboring municipalities, private corporations and other not for profit groups. The amazing result of this wonderful partnership is a brand new state park, now open for all to enjoy.
- See more at: http://www.nysparks.com/parks/178/details.aspx#sthash.9f6zMP0D.dpuf
By the time we got to the bridge it was 4 pm and the sun decided to come out in full force. So much for a cool walk later in the day. LOL
Nice View
Turn Around at 1.28 miles and back to the car for another 1.28 miles
It turned out to be a great walk with a beautiful breeze off the Hudson. We got back to the CG around 6pm had a light dinner then took Jewel for a - Walk! Another great day here in NY.
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