The Mid-Hudson Valley is the Great Estates region, a stretch of the river valley where families like the Vanderbilts and the Mills built truly spectacular spreads that epitomized the fantastic wealth and lofty aspirations of the Gilded Age. The region was also home to Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, pivotal 20th-century American figures who remained vitally connected to their roots here. Parts of the Mid-Hudson are undergoing greatly needed revitalization, especially on the west side of the river, with towns like Kingston and Newburgh taking advantage of their waterfront locations for development, spawning lively bar and restaurant scenes, and Beacon catapulting to life with the arrival of a stunning new contemporary-art museum.
