Rhinebeck Too Crowded? Head 5 Minutes North to Red Hook
Rhinebeck, Rhinebeck Rhinebeck. If you’re familiar with The Brady Bunch episode you can say that to the tune of Marcia, Marcia, Marcia. In the episode, younger sister Jan is complaining about how much attention Marcia gets. It kind of reminds me of Rhinebeck and Red Hook.
Don’t get me wrong, Rhinebeck is a great little town. Better than great. I go there often. But Rhinebeck sure does get crowded. And whether you’re in a pandemic or not, sometimes you just don’t want to deal with crowded situations. Did you ever think to stay in the car and head just a bit north to Red Hook? That’s exactly what happened to my friend and me a few weeks ago.
Red Hook is a great little town. Park the car and walk around. You’ll be happily surprised. The town is full of beautiful houses, both old and new. We visited a couple of great antique shops and some really cool stores. There is an old timey diner called the Historic Village Diner that has great food. Try the turkey reuben. The day that my friend and I were there, there was a band playing right on the green in the village. We noticed some other nice restaurants, and if you love ice cream, make sure you visit the Holy Cow. Want to see something beautiful and peaceful? Head to the River Road and check out Poet’s Walk.
Red Hook also celebrates Hardscrabble Day in Sept. It’s one of the coolest days of the year in Red Hook. There are lots of vendors and businesses participating, and there is always a big concert, often with big names performing. Yup, Red Hook is pretty cool in my book.
There’s more to Northern Dutchess County than Rhinebeck, believe it or not. After you visit the awesome town of Red Hook, head to Tivoli for more small town fun or keep going north into Columbia County. You can always hit Rhinebeck on the way home.