Poughkeepsie

Poughkeepsie is the name of both a town and a city in Dutchess County in New York's Hudson Valley. The City of Poughkeepsie is along the Hudson River on its eastern shore, where the river marks the boundary of the city and of the county (Ulster County is on the other side). The Town of Poughkeepsie encompasses surrounding areas of Dutchess County bordering on the city, and is more suburban in character.

Get in

By plane

By car

  • US Route 9 passes through Poughkeepsie in the north-south direction, so you can get there on it by heading north from New York City or south from Albany (or beyond in the Adirondacks), though people usually use expressways for at least part of those trips rather than taking Route 9 all the way.
  • US Route 44 and New York State Route 55 pass concurrently through the city of Poughkeepsie in an east-west direction (forming the East-West Arterial, with the westbound and eastbound lanes on separate streets several blocks apart). East of the city, the two routes split, with US-44 heading northeast and NY-55 southeast, both in the direction of Connecticut. To the west, they cross the Hudson River (on the Mid-Hudson Bridge, a toll bridge) and head towards the Catskills.
  • Interstate 84 goes through Fishkill, south of Poughkeepsie, where you can take it west from Connecticut or east from Pennsylvania, then get off at exit 13 and take Route 9 north to Poughkeepsie.
  • The New York Thruway (Interstate 87) is west of the Hudson River, where you can get from it to Poughkeepsie by getting off at New Paltz (exit 18) or Newburgh (exit 17) and crossing the river to the east. It runs between New York City and Buffalo by way of Albany.

By train

See also: Rail travel in the United States

Get around

  • Within the City of Poughkeepsie, streets with a "North" or "South" prefix are usually north or south of Main Street, which runs east-west from the riverfront to the outskirts of town. Formerly part of Main Street was closed to traffic as the pedestrian Main Mall, but this has been converted back to a driveable street.
  • Within the City of Poughkeepsie, Route 9 is an expressway, but outside the city it becomes South Road and North Road, commercial thoroughfares lined with strip malls and the like.
  • There were formerly separate bus systems serving the City of Poughkeepsie and the rest of Dutchess County, but they have been combined into one county-wide Dutchess County Public Transit bus system centering on Main and Market Streets in the City of Poughkeepsie.

See

  • 🌍 Locust Grove, 2683 South Rd, +1 845 454-4500. Guided mansion tours daily 10:15 AM-3:15 PM, May 1-Oct 31. Closed major holidays. The former estate of Samuel F.B. Morse, whose patent of the electromagnetic telegraph revolutionized human communication. Set on 150 acres, the Italianate villa was designed by architect Alexander Jackson Davis. Adults $12, youth (6-18) $6.
  • 🌍 Vassar College, 124 Raymond Ave, +1 845 437-7000. Founded in 1861, Vassar College is a highly selective, residential, coeducational liberal arts college. Consistently ranked among the top liberal arts colleges in the country, Vassar is renowned for pioneering achievements in education, for its long history of curricular innovation, and for the beauty of its campus. Especially noteworthy is the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, which has ancient, medieval, Asian, European and American art and objects, well worth a visit. The Center is free to visit; open Tuesday through Saturday, 10AM-5PM, Thursdays open until 9PM; Sundays, 1PM to 5PM. Closed Mondays. The grounds of the college are quite lovely (in good weather); the campus is maintained as an arboretum, with more than 200 varieties of trees on 1,000 acres.
  • 🌍 Marist College. Private liberal arts college founded in 1905, with a 180-acre main campus overlooking the Hudson River.

Do

  • 🌍 Walkway over the Hudson (Entrance on Parker Ave in Poughkeepsie), +1 845 454-9649. Open from 7AM to sunset 7 days a week. Dogs Allowed, Handicap Accessible. The Bridge connects Poughkeepsie to Highland and it has a long history; it was built in 1888 as a railroad bridge, and it caught fire in 1974 and was too expensive to tear down. Today it is the longest pedestrian footbridge in the world at 6,768 feet (1.28 miles) long. Being 212 feet over the Hudson River it gives you a great view of the sunset and the skyline of Poughkeepsie and Highland.
  • Empire Cruise Lines, 29 North Water St, toll-free: +1-866-797-9024. Sightseeing cruises on the Hudson River.
  • 🌍 Bardavon Opera House, 35 Market St, +1 845 473-5288, +1 845 472-2072 (Box office), fax: +1 845 472-4259. The Bardavon was established in 1869, and now takes part in many legendary musical performances. Closed for the summers, reopens in September, prices varied, accepts all major credit cards, personal checks, cash, and gift cards.
  • Casperkill Golf Club, 2320 South Rd./ Rt.9, +1 845 463-0900. Dawn until dusk open all year, weather permitting. Formerly a country club for IBM employees, Casperkill Golf Club is an 18 hole championship golf course including lessons, putting green, driving range, and pro-golf shop. call for rates and reserve online.
  • 🌍 Mid-Hudson Children's Museum, 75 North Water St, +1 845 471-0589. Tuesday-Friday 9:30AM-5PM, Saturday Sunday 11AM-5PM. The Mid-Hudson Children's Museum is an interactive, hands-on museum with a variety of different exhibits all focused on Hudson Valley heritage, technology, and science. For children up to age 12.
  • Bananas Comedy Club, Mercury Grand Hotel 2170 Rt. 9, +1 845 462-3333. Friday opens at 9PM, Saturday opens at 8PM-10:30PM. Bananas Comedy Club includes top comedians from television, movies, Atlantic City, and Las Vegas. Dinner and overnight packages available. $12 on Friday $15 on Saturday and Sunday.

Buy

  • 🌍 Poughkeepsie Galleria, 2001 South Rd (go south on Route 9 (South Road) a few miles from the City of Poughkeepsie), +1 845 297-7600. M-Sa 10AM - 9:30PM; Su 11AM - 6PM. A large shopping mall in the Town of Poughkeepsie.

Eat

  • 🌍 River Station Restaurant & Catering, 1 North Water Street, +1 845 452-9207. Seafood and American cuisine with a full service bar and outdoor dining on the waterfront of the Hudson River with some outstanding views. River Station offers full service catering.
  • Shadows on the Hudson, 176 Rinaldi Blvd, +1 845 486-9500, fax: +1 845 486-9501. M-Th 11:30AM-10PM (Cocktails until 11PM), F Sa 11:30AM-11PM (cocktails until 2AM), Su brunch 11AM-2PM, lunch & dinner 1-9PM. Located on the riverfront, this modern restaurant is also a bar, outside seating, great views, great food, a little fancier than casual dress.
  • 🌍 Cosimos Trattoria, 120 Delafield St, +1 845 485-7172. Brick oven pizza, reservations for over seven, outdoor seating available, near the riverfront,underneath the Walkway on the Hudson. Easy access from Route 9.

Drink

  • 🌍 Mahoney's Irish Pub & Restaurant, 35 Main St, +1 845-471-7026. Daily 11AM-4PM.
  • Noah's Ark, 135 Mill St, +1 845 486-9295. Popular with upperclass students and 20-something locals for its happy hour, half price drinks on Thursdays 6-7:30PM, half price drinks and buffet on Fridays 6PM-7:30PM. The buffet normally consists of buffalo chicken wings and pasta.

Sleep

Go next

From Poughkeepsie you can explore the entire Hudson Valley, or head north for the Adirondacks, west for the Catskills, east for New England, or south for New York City.

Routes through Poughkeepsie
Albany (Rensselaer) Rhinecliff  N  S  Croton-on-Hudson New York City
Albany (Rensselaer) Rhinecliff  N  S  Croton-on-Hudson New York City
Albany Hyde Park  N  S  Fishkill New York City
END Kerhonkson  W  E  Amenia Hartford
END  N  S  Beacon Croton-on-Hudson


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