Autumn is a wonderful time to visit Dutchess County in New York. The weather is often beautifully sunny and refreshingly cool and the fall foliage is breathtaking. There are lots of fun things to do with children in the area. Here are some of them.
The Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum
This is definitely one of the best activities in Dutchess County. The Children’s Museum by the Hudson River is two levels of educational fun for children of all ages. For the little ones there is a “grocery store” with fake food, shopping carts and baskets and cash registers, a “fire station” with fire-fighter dress-up clothes and a pretend fire truck, a “school” with desks and a chalkboard and much more. Upstairs, there are more advanced activities for older kids, but the young kids love it up there too! Among other things, there is a giant model of a heart that the kids can climb and slide through, an exhibit on the American Revolution with a ride on horse and a jail cell, and a large submarine model that plays “Yellow Submarine” by the Beatles at the push of a button. Cost: $6.50 per person over age 1. Free for members.
If you have a skateboarder in the family, check out the nearby skate park while you are down there. It is run by the YMCA and is located right by the Children Museum parking lot. Admission is $3 for City of Poughkeepsie residents and $8 for non-residents.
Vanderbilt and Mills Mansions
These estates are both wonderful places to go for walks, picnics and bike rides. In the fall, it is nice to go there just to see the trees and have a relaxing day out in nature. Vanderbilt is nice for its garden area with beautiful statues, and Mills has a nice waterfront area. If you have older kids and are interested in a tour of the mansions, they have those too! Cost: Visiting the grounds is free. Guided tour of Vanderbilt is $15/person. Guided tours of Mills Mansion: $5 for adults, free for children under 12.
Barton Orchards
This place is a riot, especially in the fall! I have gone here several times with my husband and children and it is GREAT. They have the traditional fruit and vegetable picking, of course, but in addition, they also have a fantastic corn maze (bring a drink! You’ll be in there awhile!), live music on the weekends, animals, a picnic area (with food for sale), a haunted house and a playground area. You could definitely spend the day there. It is well worth the trip! Cost: $2/person ages 4 and up general admission, or $18 admission for all activities (bouncy houses, corn maze etc.)
Area playgrounds
What trip with children would be complete without visits to local playgrounds? There are many good ones, but here are some of our favorites:
Bowdoin Park playground — This is a nice big one with a beautiful view of the river and the railroad tracks over in ulster county (it sure is exciting to see the big freight trains go by!) There are multiple play structures and ample seating for the grownups to sit and talk. One of the coolest things at this playground is a series of large tubes that the kids can climb through. Lots of fun! This playground is located in the large Bowdoin Park, which has paths, fields for sporting events and pavilions.
Playground at Millbrook Tribute Gardens — My kids’ favorite. There is a lot of sand to play in with a little “digger” you can maneuver to dig holes. There is also a large pirate ship, a fire truck and other traditional play structures. This is a very nice quiet park with a good variety of things to do.
Fun Forest — This playground is located on the grounds of Hyde Park Elementary School, so you can only go there when school is not in session. However it is a really neat wooden maze type playground with boats, balance beams and castle-like turrets. I remember when this one was built and it was a Big Deal. It still will be to the little ones.
Headless Horseman Hayrides
OK, so this one is NOT good for most children. The website states that it is not appropriate for most kids under age eight, and children five and under are not even allowed in. And technically, it isn’t even in Dutchess County. However, this place is seriously awesome. I just had to include it! This place has all sorts of scary things going on: a haunted hayride, corn maze and haunted house. Didn’t think a hayride could be that scary? Think again! For a fall trip to the Hudson Valley, this one should be on your MUST do list. Just leave the little kids with somebody else. 😉 Cost: $29 per person. Buy tickets in advance as they tend to fill up quickly.
Kids Kingdom
OK here’s one for the little ones. This place is fantastic! It is all indoors so this is a great rainy day activity. There is one large play structure with bridges, a ball pit and a slide, a smaller ball pit, a bunch of fun ride on toys, sandbox, etc. Kids can spend hours here just playing around, and there is a cafe area for when they get hungry. They do birthday parties too. This is definitely one of the first places I suggest to people visiting the area. Cost: $9.25/child ages 1+. Adults are free.
Vassar College
Vassar College in the Town of Poughkeepsie is known for its breathtaking architecture, and in the fall the beauty is just overwhelming. Come to see the gorgeous buildings and fall foliage. Exploring the grounds never gets boring for my kids and me. And if you are interested in art, Vassar is a great place to go. The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at the college is small but it has a nice, varied permanent collection and the temporary exhibitions that I have seen have been excellent. Just remember that it is an art gallery, so no running around and no touching the art. Cost: Free.
Trevor Zoo
This little zoo located at the Millbrook school and run by its students is actually quite impressive. It is small, but has a surprisingly large range of animals, including a monkey house and some very interesting birds. For a small fee, come with your children and enjoy the animals. This is a nice low-key trip. Cost: $5/adults, $3/children.
Preschooler Learning Center
This is another great place to go with young children. It is part of the Poughkeepsie Public Library district and it is a replacement for the old preschool story time at the Adriance Library. It is held in a dedicated room and basically, it is a half-hour long story time for children ages 3-5, followed by an hour of free play at various themed stations. The toys available are top-notch and it is a really great program. There are blocks and other building toys, nature-themed toys, a kitchen set, dress-up clothes and more. Check the website for times and registration. Cost: Free.
Sheep and Wool Festival
This event is held yearly at the Rhinebeck fair grounds. This year, it takes place on October 20th and 21st. If you or your kids are into knitting or other yarn crafts, this is the event for you, and even if you’re not, it is still pretty fun. It is huge, with lots of vendors selling crafts and beautiful yarn. Additionally there are events and demonstrations going on all weekend, including non-wool related events like mad science experiments and pumpkin chucking. Fun for the whole family! Cost: $10/person, children under 12 free.
Have fun!
