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Rhinebeck Travel Journal: The North of Dutchess County, NY

Rhinebeck Travel Journal: The North of Dutchess County, NY

Our journey through Dutchess County, New York continues. After our visit to Beacon and to Poughkeepsie, the more northern part of New York‘s county was on our travel itinerary. Arriving in Rhinebeck, it was all about indulgence, from the traditional and luxury accommodations we were staying in, the spa day we enjoyed in between, and quite a few delicious culinary moments in the region around Rhinebeck. And at the very end, we experienced a particularly airy adventure that even made it into our first book! Join us in getting to know the third stop of our Dutchess County adventure with our gay Rhinebeck travel journal and see the LGBTQ+ and queer-friendly Hudson River Valley through a couple of men’s eyes.

– paid collaboration with Dutchess Tourism – 

Hand in hand walking around Rhinebeck © Coupleofmen.com
Hand in hand walking around Rhinebeck | Gay Rhinebeck Travel Journal © Coupleofmen.com

Gay Travel Guide New York City © coupleofmen.com

 New York Travel Guide

Jeder kennt New York, das Tor zur Neuen Welt, das auch Neues Amsterdam genannt wird! Heute kennt jeder den Staat New York wegen New York City, Sex and the City und natürlich wegen der Stonewall-Unruhen vor 50 Jahren. Wo soll man übernachten? Was kann man unternehmen? All diese Infos (und noch mehr) haben wir in unserem Gay Travel Guide für New York zusammengestellt!

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Traveling to gay-friendly Rhinebeck, New York

Welcome to Rhinebeck! As soon as we arrived in the community of over 7,000 inhabitants, we as LGBTQ+ couple travelers felt welcome and like on vacation. This is no coincidence, after all, Rhinebeck was named one of Country Living Magazine’s “Ten Most Charming Small Towns in America”. The atmosphere in the small-town community was lively and vibrant, with numerous sidewalk shops, boutiques, restaurants, and accommodations in the center of town.

Dutchess County Upstate New York spring nature blue sky garden river view gay couple, a couple of men © coupleofmen.com
View over the Hudson River from Bard College Conservatory of Music at Annandale-On-Hudson © coupleofmen.com

We were especially pleased with the fact that almost everything was located within walking distance. So, we could just leave our rental car in the parking lot next to the hotels for most of our time in Rhinebeck. After a few days directly in Rhinebeck, we stayed two more nights in Tivoli, which is even further north. But more about that in our Gay Rhinebeck Travel Journal!

Trip Planning: Dutchess Tourism | Hotel Offers Rhinebeck TrainMTA Metro-North

Flying with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines © Coupleofmen.com

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Tradition at Beekman Arms & Delamater Inn

Our first accommodation right in the center of Rhinebeck was the continuously operating, self-proclaimed “Oldest Inn in America”. Naturally, we felt like time travelers when we arrived at the Beekman Arms & Delamater Inn. Even the interior of the hotel and our room seemed to be from a bygone era, and at the same time, it was comfortable and in a well-maintained condition. Since the 1700s, after an early settler established a traveler’s inn and after its relocation, travelers, and people looking for rest and relaxation stayed in this place steeped in history. And we can only recommend it – and the dinner options!

Testing the Beekman Arms & Delamater Inn for our Gay Rhinebeck Travel Journal © Coupleofmen.com

Culinary pleasure in and around Rhinebeck

We’ve mentioned it already earlier in our Gay Dutchess County Travel Guide and in our one-week travel itinerary article, that a trip to Dutchess County means indulging yourself in locally sourced farm-to-table food and a variety of culinary delights. And a Rhinebeck is of course no exception. Of course, this includes the Rhinebeck Farmers’ Market, which allows locals and visitors to sample fresh vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies from the region every Sunday from May all the way through December.

Additionally, we tested several restaurants during our time in Rhinebeck. Just a short walk away from the hotel, we had our daily breakfast at Bread Alone Bakery, with delicious coffee, sandwiches, and freshly baked bread. Not only bread-lover Karl enjoyed the selection!

Just across the street, Aba’s Falafel with a selection of soups, salads, and falafel dishes is a great place for lunch outside in the sun. Across the Beekman Arms on the other side of the crossing, Rhinebeck Bagels & Café offers some of the best bagels we tried in the Hudson Valley.

For dinner, we would recommend making a reservation at Terrapin Restaurant with its delicious cocktails and at the Cinnamon, offering fantastic (vegetarian) Indian cuisine. A tip for a lazy evening: If you are staying at the Tradition at Beekman Arms & Delamater Inn, or in the following Wellness Resort, you can also give their restaurants a try.

Culinary delights for our Gay Rhinebeck Travel Guide at the Willow by Charlie Palmer restaurant © Coupleofmen.com
Culinary delights for our Gay Rhinebeck Travel Journal at the Willow by Charlie Palmer restaurant © Coupleofmen.com

Wellness in Dutchess County at Mirbeau Inn & Spa

Our itinerary for our one-week trip to Dutchess County was packed with daily highlights throughout the Hudson Valley. So, it was time for us to take a break, a wellness break to be precise. Fortunately, the newest Mirbeau Inn & Spa opened its doors in late summer 2019 in the historic village of Rhinebeck, New York. We stayed one night in a spacious, luxurious room of the Mirbeau Inn & Spa in Rhinebeck.

And we spent a whole day in the wellness area including sauna sessions, a swim in the heated outdoor pool, and we even treated ourselves to a wonderful massage to completely relax. To bring this particularly revitalizing day to a fitting conclusion, we had a three-course dinner at the hotel’s Willow by Charlie Palmer restaurant. The day could hardly have ended any better!

Doing nothing but relaxing - together. © Coupleofmen.com
Doing nothing but relaxing – together. © Coupleofmen.com

Fisher Center & Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson

On the road north from Rhinebeck towards our hotel in Tivoli, we passed by just another highlight of Dutchess Country: The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson. Architecture lover Karl couldn’t resist stopping at the magnificent and unique architecture designed by Frank Gehry to get a picture. Good to know, the architect of the Fisher Center – as it is commonly referred to – is also the man behind the Dancing House in Prague, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.

Hand in hand in front of the magnificent and unique architecture designed by Frank Gehry © Coupleofmen.com
Hand in hand in front of the magnificent and unique architecture designed by Frank Gehry © Coupleofmen.com

We recommend putting a visit on your Dutchess County bucket list to either capture a photo of this one-of-a-kind building or to experience the extraordinary arts and musical performances, which is unusual for such a small town. Our tip: Since 2003, the Fisher Center hosts the annual Bard SummerScape festival featuring seven weeks of world-class opera, theater, dance, cabaret, film, and music. This year, the Bard SummerScape festival will take place from June 23 to August 14, 2022.

Gay Reisen Dutchess County "The Center" is located in Annandale-on-Hudson offering extraordinary arts experiences all year long © Coupleofmen.com

Stay at Gay-friendly Hotel Tivoli

Just a short ride away from Rhinebeck, we arrived in the cute little town, Tivoli. Besides testing the gay-friendly accommodation named Hotel Tivoli, located in the identically named historic town of Tivoli, we decided to take it slow, here in the north of Dutchess County.

Gay Reise Dutchess County Selfie in front of the gay-friendly Art Hotel Tivoli in Tivoli, New York © Coupleofmen.com Spring, Blue Sky, Old Mansion, Gay Couple Travel Blog

The charming hotel rooms in this century-old building are filled with an eclectic collection of furniture, lighting, and art pieces collected by the owners over the years. Brice and Helen Marden, the owners of Hotel Tivoli, big art lovers, and artists themselves, made sure that every room and space of the hotel has an individual atmosphere.

Gay Reise Dutchess County Art in every room: The Hotel Tivoli in Tivoli, New York is like a museum in itself with unique art pieces in every rooom © Coupleofmen.com

We enjoyed a complimentary breakfast in the farm-to-table Restaurant The Corner with homemade Granola, freshly made bread, free-range eggs, and a lovely hot coffee during our stay. Just everything we needed to get ready for our day in Dutchess County. Tip: If you are a light sleeper, bring your earplugs, since the building is an old mansion with some cracks and sounds here and there.

Gay Reise Dutchess County Gay Travel Dutchess County Our room was bright offering a geat view of the cherry blossom and surrounding mansions © Coupleofmen.com

Fortune’s Ice Cream in Tivoli

Last but not least, we had an extraordinary adventure planned for the last day of our Dutchess County trip. But before we set off to it, we started our summer day with ice cream at Fortune’s Ice Cream right next door. Did you ever try Avocado ice cream? Neither did we! Vegan, vegetarian, or ordinary ice cream in so many different flavors made the decision really hard. Really hard… Yummy!

Daan's happy face enjoying delicious ice cream in Tivoli © Coupleofmen.com
Daan’s happy face enjoying delicious ice cream in Tivoli © Coupleofmen.com

Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome: Flying over the Hudson River Valley

Visiting the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome was one of our highlights of the North of Dutchess County. Founded by Cole Palen in 1953, the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is (US) America’s first flying museum of antique aircraft, entertaining and educating by preserving over 60 vintage aircraft in a classic small-town airport setting.

We even had the opportunity to go one step further (or higher?!) and jump on a 1929 New Standard D-25 designed for passenger hopping by the great flying circuses of the 1920s and 1930s. Together with an experienced pilot (and a good portion of courage), it was time for us to fly over the mid-Hudson Valley by sunset on a Biplane Ride. Fun fact: The air stream is roughly comparable to holding your head out of the car window at 70 mph (ca. 113 km/h). And don’t worry: The plane is being maintained to modern aircraft regulations, carrying up to four passengers per flight.

There is only one way to go from the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome: UP! © Coupleofen.com
There is only one way to go from the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome: UP! © Coupleofen.com

Flying through the summer air in an old biplane (Doppeldecker), feeling the wind around your nose, should be on everyone’s bucket list for a trip to Dutchess County. Bye, bye, New York’s backyard. We will make sure to be back very, very soon! You can find all our Instagram stories about Dutchess County here >


Gay Dutchess County Travel Guide Hudson River Valley, New York © Coupleofmen.com

 Dutchess County Travel Guide

Everyone knows New York, the gateway to the new world also referred to as New Amsterdam! But what about New York’s so-called backyard? Just about two hours outside the Big Apple in a northern direction, the lush, and green region of Dutchess County with Beacon, Poughkeepsie, and Rhinebeck unfolds its strong connection to nature, locally sourced food, and a lively LGBTQ+ community. Where to stay? What to do? Where to go? We put all this information together in our Gay Dutchess County Travel Guide!


Now it’s time to plan your trip to Dutchess County with our Gay Rhinebeck Travel Journal

During our time in Rhinebeck, we were holding hands for the most part and always gave each other a kiss in between. Either because we were happy, comfortable, or because we just wanted to show affection to one another. Ultimately, we felt at ease and encountered no hostility, insults, or strange looks being an openly gay couple traveling in Rhinebeck and Dutchess County.

Do you want to know and see more of us gay couple travel bloggers? Stay tuned on FacebookTwitterYouTubePinterest, and Instagram. See you around in the United States of America, Northern America, and on one of our next gay pride trips worldwide!

Karl & Daan.

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Please note: This trip was made possible in close collaboration with the Dutchess County Tourism, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, as well as the tips and help to come from our wonderful readers, followers, new and old friends from all over the world. Nevertheless, our photos, our videos, our opinions, and our writings are our own, as always.