The long wall of the Catskill escarpment across the valley, seen from Olana

Estates & Historic Homes

22 places 17 towns $16 one-time

The Hudson Valley's grand estates were built by people who shaped American history: a U.S. president, a telegraph inventor, a Supreme Court justice, an artist who designed his own house. Their homes still stand: some preserved exactly as they left them, others opened as museums with the families' original furnishings and libraries intact. You'll find Federal-era mansions and Gothic Revival palaces, quarry ponds reshaped by hand, underground galleries carved to hold masterpiece art collections. Most cluster near the river between Garrison and Tarrytown, with others scattered through Kingston, Poughkeepsie, and Hudson. Many offer guided tours; several sit on working estates or grounds you can walk. This list holds the houses that changed American design and the lives lived inside them.

What we thought of each of these 22 places is in the guide. $16 for all 460 places.

Estates & Historic Homes 22 places

Garrison

Boscobel House and Gardens

Boscobel in Garrison: a Federal mansion built 1804-1808, rescued for $35 in 1955, trucked 15 miles upriver, and rebuilt plank by plank.

Cost: Grounds & Gardens: $14 adult / $7 child (4-18); House tour (includes grounds): $24 adult / $13 child; veterans 50% off, active military free
Hours: Fri–Mon 9:00–19:00 (grounds); House tours vary seasonally
Season: Spring-Fall
Access: Grounds partly accessible

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Free to read

Top pick Tarrytown

Lyndhurst Mansion

A Gothic Revival mansion built for one Gilded Age fortune and furnished by another: Jay Gould filled it with Tiffany windows and, after his first greenhouse burned in 1880, a supposedly fireproof Lord & Burnham replacement that held 6,000 orchids. The iron greenhouse frame still stands, stripped bare, next to a rose garden that peaks in June.

Cost: Paid admission (grounds pass from $7; mansion tours $15+)
Hours: Grounds open 9:30am–4:30pm daily (April–December); mansion tours offered most days 10am–4pm
Season: April–December (seasonal)
Access: Grounds fully accessible; mansion ground floor accessible, upper floors require stairs

Heads upMansion tours require climbing stairs (no elevator in historic building); first floor only is ADA accessible. Tours do sell out. Advance tickets recommended. Grounds pass required for entry; mansion tour includes grounds access. Open seasonally April–December. Wedding season (May–October) may restrict afternoon access to some areas.

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Garrison

Manitoga / The Russel Wright Design Center

Manitoga in Garrison is Russel Wright's 75-acre woodland design: a house built into the hillside, a reshaped quarry pond, and four miles of trail.

Cost: Woodland trails free to walk year-round; check website for current guided house & studio tour pricing (mid-May-mid-November season)
Hours: Woodland trails open dawn to dusk, year-round, no reservation needed; House & studio tours mid-May through mid-November by advance reservation only
Season: House tours mid-May through mid-November; hiking trails year-round
Access: Woodland hiking trails accessible; house tour accessibility depends on specific accommodations

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Hudson

Olana State Historic Site

Frederic Church designed Olana in Hudson as a complete composition: 250 acres, mansion, and man-made lake reflecting the house like a painting.

Cost: $
Hours: Grounds free daily, 8am–sunset, year-round. House tours by ticket May 19–Nov 2, Tue–Sun 10am–4pm; free guided tours 3rd Thursday of the month, June–Oct, 5–7pm.
Season: Year-round grounds; house tours seasonal

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Pocantico Hills

Union Church of Pocantico Hills

Union Church in Pocantico Hills displays Henri Matisse's Rose Window (his last work, finished in 1954) and nine stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall.

Cost: $12 per person; complimentary for members. Tickets sold in advance only, online or at the Philipsburg Manor visitor center — never at the church itself.
Hours: Seasonal, May–December, on a shifting weekend schedule: select weekends May 9–Jun 28 and Sep 5–27; Saturdays only Jul 4–Aug 29 and Nov 7–Dec 26; Thursday–Sunday Oct 1–Nov 1. Schedule shifts around church activities — check before you go.
Season: Seasonal (May–December); best light in afternoon for Chagall windows
Access: Church accessible; narrow aisles and historic building layout

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Hyde Park

Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

The Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park holds 54 rooms with original furnishings, Italian gardens, and a 211-acre park, built 1898-1899 in Beaux-Arts style.

Cost: $15 (mansion tour); grounds free
Hours: Visitor Center 9am–5pm daily; mansion tours 10am–4pm (seasonal variations)
Season: Year-round
Access: Wheelchair accessible (with assistance via chair lift and historic elevator)

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Germantown

Clermont State Historic Site

Clermont in Germantown is where Robert R. Livingston administered Washington's oath, negotiated the Louisiana Purchase, and bankrolled Fulton's steamboat.

Cost: $10 adult / $8 senior & student mansion tour; free under 12. Grounds are free year-round.
Hours: Sun–Sat: Fri 11:00–16:00; Sat 11:00–16:00; Sun 11:00–16:00; Thu 11:00–16:00; closed Mon–Wed
Season: Spring through fall (grounds most beautiful); year-round tours available
Access: Mansion accessible by guided tour; extensive hiking trails on 500-acre grounds

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Hyde Park

Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site (Springwood)

Springwood in Hyde Park, the Roosevelt estate where FDR was born and returned through four terms, next to the country's first presidential library.

Cost: $$ (home tour $15; children under 16 free. Presidential Library $20 includes home admission)
Hours: Visitor center 9am-5pm; home tours seasonally; library 9am-6pm (April-Oct) or 9am-5pm (Nov-Mar)
Season: Year-round (seasonal tour schedules)
Access: First floor of home accessible; second floor accessed by mechanical chairlift (confirm status ahead)

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Pocantico Hills

Kykuit, the Rockefeller Estate

Nelson Rockefeller carved underground galleries into Kykuit in Pocantico Hills for Picasso tapestries, Calders, and Warhols overlooking the Hudson River.

Cost: N/A for 2026 (public tours paused). When tours last ran, pricing was $75 adult / $20 child (ages 10–17) for a 2–3 hour guided tour; expect similar pricing when tours resume in 2027.
Hours: Public tours are paused for all of 2026. Historic Hudson Valley ran visits here for three decades; the Rockefeller Brothers Fund has taken that over directly and is rebuilding the visitor program (new parking, a sculpture walk), with tours expected back in 2027. Check rbf.org/pocantico for current Pocantico Center programming in the meantime.
Season: Seasonal (generally April–November)
Access: Accessible; contact in advance

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Poughkeepsie

Locust Grove Estate

Morse's telegraph fortune built Locust Grove Estate in Poughkeepsie in 1847, designed by A. J. Davis. Walk five miles of free carriage roads.

Cost: Grounds free; mansion tours $20 adults
Hours: Grounds daily 10am-5pm; Visitor Center open weekends year-round; mansion tours Sat-Sun 11am, 1pm, and 2:30pm (weekday tours by appointment)
Season: Year-round; best spring through fall
Access: Visitor Center and grounds accessible; accessible restroom available; no wheelchair access to mansion interior (7-17 steps)

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Beacon

Mount Gulian Historic Site

Mount Gulian Historic Site in Beacon: where von Steuben founded the Society of the Cincinnati and gardener James F. Brown kept a 37-year journal.

Cost: $15 adults, $12 seniors, $8 children (ages 6-18); free under 6 and members
Hours: Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM (April 27 - October 26); group tours year-round
Season: April through October (public tours); year-round (group events)
Access: Ground floor of manor house accessible; gardens fully accessible

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New Windsor

National Purple Heart Hall of Honor

National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor: the ground where George Washington created the Badge of Military Merit in 1782.

Cost: Free admission
Hours: Sun 1:00pm-5:00pm; Tue-Sat 10:00am-5:00pm; Closed Mondays
Season: Year-round
Access: Wheelchair accessible; staff provides disposable styluses for touchscreen exhibits for those concerned about contact

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Catskill

Thomas Cole National Historic Site

At Thomas Cole National Historic Site in Catskill, stand on the porch facing the same ridgeline he painted in the 1830s. Where Hudson River School began.

Cost: $20 adult, $18 senior (62+)/military, $5 youth (13–17) and students; free for members, kids 12 and under, and SNAP/EBT cardholders. Grounds are always free.
Hours: Grounds: daily, dawn–dusk, free. Buildings (main house, studios, galleries): Wed–Sun, 10:45am–4:30pm, general admission ticket required; timed entry to the 1815 Main House at 11am, 1pm, 2pm, or 3pm.
Season: Year-round; spring through fall offers best weather and foliage
Access: First floor of main house accessible via wheelchair lift; storehouse and studio accessible; loose gravel walkways

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Tarrytown

Washington Irving's Sunnyside

Sunnyside in Tarrytown was Irving's home: a 1650s farmhouse he transformed into an ivy-covered cottage with an 1847 Spanish tower and pond.

Cost: $13-20 depending on age and season (adult $18 through early September, $20 for fall "Legendary Tours"; add $2 for same-day tickets); members and children under 3 free
Hours: Fri 11:30 am-3 pm, Sat-Sun 10 am-3:30 pm, Mon-Thu closed
Season: Seasonal: open Fri-Sun, May through early September; weekends-only "Legendary Tours" mid-September through early November, then Sat-Sun in December for holiday programming; closed January-April
Access: Visitor center with restrooms, snacks, gifts; inquire about building accessibility

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Newburgh

Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site

Washington's Headquarters in Newburgh: the farmhouse where he shut down the Newburgh Conspiracy, refused a crown, and created the Badge of Military Merit.

Cost: Free (donations welcome)
Hours: Wed-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat 11am-5pm, Sun 1pm-5pm; closed Mon-Tue
Season: Year-round
Access: Accessible

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Coxsackie

Bronck Museum

Pieter Bronck built this Coxsackie house in 1663; it's the oldest building in upstate New York. The same family expanded and lived here for 276 years.

Cost: $15 adults; $6 youth (12–17); $3 children (5–11); under 5 free
Hours: May–October: Wed–Sat 11am–4pm, Sun 1pm–4pm; closed Nov–April
Season: May through October (seasonal operation)
Access: Not fully wheelchair accessible; historic buildings with stairs and uneven floors

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Poughkeepsie

Clinton House State Historic Site

Clinton House in Poughkeepsie, built 1765, served as New York's capital from 1777 to 1783. Visit by appointment, Tuesday through Friday only.

Cost: Free (donations welcome)
Hours: Tue-Fri 10:00 AM-3:00 PM by appointment only
Season: Year-round
Access: Limited accessibility; buildings contain stairs

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Marlboro

Gomez Mill House

Luis Moses Gomez's 1714 Marlboro trading post is cited as North America's oldest standing Jewish dwelling, layered with three centuries of rebuilding.

Cost: Check website for admission
Hours: Closed to the public for renovations as of mid-2026; no reopening date announced. Call 845-236-3126 or email [email protected] before visiting
Season: Currently closed for renovation; historically open seasonally (spring–fall) for guided tours when operating
Access: Limited wheelchair access; call ahead regarding accessibility

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Sleepy Hollow

Philipsburg Manor

Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow is a restored 1750s mill where interpreters grind corn and tend livestock, centering the enslaved Africans who ran it.

Cost: $18 adult, $15 senior/young adult (18–25), $13 child (3–17); free under 3 and for members. Save $2/ticket by buying online in advance.
Hours: Sun 10:00am-3:30pm; Fri 10:30am-3:30pm; Sat 10:00am-3:30pm; Closed Mon-Thu
Season: Year-round (hours may vary seasonally)
Access: Limited wheelchair access; call ahead regarding accommodations

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Kingston

Senate House State Historic Site

New York's first Senate met in this 1676 Kingston Dutch stone house, the only building to survive when the British burned the town in 1777.

Cost: $
Hours: Mid-Apr through Oct 31: Wed–Sat 10:00am–5:00pm, Sun 1:00pm–5:00pm. By appointment year-round.
Season: Mid-April-October
Access: Accessible

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Croton-on-Hudson

Van Cortlandt Manor

Van Cortlandt Manor at Croton-on-Hudson is an eighteenth-century working estate hosting hand-carved pumpkins each fall during Jack O'Lantern Blaze.

Cost: $$
Hours: Temporarily closed for renovations (as of July 2026)
Access: Accessible

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Rhinebeck

Wilderstein Historic Site

Wilderstein in Rhinebeck is a Queen Anne mansion on 40 acres of river bluff, connected to Daisy Suckley, who gave FDR his dog Fala.

Cost: Guided house tour $20/person; grounds and trails free; group rates available
Hours: House tours Thu–Sun, May 1–Oct 31, on the hour 12–3pm (~1 hr); grounds open daily year-round, 9am–4pm, free
Season: House tours run May through October only; grounds and trails are open year-round
Access: Partially accessible; main floor accessible; contact for details

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Quartz cliffs rising from the still blue water of Lake Mohonk

In the guide

We rated all 22 of these.

The names and the practical detail above are free. The guide adds what we thought of each place, how we rated it and what to watch out for, including the ones we'd tell you not to bother with. It does the same for the other 438 places in the other categories.

You pay once. Access doesn't expire, and anything we add or correct later is included.

Towns covered

BeaconCatskillCoxsackieCroton-on-HudsonGarrisonGermantownHudsonHyde ParkKingstonMarlboroNew WindsorNewburghPocantico HillsPoughkeepsieRhinebeckSleepy HollowTarrytown

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