Montgomery Place (in Annadale-on-Hudson, NY) and the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park are glorious country estates. Montgomery Place's landscape was shaped by Andrew Jackson Downing, a contemporary and colleague of Frederick Law Olmstead and commands views of the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains. The estate was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1992.

     The Vanderbilt Mansion has spectacular wooded grounds (apparently a favorite of Frederick Vanderbilt, its owner, who was reputed to slip away for quiet walks whenever possible) and formal gardens south of the mansion, impressively planted with a perennial border and bedding annuals.

     A great resource for learning more about the many historic sites and gardens the Hudson River Valley has to offer is the website of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area.