Autumn in the Hudson Valley

We went to NYC during Christmas time in 2015, and it was magical. I literally haven’t stopped thinking about it or about my one true love, Veselka’s, since. So when we got the chance to visit again in the fall of 2017 for Michael’s birthday, I was so pumped. I could not wait for all the foliage, apple picking, and all the cider drinking my heart could handle.
Here’s a rundown of everything we got up to.

Fishkill Farms
This was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. We went with Michael’s fam to this sweet little apple orchard and wandered along all the beautiful fruiting trees and had a lot of fun apple picking. We ended up taking two whole bags home because we just couldn’t stop ourselves from going for that gorgeous fruit! Beyond the delicious apples, the farm also just boasts the most perfect and serene scenery, along with a sweet little shop and cider tasting bar. We spent a good while here just taking the sweet fall in and I highly recommend this spot to anyone looking for the perfect autumnal jaunt.

Angry Orchard
After Fishkill we ventured a little bit north to Angry Orchard. We ended up having to be shuttled in as the parking was full, but I was happy that they at least had this option. They were having a little fall festival while we were there with different vendors with food and art, so we wandered around a bit, each got a little flight of ciders to try and had a nice rest on their back patio. While we waited (in what was arguably a very long line, but for very free cider) we got to walk through their factory and learn a little bit about the process of cider making. I wish that this was a little bit more in-depth, but alas it was freemium and you can’t complain too much.

Minnewaska State Park Preserve
When our bellies were full we trekked over to this beautiful state park and walked off all those calories. We did a little half loop of the lake, going down to the water at one point and then up to a lookout at another. The views were spectacular and we got a really great showing of the autumnal foliage!

Lindhurst Mansion/Sleepy Hollow
On another day we made it out to Lindhurst Mansion, another ornate home among the seemingly many in upstate New York. The interior was beautifully kept and we were walked through by a friendly and knowledgeable docent. It was also decorated in a halloween theme which made it even more spooky and fun. After we finished up there, we drove over to Sleepy Hollow to see if they had anything going on and to be honest, we didn’t really find much. The cemetary was shut for the day by the time we got there and the downtown didn’t have much going on.

I really think that the Hudson Valley is THE place for fall and we had such an amazing time experiencing as much of it as possible. It seems like everytime we go to New York I really just want to go right back, I love the whole area so much.