North/South Lake is located at County Route 18 in Haines Falls. For more information, call (518) 589-5058 or visit www.dec.ny.gov.
Orange County Arboretum
Apparently I slip into the feeling of royalty very easily, because when I drive up to the gates at the Orange County Arboretum and they just open! – just like that! – I feel pretty regal. Then I enter the garden and I’m transported into my own personal Versailles. That wisteria? Oh, yes; I had that grown for my queendom. That fountain? Yes, I had that commissioned.
I stroll through the gravel walkways surrounded by a world of flowers and shrubs that look very different from anywhere else: so well-cared-for, thoughtfully and skillfully attended-to. And the incredible floating globe in honor of Orange County lives lost on 9/11 is a poignant remembrance.
Sure, the Arboretum has plant sales and children’s programs, but don’t wait; just go. Visit “my” garden. Afterwards, make a stop at the nearby Orange County Airport. You can get a bite to eat while watching for planes at Culinary Creations, or bring your own food and enjoy the picnic tables out back.
The Orange County Arboretum is located on Grove Street off Route 416 in Montgomery. For more information, call (845) 615-3830 or visit https://orangecountyarboretum.org.
Springside
Hidden in plain sight: That’s my first impression of Springside. I had never heard of it before a friend tagged the site in a photo that she posted online. I must have seen signs for this place over the years, driving through Poughkeepsie, but never noticed or thought about them. Matthew Vassar, founder of Vassar College, owned this land a long time ago. He commissioned Andrew Jackson Downing to cultivate it as an “ornamental farm,” which would be both productive as well as decorative. Over the years, the garden fell into disarray, but a committed band of volunteers is restoring the space. I love the photos and signs that they position along the grassy pathways that give visitors a sense of what it used to be like; and the remaining freshwater spring (for which the land is named) and ruins have a way of “proving” the proud history of the estate. Our kids loved discovering the geocache, too.
Going to the mall? On your way home from work or school? Looking for somewhere new to explore without a long drive? Go check out Springside, a national landmark. Springside is located off Academy Street, off Route 9 in Poughkeepsie, and is well-signed. For more information, call (845) 454-2060 or visit https://springsidelandmark.org.
