Art in Bloom . . . Gardens and Grandeur of the Hudson River Valley

Sunday, September 13 – Thursday, September 17, 2020

5 Days / 4 Nights

Photo credit: Wave Hill

New York’s Hudson River Valley is renowned for its intense historical significance, the legacy of America’s great industrialists and the grand gardens that flank both sides of its waters. For centuries, the architectural, natural and horticultural treasures of the area have inspired artists and authors. Now is your chance to join a modern day “Hudson River School” designed especially for garden enthusiasts! With roots planted in Washington Irving’s beloved Tarrytown, this tour branches up and down the mighty Hudson with visits to sites that truly run the garden gamut—all in the company of a full-time Horticulturist Guide. From the classically manicured landscapes of the Rockefeller Estate at Kykuit to the bold blurring of house and grounds at Russel Wright’s Manitoga, and from the revered collection of outdoor sculptures at the Storm King Art Center to the gloriously reclaimed sanctuary of Teatown Lake’s Wildflower Island, this tour will inspire even the greenest of thumbs to view the term “garden variety” in a whole new light. Just how green is this valley? Read on to find out! Day One, Sunday, September 13: Arrive in Sleepy Hollow early afternoon. Join your full-time Horticulturist Guide and begin your Hudson Valley experience in the style of a true titan of industry with a visit to Kykuit, the former estate of John D. Rockefeller that dates back to the late 1800s. Located only 25 miles from New York City, this 250-acre property with breathtaking river views served as a private oasis for four generations of the Rockefeller family before it was opened to the public as a historic site under the care of the National

Trust for Historic Preservation. Today, the site is known for the 40-room, Georgian style mansion that sits at the center of the property, if not more so for the meticulously designed gardens that surround its perimeter and the lush greenery that envelops its stone facade. During this afternoon’s guided tour, you’ll visit the first floor of the mansion that is outfitted with fine antique furnishings from around the world. Next, you’ll explore Kykuit’s elegant Beaux-Arts style terraced gardens. These include a Morning Garden, Grand Staircase, Japanese Garden and Tea House, Italian Garden, Oceanus Fountain, Loggia and Rose Garden. The grounds are also graced with numerous sculptures, ranging from classical mythology themes to modern masterworks by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder and Isamu Noguchi.

Depart Kykuit in the late afternoon and transfer to your nearby, full-service Tarrytown hotel. Tarrytown is a quintessential Hudson Valley town immortalized in many works by its most famous resident, Legend of Sleepy Hollow author, Washington Irving. After you have checked in and refreshed, gather for an included dinner served at the hotel’s restaurant. Following you main course, enjoy a glass of champagne with dessert, as your Horticulturist Guide previews the exciting days to come!

Day Two, Monday, September 14: Following an early breakfast, board your coach and travel north for a diverse day of garden touring.

Today’s first visit will be to Manitoga, the former home, studio and 75-acre woodland garden of American industrial designer, Russel Wright. Built on the site of an abandoned granite quarry in Garrison, the complex is an utterly unique testament to Wright's enduring ideas about good design and living in harmony with nature and holds the distinction of being both a National Historic Landmark and one of the few 20th century modern homes with original landscape open to the public. Features of the house include large expanses of glass allowing for views of the 30-foot Waterfall, the Quarry Pool and surrounding landscape. Boulders, plantings and stone terraces are positioned to

bring the outdoors in, blending architecture and landscape. Although the many elements of the garden are familiar—house, terraces, trellis, and paths—nothing is conventional. During this morning’s visit, Manitoga’s resident groundskeeper will lead your group on an immersive House, Studio and Landscape tour. From Manitoga, it’s just a short distance to Cold Spring, where you will enjoy an afternoon at Stonecrop Gardens, a veritable gardener’s paradise! Perched in a dramatic setting in the Hudson Highlands, Stonecrop Gardens was the former private garden of Garden Conservancy founder, Frank Cabot and his wife, Anne, and has become an important destination for gardening enthusiasts since opening to the public in 1992. The display gardens cover an area of about 12 acres and incorporate a diverse collection of gardens and plants. A 2,000 square-foot conservatory housing tender specimens

floats on a pond near the entry and multiple greenhouses display alpines, tropicals and succulents. Your group will enjoy an included picnic lunch, followed by a guided tour of the grounds and free time to explore and shop for plants on sale in the Potting Shed. Next, visit the Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Garden at the PepsiCo World Headquarters in Purchase. Kendall, the company’s former CEO, believed that art could stimulate creativity in business, and in 1980 he enlisted the renowned British landscape architect Russel Page. Page provided an exquisite setting for 46 sculptural works by some of the medium’s most revered artists in what would become his final masterpiece and one of the rare surviving North American examples of his genius. Smaller sculptures populate the area immediately surrounding the company headquarters, where the style of gardening is formal, with clipped hedges, trained trees and fountains. Beyond this, the landscape is on a grand scale, a fitting setting for monumental sculptures among collections of trees, specialty gardens and woodlands. The “Golden Path,” a creation of Page, winds through this area and acts as a ribbon, tying in features around the gardens and presenting a continuous series of viewpoints. Return to Tarrytown in the late afternoon. Dinner is on your own this evening. Board the coach and travel into historic Downtown Tarrytown where you may sample one of the local eateries, or relax and dine at the hotel’s restaurant. Day Three, Tuesday, September 15:

After breakfast at the hotel, travel to nearby Yonkers for a guided tour of Untermeyer Gardens. Situated on the former Greystone estate of New York Governor Samuel Tilden, these glorious grounds were a labor of love for lawyer Samuel Untermeyer who purchased the land in 1899. Untermeyer then hired architect William Welles Bosworth (who was responsible for much of the landscape design at Kykuit) to design the gardens, which would eventually be transformed into some of the most celebrated in America. After Untermeyer’s passing, these once proud gardens languished in neglect, as public resources were not enough to

maintain their upkeep. An ambitious re-planting program has brought this cherished Westchester jewel back to luster and now attracts over 70,000 visitors annually. Your Untermeyer Gardens Conservancy guide will provide in-depth overviews of the site’s fascinating history and exciting ongoing restoration. You will no doubt feel transported to the great gardens of Europe as you stroll through the Persian-inspired Walled Garden and Rock Garden.

Next, travel to the New York Botanical Garden for a late-morning and afternoon of independent exploration. A wonderland for everything that grows, the Botanical Garden features more than a million plants on 250 acres and is one of the world's largest plant research and conservation programs. It is also listed as a National Historic Landmark and contains 50 different gardens and plant collections. The centerpiece of the Garden is the iconic Haupt Conservatory, a Victorian wrought iron and glass masterpiece inspired by London’s Crystal Palace. Other highlights include the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, a Japanese Rock Garden, an Herb Garden and a 37-acre conifer collection. Your admission includes access to the Garden Trams, so you may efficiently navigate your “must-see” sites! During your visit, have lunch on your own at one of the on-site eateries. Along your route back to Tarrytown, you will stop for a visit at Wave Hill. Often called “one of the

greatest living works of art,” Wave Hill is a spectacular public garden overlooking the Hudson River and Palisades in Riverdale. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the estate includes two houses and a botanical garden. The oldest part of the main house, Wave Hill House, dates back to 1843, and Glyndor House dates from 1927. Wave Hill now serves as a non-profit cultural center dedicated to exploring human connections to the natural world. A Wave Hill docent will guide you through the carefully cultivated gardens and extensive collection of rare and unusual plants and provide a history of this vibrant, yet intimate 28-acre site. The awe-

inspiring view at the Great Lawn and Pergola Overlook will provide a picture-perfect finale to today’s exploration of the Lower Hudson Valley. Depart Wave Hill and return to your hotel. There will be time to relax and refresh before heading out to your dinner destination. Board the coach and travel a short distance where your group will dine on New American fare served in a chic restaurant housed in a former Village Hall. After dinner, return to your Tarrytown hotel for a good night’s rest. Day Four, Wednesday, September 16: After breakfast, travel to nearby Ossining for a visit to the Teatown Lake Reservation, a 1,000-acre nature preserve dedicated to inspiring the Hudson Valley community to lifelong environmental stewardship. In addition to miles of hiking trails, a Raptor Loop, a Bee and Butterfly Garden and an interactive Educational Center, Teatown is home to one of the most unique ecosystems in the area—Wildflower

Island. This two-acre island refuge for over 230 species of native wildflowers did not begin intentionally. In 1924, the Bailey Brook was dammed to create the Teatown Lake, leaving an elevated knoll of land above the water line. Wildflower Island, virtually inaccessible to deer and less vulnerable to invasives, has become a sanctuary for woodland wildflower species like Lady’s Slipper Orchids, Trillium and Wild Columbine, leaving Wildflower Island to represent the forest that once was. Due to the importance of preserving this delicate sanctuary, access to the island is very limited, making this morning’s intimate tour led by Wildflower Island curator, Leah Kennell and her team of dedicated volunteers, a rare treat indeed! You will next visit the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. Housed just down the road from

Kykuit in the beautiful 1930s farm complex built by the Rockefeller family, Stone Barns is a working farm, restaurant and education center devoted to teaching, demonstrating and promoting sustainable, community-based food production. The center marries Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow’s Dutch colonial farming traditions with 21st century techniques across 80 rolling acres of gardens, pastures and woods. Your group will tour the grounds with a Stone Barns farmer who will explain the Center’s mission and operation. Next,

roll up your sleeves and prepare to get your hands (a little) dirty during a harvesting or seed saving activity. You may purchase lunch at the on-site cafe. Return to your hotel in the afternoon and refresh before reconvening in the hotel’s meeting space for a private Wreath-making Workshop with Hamptons-based, dried floral artist, Diana Conklin. A former president of the South Fork Craftsmen’s Guild, Diana teaches the lost art of dried flowers with a fresh twist! Everyone in your group will create a Fall Harvest Wreath that may be hung or used as a centerpiece. Diana will provide a large assortment of dried materials grown on her Long Island farm. Tonight, gather for a fond farewell dinner served at a nearby, award-winning restaurant. Savor the flavors of fine Italian cuisine served amidst beautiful waterfall and koi pond views. Day Five, Thursday, September 17: Following breakfast, forage your belongings and check out of your Tarrytown hotel. As you make your way out of Tarrytown, visit the Native Plant Center at Westchester Community College. Born of the philosophy that native plants provide a regional identity and geographic “sense of place,” the Center showcases plants indigenous to the Northeast in an effort to educate and inspire people to incorporate native plants in their own landscapes. A garden curator from the Center’s “Go Native U” program will guide your group through the Lady Bird Johnson Demonstration Garden and New American Cottage Garden and explain the environmental and economic benefits of native plants that go well beyond their beauty.

Next, explore the sculpture garden at the Storm King Art Center in Cornwall. Storm King collects, exhibits and conserves modern and contemporary art—from large-scale sculpture, to site-specific

earthworks, to related drawings and photographs—to create a dynamic and unique place to explore art in nature. The site was originally envisioned as a museum devoted to Hudson River School painting in 1960. However, by 1961 its founders had become committed to modern sculpture, and it was not long before Storm King began to place sculpture directly in the sprawling landscape. Since then, every work has been sited with consideration of both its

immediate surroundings and distant views. More than 50 years after it’s founding, Storm King continues to grow and evolve and is among the world’s leading sculpture parks. A docent-led tour will provide an introductory overview to the park before you explore on your own. There will be time to have lunch on your own at the onsite café. After your visit begin your travels home. Say goodbye to your guide and your driver. Each traveler will depart with a souvenir gift to remember his or her Hudson Valley vacation! Your Package Includes:

• 4 Nights accommodations • 4 Breakfasts • 1 Lunch • 3 Dinners • Champagne dessert reception • House and gardens tour at Kykuit, the Rockefeller Estate • Guided tour of Untermeyer Gardens • Admission to the New York Botanical Garden • Guided tour of Wave Hill • House and grounds tour at Manitoga, the Russel Wright Design Center • Shuttle service to and from Manitoga • Guided tour at Stonecrop Gardens • Docent-led tour of the grounds and sculptures at Storm King Art Center • Curator-led tour of Wildflower Island • Tour and hands-on activity at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture • Wreath-making workshop • Guided tour of the Native Plant Center gardens at Westchester Community College • Self-guided visit to the Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Garden (PepsiCo Sculpture Garden) • Services of a full-time, Horticulturist Guide for the duration of the tour • Souvenir gift • Baggage handling for one piece of luggage per traveler

• Round trip motor coach transportation • Accommodations, group meals, admissions and baggage handling for the motor coach driver • Taxes and gratuities (Note: Gratuities for the coach driver, full-time guide and local guides are

not included and are at your discretion based on service)

Pricing Information:

• Per person double occupancy: 1,849.00 • Per person triple occupancy: 1,729.00 • Per person quad occupancy: 1,669.00 • Per person single occupancy: 2,279.00

824 West Lakeshore Drive, Suite 3, Colchester, VT 05446 802-881-0661 Copyright2019NotchAboveTours, Inc.