Things to Do in Rhinebeck, New York

Cole Palen founded this living aviation museum in 1958 and flew his first air show here in 1960. The collection covers the pioneer era, World War I and the 1920s and ’30s, and the planes still fly. It sits on the Rhinebeck line in neighboring Red Hook.

★ Good to know Air shows run Saturdays and Sundays from mid-June to mid-October; biplane rides are first come, first served on show days, and you book them on site.

This Queen Anne mansion on the Hudson was the home of Margaret “Daisy” Suckley, a cousin and confidante of FDR who trained his dog Fala. The 1853 villa was remodeled in 1888 with a five-story round tower, and Calvert Vaux laid out the drives and trails around it. Daisy Suckley opened it to the public in 1984.

★ Good to know The house is seen on guided tours, while the grounds and trails are there to walk, so check the calendar before you go.

The Beekman Arms at 6387 Mill Street claims to be America’s oldest continuously operated hotel. The tavern dates to 1704 and has stood on this corner since 1766. George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and Martin Van Buren all passed through, and it sits inside a historic district listed on the National Register in 1979.

★ Good to know Walk a block to 44 Montgomery Street to see the 1844 Henry Delamater House, an early Gothic Revival design by Alexander Jackson Davis.

This nonprofit preserve on Mt. Rutsen Road has 12 miles of trails, a pond and a fire tower you can climb. It’s open year-round for hiking, mountain biking, fishing and skiing, and it gets no government funding.

★ Good to know The fire tower is free to climb; donations keep the forest running.

Scenic Hudson’s 120-acre park sits just north of the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge in Red Hook. It was laid out around 1850 as a series of “outdoor rooms” of meadow and woods. Washington Irving liked to walk here, and the trail ends at a pavilion looking across to the Catskills.

★ Good to know It’s free, and closing time shifts with the seasons, so check the park page before an evening walk.

The fairgrounds at 6596 Route 9 host the Dutchess County Fair each late August, with midway rides, grandstand music and livestock shows. In October the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival takes over, with more than 300 fiber vendors and sheepdog herding demos.

★ Good to know Pets aren’t allowed at the fair, and village lodging fills fast on Sheep and Wool weekend, so book early.

Upstate Films runs the Starr Cinema in the village, showing new independent releases alongside revival-house classics. It also hosts filmmaker talkbacks and author events.

★ Good to know It’s now open seven days a week; check the online schedule for showtimes.