Located 100 miles north of New York City and accessible by Amtrak and Metro-North train stations, Rhinebeck, New York, is a popular spot among
tourists and celebrities, many of whom have second homes there, including
properties that range in price from $200,000 to multi-million dollar listings.
The town encompasses 39 square miles in the northwest part
of the county. It features quaint shops, restaurants and cafes, bed and breakfast inns.
Not surprisingly, locals and others enjoying Rhinebeck’s small-town feel, with kids riding bikes, people walking the
streets, accessibility to shops and restaurants and a small but highly rated
school system.
Rhinebeck is home to the nation's oldest continuously
operating inn, The Beekman Arms, a restaurant and hotel that has been in
existence since the Revolutionary War. Legendary visitors include George
Washington, Aaron Burr, General Lafayette, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Al Gore,
Bill Clinton, Walter Cronkite, Paul Newman and other elite actors from
Hollywood, plus many famous musicians.
Northern
Dutchess Hospital is located within the town. The town recreation department has something for the
whole family, including swimming, tennis, basketball, soccer, volleyball,
playgrounds and pavilions.
Among the multitude of community
events and attractions is Rhinebeck’s annual Sinterklaas event that has been described
by the Huffington Post as, “just a smile away from Whoville with a hint
of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’”Theater On The
Road performs murder mysteries and a dinner theater version of ‘A Christmas
Carol’ in the Wayfarer Room and at the Rhinebeck
Cemetery, bringing a variety of characters to life who contributed to
Rhinebeck's rich history. The Dutchess County Fairgrounds also is in
Rhinebeck and hosts the county’s annual fair each August, plus various shows during the year and the Hudson Valley Wine and Food Festival.
Rhinebeck was named after the Sepasco tribe of Indians. In the
1700s the early name of the town was Ryn Beck, with the Dutch settling here in
the 1680s. The King's Highway, now known as Route 9, has an historic marker at
the northwest corner of Rhinebeck's intersection.