Hudson Valley

If you're looking for a spot to pick up a good chunk of cheese and a crusty baguette, this is it. (At any given time, there's a selection of some forty to sixty cheeses from northwest purveyors like Jasper Hill Farm and Sugar House Creamery.) There's also a nice spread of freshly prepared salads, sandwiches, and baked goods that change often based on what's freshest locally. P.S. The mini loaves of ginger cake are topped with lemon frosting and make for a great road-tripping indulgence.

Down the street from the Rivertown Lodge, Grazin’, opened by local farmer Dan Gibson of Angus Acres in nearby Ghent, is an organic burger joint in a throwback-y diner setting. The most popular burger (100 percent grass-fed beef) is the Uncle Dude, topped with house-made chipotle mayo, jalapeño relish, Hudson Valley cheddar, bacon from the farm, garden greens, and tomato (if they’re in season). For lighter appetites, there are smaller-sized portions, too.

Still one of the hottest tickets in town (more than two years after opening), Fish & Game is a reservation worth nabbing. The warm, cozy tavern-like vibe (it’s housed in a former 19th-century blacksmith’s shop) is punctuated with mounted taxidermy, ornate velvet wallpaper, and a hearth. The menu draws from the surrounding valley’s freshest produce, fish, and livestock and changes daily. Look for sugar snap peas tossed with young garlic and herbs, grilled soft-shell crab and smoked eggplant, as well as a whole roast chicken, which is cooked to perfection.

Wm Farmer & Sons prides itself in its home-away-from-home vibe (the rooms are named after proprietors William Kirby Farmer and Kristan Keck’s relatives). Rooms vary in size and layout depending on your needs, but each one is comfortable, appointed with antiques, and some with a clawfoot tub and gas stove fireplace, too. In the evening, it’s worth swinging by the barroom for their specialty craft cocktails. If you’re in a festive mood, a Hudson Valley Rye Flight showcases some of the area’s best spirits.

Housed in a former 1920's movie theater, Rivertown Lodge is one of the newer spots in the Hudson Valley.

This adorable little antique shop in Hudson is curated by Jocelyn Sinauer, who sources her pieces during extensive trips abroad in France, Sweden, and Belgium. Her emphasis is on European antiques, and the entire store has somewhat of a New England farmhouse feel—perfectly faded french linens and vintage tablewares are plentiful. There's a lovely garden in the back, where visitors can look through a collection of worn terra cotta pots and rustic outdoor furniture. It's the perfect stop along a trip upstate.

The Dia Art Foundation’s extraordinary space at the old Nabisco box printing factory in the Hudson River Valley is a worthwhile, scenic drive from New York City. The Robert Irwin designed space and gardens make an artful backdrop to the permanent collection of works made after 1960, with entire spaces dedicated to contemporary masters like Richard Serra, Joseph Beuys, Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, and more. The galleries are lit by the light of day that filters in, so opening times morph throughout the seasons.