Even though the new movie “Hyde Park on Hudson” was filmed in England, the town of Hyde Park — which President Franklin Delano Roosevelt called home and where the film takes place — is actually just a couple hours north of New York City. The flick, which comes out next week, tells the tale of King George VI’s historic 1939 visit to FDR’s Hudson Valley estate. Before you see the movie, get a real sense of the area’s history by spending a Saturday afternoon — or even a whole weekend — in the bucolic town.
But the trip doesn’t just appeal to history nerds: There’s plenty to eat and drink. For those who love architecture and design, the region is bursting with historic estates. And there’s serious antiquing to be done. By the end of a long weekend, you’ll go home whistling “Happy Days Are Here Again.”
HOP TO HYDE PARK
Still in the grips of election fever? Visit Springwood (4079 Albany Post Road; 800-FDR-VISIT), where FDR was born, spent his formative years and built his library ($14 gets you into both; children are admitted for free). The house is preserved pretty much the way FDR left it upon his death in 1945: His Harvard pennant still hangs in his childhood bedroom, and a Parcheesi set is still out in the cluttered study, where FDR hashed out world affairs with Winston Churchill and others as president. Adorning the walls are Roosevelt’s collection of framed anti-British cartoons from the War of 1812. (The drawings play a modest role in the movie, when King George is placed in an upstairs bedroom with some of the artwork — which actually happened in real life.)
Springwood is also the site of FDR’s Presidential Library, which is currently in the middle of an extensive renovation. The open wing, however, includes a massive photo archive, including never-before-seen photos of FDR in his wheelchair.
But the house and museum are just a small part of any FDR-focused visit.
A major plot point of “Hyde Park on Hudson” concerns coaxing King George VI (Samuel West) into eating that all-American staple: The hot dog, which cements the relationship between the two countries.
“I remember when [local resident] Harry Johnson was still alive, he told me a story,” says Kevin Oldenburg, a park ranger for the Roosevelt and Vanderbilt historic sites. “He said, ‘Mother sent me to town and she said, “Harry — make sure you get Swifts [hot dogs] — because nothing but the best for the king and queen.” ’ ”
The famous picnic took place at Top Cottage, the Dutch colonial house on the easternmost end of the estate (unfortunately, the cottage is closed for the winter months), which FDR used as an escape from Springwood.
But if you want to check out another Roosevelt family escape, visit the former first lady’s retreat, Val-Kill (519 Albany Post Road; 845-229-9115), located two miles from Springwood, which features a 45-minute guided tour ($8). A former furniture factory, Eleanor converted it into a stone cottage for herself and her friends Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman.
Naturally, after all that frank talk, what a visitor might crave above all else is a good, old-fashioned hot dog. The meaty, $3.95 quarter-pound dog at the Eveready Diner (4184 Albany Post Road; 845-229-8100) does the trick. Featured on the TV show “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” the diner houses a bakery in its basement and turns out not overly sweet pancakes made with malt powder ($5.29).
For a scenic post-meal stroll, check out the “cottage” Frederick Vanderbilt built for himself in 1898, a 50-room dwelling designed by Charles Follen McKim totaling (according to Oldenburg) around 50,000 square feet. The Gilded Age-era home, called the Vanderbilt Mansion (4097 Albany Post Road; 845-229-7770), is a triumph of its era and was decorated by Stanford White (one of the great architects of the 20th century). It has all the luxurious accompaniments: 15th-century Flemish tapestries, a 25-foot-long dining room table that could seat 16, Indiana limestone on the exterior, and Italian marble and Santo Domingo mahogany on the interior. Louise Vanderbilt’s main bedroom was made to look like Marie Antoniette’s salon at Versailles.
“Louise was a Francophile,” Oldenburg says. “She loved everything French.”
Fancy a more upscale meal for dinnertime? The nearby Culinary Institute of America likes to boast it’s the preeminent cooking college in the country. Examine its pupils’ work for yourself (the CIA is home to two cafes and three restaurants) at American Bounty (1946 Campus Drive; 845-471-6608), a high-ceilinged, cavernous eatery that’s your best bet for a delicious and reasonably priced meal. Wet your whistle with a locally made American Bounty Anniversary Ale, a dark, almost chocolate tasting, beer ($6) made specifically for the restaurant. The buttermilk fried oysters ($9) are plump, not at all greasy, and crunchy; the duck leg ($18) hails from the Hudson Valley. And you can watch the desserts being made from the dining room. Just be sure to make a reservation a few weeks in advance — the restaurant fills up quickly.
A RESPITE IN RHINEBECK
We expect that lovers of FDR are probably students of history — and what student of history wouldn’t relish the chance to stay at the oldest continually run inn in America? At least that’s the claim of the Beekman Arms (6387 Mill St.; 845-876-7077), founded in 1766. Rates start at $145 for the night ($100 if you want to stay in the guest house next door). While you’re there, stop in for a pint at the low-ceilinged bar, which FDR used to frequent.
“He ended each campaign — presidential and governor — here,” says employee Larry Cihanek, the self-appointed historian of the inn.
As you enter, Cihanek will point to an unremarkable table near the bar: “Four of his children and grandchildren came in and asked for this table,” he says. It was the 32nd president’s regular spot.
If you feel the need to try some Hudson Valley brews, try the wide local and international selection at Grand Cru Beer and Cheese Market (6384 Mill St.; 845-876-6992), which sells between 270 and 300 different beers. It’s mostly a shopping destination, but the market has several tables set up in the front — a perfect place to sip local suds, such as Crossroads, Keegan Ales, Chatham Brewing, Newburgh and Rushing Duck. Pair them with Stella Vallis Tomme cheese from nearby Pine Plains ($24 per pound).
If you’re more of a vino person, there are cab francs, pinot noirs and chardonnays galore at the 130-acre Millbrook Winery (26 Wing Road, Millbrook; 845-677-8383), which offers year-round tours and tastings (ranging from $10 to $25).
One of the things you learn driving along the main drag, Route 9, is that you’re also in antique country — and the best finds are in Rhinebeck, home to an assortment of small stores like Portly Pug Antiques (38 E. Market St.; 845-876-6896), or the massive barn at the Beekman Arms Antique Market (24 W. Market St.; 845-876-3477). But top honors go to Asher House Antiques (6380 Mill St.; 845-876-1794), featuring spectacular items like English farmhouse tables ($3,600) and Swedish tall clocks ($6,750).
. . . AND, FOR A PIT STOP IN POUGHKEEPSIE ON THE WAY HOME . . .
Plush mansions are lovely to admire, but one of the things that drew millionaires to this region was the sheer beauty of the surroundings, and there’s no better way to take it in than strolling across the Walkway Over the Hudson (eastern entrance, 61 Parker Ave.; 845-454-9649, walkway.org) — an enormous, 1.28-mile, 19th-century railroad bridge that was revamped as a historic park, now open to the public and offering picnic tables at both ends.