For Presidents’ Day, we travelled to the Hudson Valley. We stayed in the historic West Point Thayer Hotel, and took the opportunity to get out of the city for a couple of days.
Sunday
FDR Presidential Library & Museum – This site in Hyde Park was the home of one of the most influential presidents in history. Here, we learned about the background of FDR, his presidency during the Great Depression and World War II, as well as his family life.
Walkway Over the Hudson & Cold Spring – After leaving Hyde Park, we walked across the Hudson River on this pedestrian bridge. We got amazing views of the river but it was freezing out. Afterwards, we headed to Cold Spring for some shopping before heading to the hotel.
Monday
West Point Tour – On Monday, we started out at the West Point visitors center, where we learned about the rigor and discipline of the military academy. We also took a guided tour around the school, where we learned about what would happen to cadets who were out of line, and heard about some of our leaders who passed through the academy including General McArthur, and Presidents Grant and Eisenhower. Along the tour, we stopped at Trophy Point, the Battle Monument, the Plain, and the Cadet Chapel. West Point was famously turned over to the British during the revolution by Benedict Arnold, the country’s most famous traitor.
West Point History Museum – Our last stop before heading home was the West Point Museum, with some more history of the academy and a nice collection of military weapons and equipment.
