Located in western
Dutchess County and along the Hudson River, the City of Poughkeepsie is the seat
of Dutchess County and offers exciting music and entertainment venues, scenic parks,
restaurants, shopping, cultural activities and more.
Residents
and visitors enjoy the city’s Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park that rises
212 feet above the Hudson River and spans 1.28 miles across it, going from the
City of Poughkeepsie to the Town of Lloyd in Ulster County. The world’s longest
elevated pedestrian bridge, the span offers 360-degree views of the Hudson River
and Catskill Mountains, while serving as a link to
the Dutchess Rail Trail, a pedestrian and biking path through the Hudson
Valley.
Also
downtown is The Majed J. Nesheiwat Convention Center where sporting events, concerts,
kids’ shows, professional events and more are presented. The Bardavon 1869 Opera House and Chance Theater and Concert
Center are favored for their stellar entertainers, from The Chance’s Bob Dylan,
The Police and The Ramones to the Bardavon’s Indigo Girls, Liza Minnelli, Diana
Ross, Aretha Franklin and many more.
Families
also enjoy the greenery of downtown’s Waryras Park—one of more than a dozen in
the city—on the banks of the Hudson River. Nearby is Poughkeepsie’s Metro-North
Train Station and the Mid-Hudson Children's Museum, a fantasy land and learning
center for children that offers science, art and literacy installations and
programs.
Many of the
Renaissance Revival storefronts are found along Poughkeepsie’s Main Street and date
from the 1870s and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Housing
is a mixture of architectural styles and where many people rent their homes.
Other
amenities that are close to the city include the Poughkeepsie Galleria Mall and the Rocking
Horse Ranch that hosts family events like ice skating, horseback riding, Big
Splash Indoor Water Park, dining and live shows.
Named
from a Wappinger Indian term that means “reed-covered lodge by the little water
place,” Poughkeepsie was settled after natives by the Dutch in the 1600s and become
New York State's second capital after the American Revolution.