Historic Hudson River Towns

Great Estates Garden Tours at Mount Gulian
2024-06-15 11:00 - 2024-06-16 13:00 (America/New_York) | Mount Gulian Historic Site, 145 Sterling Street, Beacon, NY, 12508, United States
Mount Gulian Historic Site, Beacon, in cooperation with Dutchess Tourism, invites visitors to explore its garden and unique horticultural history on Saturday, June 15 & Sunday, June 16. Special tours of the garden will be given at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Visitors will learn about the garden’s origins, evolution, and notable gardeners, including Mary Anna Verplanck, who as a precocious eleven-year-old, designed the original 1804 garden; James F. Brown, an enslaved man who fled Maryland and worked as Mount Gulian’s master gardener; and Virginia Eliza Darby Verplanck whose literary contributions include two gardening books, Every Day in My Garden and A Year in My Garden from the early 20th century. Learn tips, tricks, and techniques from the past that kept boxwood gardens green and glorious. Visitors will receive a complimentary copy of the garden’s 1912 map. A short film about Mr. Brown, “Cultivating Freedom: From Slave to Citizen” will be shown.

Today, notable plantings in the garden include antique peonies, roses and yuccas that were returned to Mount Gulian in 1995 by a Verplanck descendant who removed them from the site in the 1960’s. After carefully tending to them for thirty years at her home’s garden, she learned of our plans to restore the garden and happily brought them home.

Admission to this special tour is: $14 adults; $12 seniors; $8 youngsters (6-18 years). Children under 6 and Mount Gulian members are free. Membership is open to the public.

Reservations are preferred but walk-ins will be accepted if space allows. For reservations call 845.831.8172 or email at info@mountgulian.org. Payment may be made day of visit.

For further information about The Great Estates Garden Tours and the historic sites participating in this program see https://dutchesstourism.com/spotlights/great-estates-garden-landscape-tour

Rivertowns Earth Month Scavenger Hunt
2026-03-29 - 2026-05-02 | NY
Rivertowns residents from Hastings-on-Hudson to Sleepy Hollow are invited to play a game throughout the month of April 2026. Participants will complete missions that spotlight our natural open spaces, fun community events, local stewardship opportunities and sustainable lifestyle options. A friendly competition among municipalities will boost participation in a good-natured, mutually beneficial challenge.
