3 Best Sights in Hudson Valley, New York

In the 1870s, Hudson River School artist Frederic Church built this 37-room Moorish-style castle atop a hill with panoramic valley and river vistas. Architect Calvert Vaux came up with the design of the house, to which the artist applied his own eclectic touches. The interior is an extravaganza of tile and stone, carved screens, Persian rugs, and paintings, including some by Church. The house, about 4 miles south of Hudson, is open for guided tours, which run about 45 minutes; reservations are strongly suggested.

The museum, a country mile from the Warren Street hub, contains 43 examples of hand-pulled engines and hose carts, including a Newsham engine built in London, imported to Manhattan in 1731, and in active service for more than 150 years. A pair of horse-drawn trucks, five steam-powered vehicles, and 15 internal-combustion engines round out the hardware, which along with other artifacts purport to tell the history of firefighting.

Born in Kinderhook, Martin Van Buren (1782–1862)—the eighth president of the United States—decided to retire to this estate, which he purchased during his presidency and called Lindenwald. Built in the Federal style in 1797, the house took on Gothic and Italianate features following a revamp in the mid-1800s. The graceful building can only be visited as part of a guided tour.