Built for wealthy couple Ogden and Ruth Livingston Mills, this 65-room Beaux-Arts mansion is dressed in French-inspired interiors, original furnishings, elaborate fireplaces and enough decorative detail to keep you looking. Outside, the grounds stretch towards the Hudson River, with the Catskill Mountains on the horizon. Book a guided tour to peek into the lives of the family who entertained New York’s elite here.

A little French bistro charm goes a long way at Le Petit Bistro, a Rhinebeck institution since 1986. Pull up a stool at the lilac-marble bar for raw oysters and a craft cocktail, then settle in for steak au poivre with mashed potatoes and a glass of something French from the wine list. Bon appétit!

Set in a beautifully curved brick building in Kingston’s historic Rondout neighbourhood, Rosie gives the old-school American general store a modern-day makeover. Shelves brim with freshly baked sourdough, baguettes, pastries and pantry staples, while the kitchen turns out breakfast sandwiches, mortadella heroes with pistachio and hot honey, and thick-cut pastrami on rye.

Named after a line from Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, {pretty to think so} occupies Rhinebeck’s historic Starr Institute library, where books once lined the shelves and now set the scene for dinner. The farm-to-table menu follows the Hudson Valley seasons, with dishes ranging from caviar-topped frites and oysters to crispy duck confit and market vegetables