Free "Everything Dutch" Map
In celebration of Henry Hudson’s 400th anniversary of exploration and settlement along the Hudson River Valley, Hudson Valley Tourism has launched a special “Everything Dutch” Website and is offering free maps detailing events and historic sites throughout the 10-county area in New York State’s Hudson Valley Region.
By logging onto www.everythingdutch.org, visitors will be able to request their free maps and plan various excursions to a series of exciting events, historic sites, museums, gardens, art galleries, parks and more that depict the Dutch culture.
The Dutch influence is everywhere throughout the Hudson Valley from the Dutch Reformed First Church of Albany, dating back to 1642, to the Knickerbocker Mansion, a 1770 Schaghticoke estate providing a unique example of early Dutch architecture. Fort Decker, located in Port Jervis, served as a home, military post and trading store for the descendants of Garretson Decker of Holland. The Dewint House in Tappan is the oldest surviving building in Rockland County, and served as George Washington’s temporary headquarters during the Revolutionary War.
In Albany, the Luykas Van Alen House holds America’s oldest pulpit, imported from Holland in 1656, and in Croton-on-Hudson, Van Cortlandt Manor offers an insight into the daily lives of the prominent Van Cortlandt family.
Special events from now through 2009 include the Hudson Valley Quadricentennial Kick-off weekend at the Newburgh-Beacon Bay featuring “Four Centuries in 48 Hours,” featuring tours of the replica ship of “Half Moon”. Other special events include the Annual Colonial Dinner at the Mount Gulian Historic Site in Beacon, the Heritage Craft Fair in Coxsackie, a re-enactment of the “Burning of Kingston” in Kingston, the Crailo Harvest Faire in Rensselaer, the Ferry-Go-Round and Haverstraw Street Fair, the Pinkster Festival at Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow, and much, much more.
The “Everything Dutch” celebration will continue through 2009 with something for everyone in the family to enjoy and is made possible, in part, through a New York State “Explore New York” Grant. For more information and to order a FREE map of historic sites and events, visit www.everythingdutch.org.
Hudson Valley Tourism, Inc. is the 10-county region designated by I LOVE NEW YORK to promote tourism for the area. Counties include Rockland, Orange, Ulster, Greene, Albany, Rensselaer, Columbia, Dutchess, Putnam and Westchester. Regional information can be obtained from any of the county tourism offices, or by calling 845-291-2136.
For more ideas on how to explore the Hudson River Valley, please visit Hudson Valley Tourism’s Web site at www.travelhudsonvalley.com.
Contact: Mary Prenon, Thompson and Bender, (914) 762-1900, ext. 25, mary@thompson-
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
