If you’re looking for a bit of rest combined with a dose of culture and life in New York City, jump in your car or on the Metro North and head to Beacon, just 60 miles north of the city in the Hudson Valley. It’s a town sprinkled with art, culture, Victorian architecture, good food, boutique shopping and the outdoors. You can take a stroll on the waterfront, explore modern art galleries and the Dia Art Museum of Modern Art, hike up a mountain, enjoy buskers playing live music on the street or shop on Main Street.
To experience the best of Beacon, plan to stay the night at Roundhouse at Beacon Falls. Located right on the Fishkill Creek overlooking Beacon Falls, minutes from Mount Beacon and just steps away from the heart of Main Street, the Roundhouse at Beacon Falls is ideal and quite majestic. As soon as you lay your eyes on the waterfall facing the hotel, you will start to relax, just as I did on my recent visit with my mother and children. The Rockwell Group, whose work includes the W New York Union Square, Canyon Ranch Hotel & Spa in Miami Beach and the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, among others, designed the hotel.
The Roundhouse is an old gun factory housed in a series of 19th and 20th century red brick industrial buildings. It hosts 14 chic hotel rooms, two restaurants – one inside, one outside – both facing the waterfalls, a yoga studio and spa. The building was remodeled a few years ago with glass fixtures and art created by local artists, new tiles and a unique lay out for each room.
Our adjoining rooms each had a see-through shower with room for two people to bathe, King sized beds, flat screen TV’s and views of the river (unfortunately ours faced the parking lot but we could easily hear the waterfalls). The hotel’s service is unusually good – I’m not sure how many kids they host on a regular basis but mine were treated very well and when my mother requested a toothbrush, it came right away. The hotel offers a few dining options. 2EM is an outdoor patio that faces Beacon Falls and is absolutely breathtaking. We had coffee, tea, dessert and a glass of milk for the kids, and my daughter had her first root beer float. Swift is located inside and is a classier option open for dinner and Sunday brunch.
Guest can do yoga classes for $20 a session. Located on the second floor, the studio offers views of the Hudson Valley. The class that I took was very tranquil and gave me a much-needed sense of balance. Walking out of the hotel, we took a shopping stroll on Main Street. The local shops are specialized and offer interesting and artistic finds that are unique to Beacon. When my kids needed a shopping break, we wandered into the Beacon Creamery at 134 Main Street and had a scoop of homemade ice cream on the sidewalk, while a banjo player named Frank played legendary songs and told us about local resident Woody Guthrie. That’s the kind of thing that will happen to you in Beacon, catching a local proud of his roots and proud enough of his musical skills to let my kids hold his banjo.
The Roundhouse was a great introduction to a town we wanted to get to know better and we will certainly return.
Disclosure: The Roundhouse at Beacon Falls hosted Holly’s visit but all opinions are her own.
