Hudson River Scenic and Historic Walking Tours

The Hudson Valley extends 150 miles above the tip of Manhattan. Designated as a National Heritage Area, the valley is steeped in history, natural beauty, culture, food and farmers’ markets.

Colonial Era The first Dutch settlement was established at Fort Nassau, a trading post south of modern day Albany, in the early 17^th century, with the purpose of exchanging European goods for beaver pelts. The valley also became one of the major regions of conflict during the American Revolution.

19^th Century following the building of the Erie Canal, the area became an important industrial center as the canal opened the Hudson Valley and New York to commerce with the Midwest and the Great Lakes.

The natural beauty of the Hudson Valley has earned the Hudson River the nickname "America's Rhineland" a comparison to the famous 40 mile (65 km) stretch of Germany's Rhine River valley.

Navigation the Hudson is navigable for a great distance above mile 0 off Battery Park. The original Erie Canal connected it with Lake Erie enabling shipping between cities on the Great Lakes and Europe via the Atlantic Ocean. The Hudson Valley also proved attractive for railroads, once technology progressed to the point where it was feasible to construct the required bridges over tributaries.

The Erie Canal Cruise or Walk through Historic Villages and Natural Landscapes

Biking, Walking Driving Itineraries and outdoor adventures in the Hudson River Valley includes biking, hiking, horseback riding, golf, kayaking, parasailing, archery and skeet shooting.

Dutchess County is 800 square miles of natural scenic beauty, historic and cultural landmarks, and outdoor recreation. Stroll the Walkway Over the Hudson. Tour and taste along the Dutchess Wine Trail. Explore the homes of FDR and Vanderbilt. Taste new creations at The Culinary Institute of America. Fill the pantry at farm markets. Cruise the Hudson River. 

Hudson River Valley Scenic and Historic Walking Tours

Rockland County is located just 30 miles north of New York City and is known for its quaint villages, spectacular river views and outdoor recreation with 32,000 acres of parklands dotted with sparkling lakes and streams rushing down to the Hudson. Miles marked trails lead right to the foothills of the Ramapo Mountains.

The Village of Piermont formerly Tappan Landing it is is located by a navigable tidal creek linking the Hudson River with Orangetown and the interior. In the 1830s, a pier and a rail link made it the southern terminus connection to Lake Erie. Following the Civil War and the launching of the Nyack and Northern passenger rail line, the Village of Piermont started attracting tourism from nearby New York City.

Upstate New York is home to City and Country Settings and High-tech Industries

Finger Lakes and Watkins Glen State Park is the site of 19 waterfalls and a gorge. Seneca Lake is a long slender lake with wineries along both sides. From Geneva, on the north shore of the lake, you can head east towards Syracuse and visit Destiny USA, sixth largest shopping destination in the United States.

Genesee County Village and Museum is the largest living history museum in the state; a restored 19^th century village with historic buildings, craftspeople in authentic dress, a nature center, wildlife gallery and a vintage baseball park.

The Fredericksburg Texas Historic District

The district area coincides with the original platting of the town by Herman Wilke, with the streets are laid out in a wide grid. The district encompasses 367 contributing buildings and 191 non-contributing buildings. Many of the buildings in the historic district have been designated either a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, and/or added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Texas.

Located in the Texas Hill Country, Fredericksburg is one of the earliest Germanic settlements in the state. The district encompasses 40 blocks of historic buildings dating from the mid-19^th century. The buildings are made of stone and fachwerk, a traditional German building technique consisting of heavy timber framing and diagonal bracing, with an infill of limestone. The town was founded by an association of German noblemen, the Adelsverein, that brought 7,000 German immigrants to Texas. 

By the turn-of-the-century, Fredericksburg began to look like many other American towns with residences reflecting popular American architectural styles ranging from the Queen Anne and the Colonial Revival to Bungalows and Four-Squares.

The Architectural Structures of Fredericksburg are often unique to the Texas Hill Country

The Vereins Kirche, or Peoples Church, was designed by Friedrich Armand Strubberg; it became the first public building in Fredericksburg in 1847. It served as a non-denominational church, school, town hall and fort. Pupils learned their lessons in their own German language. The building models a style known as Carolingian architecture, similar to the Aachen Cathedral. Each side of the octagon was 18 feet (5.5 m) wide by 18 feet (5.5 m) high, with each side having a10 foot roof (3.0 m) high, topped by a 7 foot (2.1 m) high octagonal cupola.

The Sunday Houses are unique to the German immigrant culture of the Texas Hill Country. In reverse of the old European tradition of living in town while working the rural farms, the early Fredericksburg German settlers made their main homes on the acreage they worked. On their town lots, they erected Sunday Houses for overnight stays on their weekly travels into town for supplies and church attendance. Older generations would use the houses as a retirement house, as the younger generations inherited the acreage and the work. These houses were often made of limestone rock coated with whitewash inside and out. Depending on the individual family's need, these relatively small 2-story houses were designed for limited stays, with one or two ground floor rooms and an upper loft for sleeping. Standard design was a fireplace and a porch. Often there was an outside staircase leading to the loft.

Many of these homes have been restored with some used as Bed and Breakfast retreats

The White Elephant Saloon is famous for its elephant relief parapet and rich iron cresting. The native limestone building was constructed in 1888 by John W. Kleck. Originally part of a chain of gentleman's resorts, the building was operated as a saloon until Prohibition.

The Richardsonian Romanesque style bank building was designed in 1889 by architect Alfred Giles who also designed two other structures in Fredericksburg, the old courthouse now known as the Fredericksburg Memorial Library, and the William Bierschwale house on Bowie Street. A fourth design by Giles is the 1893 Morris Ranch Schoolhouse at Morris Ranch in Gillespie County.

US Gulf and South Atlantic City Breaks

New Orleans Mobile Savannah Charleston Ashville and Charlotte

The original settlement of New Orleans and the oldest neighborhood in the city is Vieux Carre, better known as the French Quarter. Established by the French in 1718, the location continues to be a valuable site for trade due to its strategic position along the Mississippi River. The district is a National Historic Landmark and is bordered by popular streets, such as Canal, Decatur and Rampart Streets and Esplanade Avenue. The French Quarter boasts cultural contributions from the French, Spanish, Italians, Africans, Irish and others as demonstrated by the development of New Orleans as a global port. 

Mobile Alabama is located at the head of Mobile Bay and the Central Gulf Coast. Mobile was founded by the French in 1702. During its first 100 years, Mobile was a colony of France, Britain and Spain; it became a part of the United States of America in 1813. 

Savannah was founded in 1733 on the Savannah River, it became the colonial capital and later the first state capital of Georgia. Its port was of strategic importance during both the American Revolution and the Civil War. 

 

Charleston was founded in 1670, Charleston is defined by its cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages and pastel pre-Civil-War-era houses, particularly in the bustling French Quarter and Battery areas. The Battery promenade and Waterfront Park both overlook Charleston Harbor, while Fort Sumter, a Federal stronghold where the first shots of the Civil War rang out, lies across the water. 

Charlotte is named in honor of King George III of Britain’s consort. It is a city with 199 neighborhoods and many nicknames, including: the famed Hornet’s Nest derived from the American Revolution, The QC, Crown Town, Home of NASCAR, Gem of the South, CLT, Bank Town, Char-Town and City of Trees.

Asheville has a fascinating past; experience a walking itinerary that commemorates the city’s most significant cultural, educational, social and architecture stories; a museum without walls. Urban Farm and Mountain Trails Gourmet Cuisine Public Art Music Heritage and a Bohemian Culture.