Family Outing: Boscobel House and Gardens

Boscobel House and Gardens in Garrison, NY, about an hour outside NYC, is a fun historical spot that offers year-round family events, from house tours to outdoor concerts and the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival.

Picture this: rolling hills covered with grape vines and a curvaceous river framed on either side by antique farmhouses and historic mansions. It may sound like France or Germany, but this is actually a scene from our own Hudson Valley. Right in the middle of it all is Boscobel, one of the many restored historic mansions in the area.

Boscobel was built in the early 1800s by Elizabeth Corne Dyckman, widow of States Morris Dyckman, a British Loyalist who passed away before he could complete the house himself. The structure, whose name means “beautiful woods” in Italian, originally stood 15 miles away in Montrose but was painstakingly reconstructed on its current 60 acres in Garrison and re-opened in 1961 as a museum offering cultural, educational, and recreational activities for families.

From April to December, visitors can take a 50-minute guided tour of the house to learn more about its Federal-period architecture and furnishings.

Boscobel is the setting for the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival’s summer season, which usually includes performances of three Shakespearean tales. Arrive early for pre-theater picnicking in the gardens. For tickets and information on Family Nights, call 845-265-9575 or visit hvshakespeare.org.

Annual Events at Boscobel

Boscobel’s beautiful vistas offer a lovely backdrop for outdoor performances and nature programs. Each year, June marks the return of two family favorites: the annual Snapping Turtle Walk and the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, which runs through the summer.

In early July, pack a blanket for the Great American Concert and Picnic.