Begin your garden and kitchens journey at Locust Grove, The Samuel B. Morse Historic Site (www.morsehistoricsite.org) on Route 9 in Poughkeepsie. The “American Leonardo” was a true Renaissance man - a premier American artist who also worked as a landscape designer, architect, and, of course, inventor of the telegraph and Morse code.

The house tour features an extensive collection of china, and the dining room is set for Sunday dinner. See the butler’s pantry and full kitchen, imaging how it was to be on-staff in a bygone day! Of particular interest are the Victorian-style formal and heirloom vegetable gardens. In particular, the kitchen vegetable garden shows not only what each family grew but is divided into plots illustrating what new waves of immigrants would plant to eat.

Continue north on Route 9 to Hyde Park where you’ll begin your Roosevelt experience at the Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center, part of the FDR Presidential Home, Library & Museum (www.nps.gov/hofr).  Get a glimpse into the world of former President Roosevelt, who always listed his occupation as “tree farmer.” 

Also in Hyde Park, make sure you visit the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site (www.nps.gov/vama) for a peek at how the richest man in America lived during the “Gilded Age.”  More than 50 local workers were required to cook, clean, and oversee the grounds and farm, where the Vanderbilt’s grew much of their own food and all the flowers for their lavish arrangements.

Is your mouth watering for a great-tasting meal?  Before checking in for the night, celebrate the region’s rich agricultural bounty at Twist (www.letstwist.com), a casual American restaurant located in Hyde Park, or Terrapin (www.terrapinrestaurant.com) in nearby Rhinebeck.