Discover Westchester: Nature, Culture, and Excursions

Westchester combines expansive landscapes, historic places, and a variety of excursion destinations. The county is bordered by the Hudson River on its western side; the towns along the river can be reached by Metro-North Railroad. Depending on your travel plans, you can therefore combine nature experiences, culture, and family-friendly activities. When searching for a vacation rental or vacation home, it is worth first deciding on your preferred focus: extensive trails, historic sights, museums, or waterfront excursions.

Trails, Open Spaces, and Distinctive Landscapes

Westchester County has nearly 50,000 acres of accessible open space, including more than 24,000 acres of county parkland. The scenic trail network is suitable for hiking, running, cycling, and leisurely walks. Where available, planning information includes distances, access points, historical notes, sights, and parking options at important entrances.

Teatown protects 1,000 acres in the Lower Hudson Valley. Another notable route is the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail: visitors can walk the entire 41 miles along the old tunnel. The section in Westchester County forms an approximately 26-mile-long linear state park. The Old Croton Aqueduct itself was a covered 19th-century tunnel that brought fresh water from Croton in New York State to New York City. Take the distance into account when planning your day and choose the scope of the activity to suit your travel itinerary.

Experience Culture and History

Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site offers tours of its museum, historic church, and burial ground. During the American Revolutionary War, the church served as a hospital. The Thomas Paine Cottage is a historic house museum. It contains some of the few surviving items that once belonged to Thomas Paine, including a simple chair and a cast-iron stove given to him by Benjamin Franklin.

Caramoor also offers a variety of cultural points of interest. The Music Room is used for chamber music, recitals, American roots music, jazz performances, lectures, and the popular afternoon teas. Rosen House is a historic Mediterranean-style house and remains fully furnished with the works of art collected by Walter and Lucie Rosen. The Sunken Garden is a historic garden and, at the same time, an outdoor performance venue on the Caramoor grounds.

In Yonkers, the Hudson River Museum showcases American art and changing exhibitions. The museum also includes Glenview, a historic house dating from 1877, a planetarium, an environmental education gallery, and an outdoor amphitheater. This allows you to plan a cultural outing in different ways without having to commit to just one type of museum visit.

Excursions for Different Interests

The Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge Path is a 3.6-mile shared-use path. Six overlooks and facilities at each entrance enhance the trail experience. For families, Playland offers an unusually varied combination: historic rides, a beach, a boardwalk, a swimming pool, boat rides, picnic areas, fireworks, miniature golf, and an indoor ice-skating rink. On the shore of Long Island Sound, Playland Beach offers opportunities for beach activities and swimming-pool use.

Those who would like to learn about regional agriculture can include the Westchester Farm Trail in their plans. The state-designated route is 17 miles long and connects 13 farms and orchards from Sleepy Hollow to North Salem. In addition, Westchester County offers a year-round event calendar with seasonal festivals, open-air concerts, art exhibitions, wine and food tastings, and family-friendly festivals.

Choose the Right Base

A vacation rental in Westchester can be particularly useful if you would like to divide your days flexibly between trails, culture, and excursions. For a nature-focused trip, the open spaces, Teatown, and the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail are key themes. Those who prefer historic places and art can make Saint Paul's Church, the Thomas Paine Cottage, Caramoor, or the Hudson River Museum the focus of their trip. Playland, the Bridge Path, and the Farm Trail also offer options for varied family days. When choosing your accommodation, therefore, consider above all which travel focus best suits the stay you want.

For further guidance, you can also visit the pages on Tarrytown, White Plains, Ardsley, Yonkers, Rye Brook, Rye, Yorktown Heights, Mt Kisco, Mount Vernon, Elmsford, Peekskill, New Rochelle, and Briarcliff Manor.

For the broader travel overview: New York.