Setting Hearts Aflutter In The Hudson Valley With Special Valentine’s Events

Jan. 26, 2010 - PRLog -- Incurable romantics will find a variety of ways to play Cupid in the Hudson Valley on February 14th, or any other day. Love is in the air up and down the river with interesting experiences that go way beyond hearts and flowers. Create a special day or weekend with the one you love with panoramic views, cozy dinners, or a day in the snow.  

If you love the great outdoors, spend a fun weekend at Greenwood Lake’s Winter Carnival on February 12, 13, and 14. Warm up at the bonfire and snuggle close as you enjoy a variety of events, sleigh rides, wonderful food, and entertainment on the ice. Taking your relationship downhill rapidly may not be a bad thing if you celebrate Valentine’s Day at Windham Mountain’s Sweetheart Race! Ski with your sweetie for the championship on February 14th. Fastest run takes the prize.

To truly experience love in bloom, what could be better than New York in Bloom at the State Museum in Albany? During the weekend of February 19th visitors to the museum can take in over 100 spectacular floral arrangements. Enjoy the fresh scent of flowers as you view these artfully arranged bouquets designed to interpret the museum’s paintings. Some of those paintings may have been inspired by the beautiful views from Olana in nearby Hudson.

Take a romantic walk around the grounds that inspired Hudson River School painter Frederic Church with their sweeping views of the river and Catskill Mountains. The house is open for tours on Valentine’s Day. Also open is the Vanderbilt Mansion, the Beaux-Arts limestone palace once owned by Frederick Vanderbilt who scandalized his family by marrying a divorced woman 13 years older than he. Love prevailed, and they lived happily ever after in this fabulous home overlooking the Hudson.

A romantic dinner for two will always spur Cupid to a gallop. Reality Bites Café in Nyack celebrates Valentine’s Day with a prix fixe menu, live music, free champagne, and a rose for your dinner companion. Chances are, you might also win a diamond heart necklace that night, a gift any Romeo would love to give his Juliet. Does Paris beckon? Avoid the stress of international travel by dining at Le Canard Enchaine in Kingston and you’ll swear you’ve found a café known only to French natives. With its Impressionist paintings and authentic bistro fare, this restaurant was actually opened on Valentine’s Day fourteen years ago.  

Love will always find a way, so if you can’t make plans for the actual day, Villa Barone Hilltop Manor in Mahopac offers a fun-filled seven course dinner and dancing on three different Saturday evenings in the month of February. Their International Carnevale celebrates Mardi Gras, where you can dance all night with costumed revelers. If one evening isn’t enough, sign up for the romantic spa package at Castle on the Hudson in Tarrytown. Relax in your room with two Swedish massages. Chocolate dipped strawberries and a glass of champagne await your arrival. Go ahead and sleep late, a Continental breakfast will be delivered to your door the next morning.

Perhaps a massage is all you need. White Sands Massage in Troy has a Valentine’s Day Couples Package that will have lovebirds enjoying a side by side one-hour massage in the Couples Suite. Every day is Valentine’s Day throughout the month of February with each twosome receiving champagne, chocolates and flowers.

Go ahead, indulge yourselves. Make plans, or make reservations to spend some time with the one you love. Valentine’s Day can be any day in February when you do something special with someone special here in the Hudson Valley.

Winter Carnival, Greenwood Lake. 845-477-8100. www.breezypointinn.com

Sweetheart Race, Windham. 800-754-9463, www.windhammountain.com

New York in Bloom, Albany. 518-474-5877, www.nysm.nysed.gov/programs/nybloom

Olana State Historic Site, Hudson. 518-828-0135, www.olana.org   

Vanderbilt Mansion, Hyde Park. 845-229-9115, www.NPS.Gov/vama

Reality Bites Café, Nyack. 845-358-8800, www.realitybitescafe.com

Le Canard Enchaine, Kingston. 845-339-2003, www.le-canardenchainesrestaurant.com   

Villa Barone Hilltop Manor, Mahopac. 845-628-6600, www.villabaronehilltop.com   

Castle on the Hudson, Tarrytown. 914-631-1980, www.castleonthehudson.com

White Sands Massage, Troy. 518-698-7757, www.thewhitesandsmassage.com   

Hudson Valley Tourism, Inc. is the 10-county region designated by I LOVE NEW YORK to promote tourism for the area. Counties include Albany, Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Ulster and Westchester. Regional information can be obtained from any of the county tourism offices, the Hudson Valley Tourism website, www.travelhudsonvalley.com, or by calling 845-615-3860.

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About Hudson Valley Tourism: Hudson Valley Tourism, Inc. is the 10-county region designated by I LOVE NEW YORK to promote tourism for the area. Counties include Albany, Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Ulster and Westchester. Regional information can be obtained from any of the county tourism offices, the Hudson Valley Tourism website, www.travelhudsonvalley.com, or by calling 845-615-3860.