THE MILLBROOK INN
Luxury In Hudson Valley
As you exit the Taconic State Parkway to Millbrook, NY, you feel the world move more slowly. No, it’s not the speed limit—it’s the serenity induced by the pastoral scenery as you drive the winding roads through rolling farmland and horse farms. This sense of calm is enhanced as you view The Millbrook Inn, a luxury boutique hotel with all the charm and warmth of an intimate country inn.
Housed in a 1906 building, The Millbrook Inn underwent extensive renovations in 2020. The new owners oversaw a meticulous renovation that preserved the building’s historical nature while providing all the luxurious amenities that have earned the Inn its place on The Select Registry.
A CHARMING FEEL
Each of the nine well-appointed rooms features charming furniture curated through antiquing, locally found objects, and art of local Hudson Valley artists. Amenities include Matouk linens, pillow-top mattresses, luxurious ensuite bathrooms with marble floors, and glass-enclosed showers or shower/tub combinations. The guest rooms and the Inn’s common areas replicate the country charm of a grand American Colonial home but with all the modern conveniences of the 21st century.
Reclaiming the green space from an old parking lot, the renovation produced meadows of flowers, walking paths lined with daylilies, a kitchen garden with herbs and vegetables, and an outdoor fire garden to enjoy a ‘smore or a nightcap before turning in for the night. The fire garden is just one of a variety of indoor and outdoor cozy spots that are perfect for relaxing with a good book or your favorite game or sipping the complimentary glass of wine provided at check-in.
DINING—ALWAYS A PLEASURE
A complimentary breakfast is provided each morning and served in the sun-filled glass conservatory or on the outdoor patio, weather permitting. Dinners are offered at The Vintage at The Millbrook Inn, and their Sunday Brunch is extremely popular. Offering “elevated, but not fussy,” American cuisine, The Vintage arduously supports local farmers and purveyors. Surrounded by family farms of every kind, Chef Luke Hill creates a menu sourced only from the freshest ingredients in Millbrook and Hudson Valley. The menu changes seasonally with nightly specials. Be sure to try the Local Steelhead Salmon Trout, which appears regularly on the menu.
Dining on the Inn’s gorgeous patio is exceptional when the weather warms up. The Inn’s bar also features spirits produced in Millbrook, Hudson Valley, and New York State. The Vintage also features a New York-focused wine program. Consider one of The Vintage’s special wine- or whiskey-pairing dinners, such as the “Ode to Spring Wine Dinner” featuring wines from Milea Estate Winery or the Hudson Valley Restaurant Week Dinner, again with a pairing from Milea.
THINGS TO DO
The Village of Millbrook, called “a low-key version of the Hamptons,” begs some exploring, especially for antique hunters. A couple of great antique shops are on the village’s main drive, Franklin Ave. While strolling, stop for a delicious breakfast or lunch at Babette’s Kitchen. A favorite of locals and tourists alike, this bustling café and gourmet market serves the beautiful creations of CIA-trained chef Buffy Arbogast. Her specialties include her buttermilk biscuit sandwiches and a variety of BLTs (try the one with smoked salmon!). Dine in or take food to go and enjoy a picnic in the lovely Tribute Garden at the end of Franklin Ave.
Be sure to take a few hours to stroll the grounds of Innisfree Garden. With 185 acres of designed and wild spaces, Innisfree is a free-flowing, natural landscape of rock, water, wood, and sky and has been recognized as one of the “world’s ten best gardens.” The centerpiece of the garden is Tyrell Lake. The Lake Path encircles the lake and is the connecting element for the many “cup gardens,” which are the garden rooms or focal points in the landscape. Innisfree is open from late April (when the field of daffodils are in full bloom!) through late November.
The private Millbrook School is home to the AZA-accredited Trevor Zoo, the only accredited zoo in the world at a high school. The zoo plays a key role in the school’s curriculum. But it is also open to the general public, who delight in viewing and learning about the zoo’s red pandas, ring-tailed lemurs, golden lion tamarins, river otters, red wolves, and other zoo inhabitants. Trevor Zoo houses over one hundred eighty animals, seventy-five species, and eleven endangered species, and it is open all year.
Hudson Valley is home to a burgeoning craft beverage business. And a visit to Millbrook offers a couple of excellent venues. Ten-Mile Distillery in nearby Wassaic produces hand-crafted, small-batch whisky, vodka, and gin. Tours of Tenmile’s state-of-the-art facility offer guests an inside view of the entire production process and its stunning copper stills. Sample the final products in the inviting tasting room.
And just minutes away back in Millbrook, Tenmile owner John Dyson, creator of the “I Love NY” ad campaign, has produced some of New York State’s finest wines at his Millbrook Vineyards & Winery since 1985. Wine tastings are available daily year-round. Millbrook Winery’s indoor facility is a vaulted barn with various spaces where you can taste some excellent wines.
The winery features the Summer Jazz Concert series, live music, and food trucks from May to October. Many picnic tables and Adirondack chairs on the lawn offer wonderful views of the perfectly aligned grape vines.
For the outdoors person, you can visit Orvis Sandanona (the oldest shotgun shooting club in the country), play golf at the Links at Union Vale, or stroll along the famous Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie.
