Community Meets Luxury

8 Great Things To Do in Dutchess County This Summer

May 27, 2022

Time to swing into summer fun in Dutchess County!

May 2022

If you’re like us, you’re starting to make your Dutchess County summer bucket list. Ours is a long one! Here are our picks for making the most of what our corner of the Hudson Valley has to offer between now and Labor Day:

Dutchess Fair
August 23 – 28, 2021
https://www.dutchessfair.com/the-fairgrounds/all-events/dutchess-fair/
The Dutchess Fair happens at the end of summer, but we just have to list it first. This classic county fair is a must-do. Enjoy food, rides, livestock, entertainment, games, artisans, and more at Rhinebeck’s county fairgrounds. Hot tip: buy your tickets online to avoid the long lines at the ticket booths, and if you or your kids love the rides, invest in a ride-all-day wristband for $25 (online) or $30 (at the fair).

Taconic State Park
https://parks.ny.gov/parks/taconiccopake/
Taconic State Park, near the borders of Massachusetts and Connecticut, offers both Copake Falls and Rudd Pond for summer fun. There’s a campground with tent sites, trailer sites, and cabins, as well as great swimming spots like Ore Pit Pond. Hike to Bash Bish Falls or up Brace Mountain, the highest point in Dutchess County, or visit the Copake Iron Works Museum to learn about the iron industry at the former site of Copake Iron Works, established in 1845.

NY Stage and Film Summer Season
July and August; Ticket sales begin June 1
https://www.newyorkstageandfilm.org/summer
No need to go to Manhattan to catch the newest stage plays and musicals. This year, the NYSAF includes over 25 public performances of new works-in-process, at Vassar’s Powerhouse Theater and Marist College. This year’s slate features works by Anna Deavere Smith, Josh Radnor, and Keenan Scott II, among many others. Tickets go on sale June 1 and are just $25 each.

Hudson Valley Renegades
Home games run through September 4, 2022
https://www.milb.com/hudson-valley
Now a New York Yankees High-A affiliate, the Renegades bring family fun and local flavor to Minor League baseball action at Fishkill’s Dutchess Stadium (aka “The Dutch”). Several home games feature fireworks or Friday night “light shows,” and the calendar is full of special promotional events such as Marvel Superheroes night and 90’s Prom night. Regardless of the score, everyone wins a great time.

Hudson Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival
September 2 – 4, 2022
https://www.dcrcoc.org/balloonfesthv.org
At this memorable and unique Dutchess County tradition, hot-air balloonists from all over the U.S. participate in 75 scheduled ascensions over the course of three days. Highlights include the evening Majestic Hot-Air Balloon Illumination Moon Glow, fireworks each night, tethered hot-air balloon rides, full hot-air balloon flights, helicopter rides, live music and entertainment, food trucks, family activities and more. Tickets are only sold online in advance.

Splashdown Beach Water Park
Open May 28 – September 5, 2022
https://www.splashdownbeach.com/
Splashdown Beach calls itself “America’s Biggest Little Water Park,” and this bucket list destination located in Fishkill definitely lives up to the name. Featuring thirteen wonderfully wet water slides, rides, and play areas, Splashdown was recently named a “Top 10” U.S. water park by TripAdvisor.

Bard College SummerScape
June 23 – August 14, 2022
https://fishercenter.bard.edu/summerscape/
Located on the idyllic campus of Annandale-on-Hudson’s Bard College, SummerScape is back in 2022 with its signature slate of live music, dance, opera, and performance. This season’s highlights include the 32nd Bard Music Festival, Rachmaninoff and His World; a new production of Strauss’s The Silent Woman, directed by Christian Räth; a World Premiere commission from Pam Tanowitz and David Lang; a new adaptation of Molière’s Dom Juan, directed by Ashley Tata; and more. SummerScape always combines the best of arts and the Hudson Valley’s natural backdrop into cultural experiences to remember.

Barton Orchards
https://www.bartonorchards.com/
Barton Orchards is known throughout Dutchess County as a go-to spot for fall apple picking, but you can also find homegrown fun there all summer. The farm stand, tap room, ropes course, and daily activities are open seven days a week, and the calendar’s full of special events like the Hudson Valley Food Truck Festival, Pride in July, Car Show, Sunflower Festival, and Barbecue and Brews.

Here are some other items to help complete your Summer 2022 Dutchess County calendar of activities:

• See movies by the carload at the Overlook Drive-In and Hyde Park Drive-In

• Savor soft-serve ice cream and other cool treats at Zoe’s Ice Cream Barn

• Dine on the waterfront at Shadows on the Hudson or River Station

• Enjoy the world-class performances of the Summer Dance Festival at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park in Rhinebeck.

• Bike and hike on the Dutchess Rail Trail

• Wander through Innisfree Garden

• Go wild at the Trevor Zoo at Millbrook School

• Pair sonnets with sunsets at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival

• Stargaze at Walkway at Night events on the Walkway Over the Hudson

Here’s to summer! We hope yours is full of adventure…

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