Boscobel House and Gardens

The gardens are stunning and very well maintained. Very classy with a garden party/ country club elegance. Boscobel overlooks beautiful marsh lands with a trail which you can hike.

As a Hudson Valley wedding planner, I can confidently say this venue has quickly become one of my favorites! The amazing team goes above and beyond, offering support that truly stands out. Angie, the venue manager, and Linda made a fantastic duo, ensuring that the day was seamless and stress-free. I’m excited to recommend this gem to my future couples and look forward to collaborating with their wonderful team again soon. This historic venue truly is a treasure in the Hudson Valley!

Beautiful mansion on the Hudson River directly across from West point. Very interesting tour. It is being renovated because of a ceiling collapse. Interesting to see the work being redone.

Beautiful home and garden. Especially in-between seasons. Loved seeing the changing foliage 🍂🍁🍎 $7 for a bag of fresh, on-site apples and a cute gift shop 👌🏻

Beautiful setting and gardens. I’ve enjoyed plays and movies here among the best backdrop in the Hudson valley. Truly enchanting.

Wow best view of the Hudson River for sure. Just the view alone is worth it. There was a wedding going on when I came. Nice place to visit if there was an event going on. Stayed maybe about 40 to 45 min. It was a Jewish wedding.

I only walked around the grounds. The view of the river is extraordinary. I also saw a flock of wild turkeys. You can apples picked from their orchard. I got there too late to do the house tour. I did use the trail on the property to walk over to the Audubon Society's marsh boardwalk which ended up taking 45 minutes to get there and some steep rocky hills at the end.

Beautiful view of the Hudson River. Unfortunately the house was closed but the grounds are nice and I enjoyed the sculptures of artists.

Not very ADA accessible! Two parking spots near the main house marked "Handicapped" were off-limits to us (w a handicapped hang-tag). "These are reserved for special events," said a docent. "Are there special events today?" we asked. "No, but you have to park in the visitors area," way, way over there. That made walking to enjoy the view of the Hudson. We would gladly have paid the admission fee, but we were clearly not welcome, even to stroll from a parking place close to the views.

The house is to open from the restoration in mid summer and I can't wait to visit again! The gardens, grounds, views, and trails were all so lovely. They still have a section dedicated to its history in the visitor center which is nice. This is the perfect picnic spot, hoping to attend some upcoming events.

Front desk staff was great but the event coordinator was very rude and unprofessional. We happened to visit during a wedding. The place didn't explain to us that some places were off limits and there was no staff around to ask. They blamed us for breaking a sign when we just happened to walk by there as a gust of wind blew it off. We tried to save it but the event coordinator blamed us, cursed us and threatened to kick us out. She didn't even ask us what happened. Don't come here. Not worth the money for such a small space!

Definitely Boscobel is a Majestic place to visit as a Touristic area or monumental place . Today was Mother day Brunch . Very disappointed , bad Menu choice Cheff. Not a place to go eat on a special date.

Mother's Day Brunch $70 Adults $50 kids and was not q station for omelets ??? Was not hot cocoa for kids , was not bread or croissants , was not orange juice .... Only strawberries with chocolate very poor presentation. , Was nothing for kids oh sorry brownie for breakfast. No wafles no pancakes . Was very poor ,of what we expected . No cheese no bread not ham not sure what happened or what was going on .we just had tea and a couple of sandwiches with goat cheese and cucumber , ones with prosciutto that were like gum, not able to get q bite on those with soft bread 11:00 am eating prosciutto ,tuna or chicken sandwiches on soft brad . Very disappointed. Not the Brunch we imagine for q such q beautiful place .

Rip off! Prices are outrageous for this fake house. The most untrained eye can tell that this place is faux. A wrecking ball was taken to the original house, which was miles away from this site. Bits of the original were salvaged and brought to this new site, where an entirely new building was constructed. The construction was so shoddy that it collapsed last year. This place is a scam. The women at the visitor's center constantly merch, including merching bits of old wallpaper that they sell as bookmarks. One venomous gray-haired woman keeps her steely eyes glued on the guests to make sure that they do not stray down the lawn. She tries to extort a huge fee for walking across a bit of grass. Do not get a membership. It allows you only four visits a year. A season pass at an amusement park is a better deal.

Boscobel was such a pleasant visit. From the scenic drive up the Hudson Valley, to entering the huge site, everything was so charming. From the moment you check in, to the vast knowledge of the your guide, it all was magnificent and awe inspiring. Our guide, Kathy, was such a delight. She conducted the tour at a comfortable pace, allowed plenty of time to take pictures/videos, and gave us a memorable history lesson that I'll cherish. The Boscobel home is a site to behold. The scenery is majestic and you will have the opportunity to take either a 1 or 3 mile loop around the property, after the tour. You will see, and learn about, items that are 200+ years old and how they lived back in the late 1700's. The pictures that you'll view will not do any justice to what you'll encounter, from start to finish. I highly recommend visiting Boscobel. You will be throughly satisfied with all that you will learn, see, and experience.

Overall an historic and interesting piece of Hudson Valley history. Home was built in the very early 1800s. It's an interesting showcase of 18th century life meeting 19th century technology. No indoor plumbing but some very advanced oil lamps. Many fireplaces but no central heating. This is an upscale house for the time built just before technology really emerged to moderize homes. Some nice furniture by Duncan Phyfe is featured including an unrestored original cabinet. Nice story about the hard work in restoring the mansion. Overall tour: average but in the summer heat the outside portion of the tour is uncomfortable and miserable. Time budget: 1 hour for the tour and 15 minutes to look around after the tour Misc.: Restrooms are available

Great tour and views of the Hudson Valley. We got free tickets through our library and suggest going early on the weekends because there was a wedding coming in right after we were done with the tour.

Some mixed feelings about Boscobel... I've known of the gardens for a while and have been meaning to visit based on the great reviews and their website. I was a bit disappointed when I finally made the trip though. There are very limited things to do/see. Right now, the house is closed. There is a small herb garden and a central garden too. There is a lovely sweeping view of Hudson with the Marsh below..making for some gret photo ops on clear days... But...that's about it... There are some hiking trails which I ventured into but nothing more than the usual trail....trees...dirt...rocks. No signs, or exhibits, or facts along the way. I think, for what they offer, the current $12 is a bit much. $6-8 would be more appropriate. I will have to return when the house re-opens, that may make the visit worthwhile. Also, there are some events there from time to time...such as "Applefest" which may also be worth the visit... The few staff members I encountered were friendly and helpful. There was one person checking names as you enter into the parking lot (ample parking spaces) and another person at the visitor's check-in building to check you in, give you an admission sticker and answer any questions you have.

The view here is absolutely breathtaking. We love their small herb garden. This place is very well maintained. There are some walking trails. Great place to have family gathering.

A hidden gem! But although this is one of the most unique places in NY state, I have a number of mixed feelings and I can definitely see how some people were disappointed, which is partially based on expectation v reality and partially based on some pros and cons. Pros (+10 stars): -It is unbelievably well maintained. The small herb garden is right out of Martha Stewart and the overall grounds are gorgeous. I know people complain about the high prices, but this is what it takes to maintain and preserve nature to this world class level. 3 stars! -The view of the Hudson River will take your breath AWAY. Unless you're already dead inside. It feels like you are entering a magical shot of a painting of a map of old New York in a Ken Burns film. Epic, stunning, picturesque. 4 stars!!! -Beautiful place to just hang out, relax and read a book. Overall it is a much more peaceful and respectful vibe than many of the other nature outlooks in the area (because you do have to know about it and be privileged and willing enough to pay for it). 3 stars. Cons (-6 stars): -That there aren't more pros. You see that gorgeous view and then that's kind of it....There is an entire area for events that is often blocked off. Some of the paths don't really lead anywhere. Aside from the main walk to the river, there isn't a lot of walkability. And there are trails, but unless you are a member there are other state or county-run trails that are free and even more beautiful, IMO. -2 stars -Buildings and tours only happen at specific times so you need to be well planned ahead. I've seen disappointed people turned away bc they didn't realize that certain days don't have tours, etc. -1star. -The website is hard to navigate and the UX design is not very well thought out. I find it so frustrating every single time I try to log in. The gardens are from another time but the website should not be...-2 stars -Sassy signage and verbiage. During Covid there was a sign that said "use bathroom at your own risk" and as you're leaving a sign that says "if you were already a member....". It feels like an passive-aggressive roommate leaving out sticky notes--except these are officially printed out in classy serif font! -1 star. I am saying all this as a member who plans to go frequently because I live in the area and hopes to attend some programming as well (kids crafts, concerts, etc). For me it's worth it because if I'm in the area I feel I can (plan ahead with a reservation) to pop in for a short visit on the way to brunch or as a further respite from enjoying nature with 700 other people at Bear Mountain. But I can definitely see how some visitors--especially one time visitors who travel from afar, might be disappointed by what they pay (unless they are REALLY into historical stuff and do the whole shebang). But I say this straightforwardly to local or regional folks: it's worth a membership to both enjoy the local beauty, and support this garden so that it can continue blooming for generations to come (just use the bathroom at your own risk!!)

Without a doubt the best view of the Hudson river I have seen is at the belvedere here! The Boscobel Estate is a beautiful place to visit and the house itself has wonderful furniture. If you take a 12-15 dollar tour of the house, which is the only way to get inside it, you be part of a 4-5 person small group and will go over the belvedere, the garden house, and the house itself. Since I love history and appreciate art this tour was really entertaining to me. The inside of the house also makes the tour worth. Everything inside is historically accurate and it shows you how residents utilized rooms and furniture. I didn't realize so much of the furniture of this time period could be moved around so much or combined. When touring the house I found our director to be kind and knowledgeable. He was able to answer all of groups questions and showed off a lot of energy and excitement for the things he was discussing. He said he was his education was in furniture so that probably explains all of that. The grounds of the estate are also picturesque (and free.) You can see why the hudson river school was inspired to make paintings from locations such as this... speaking of they even have wicked busts of hrs painters near the front of the house here. I would highly recommend coming to Boscoble House at least once if you're in Cold Spring. When I was here I also hiked the nearby Constitution Marsh and Indian Brooks Waterfall which are also great sights.

Good location, beautiful view definitely a nice spot to bring your family on the weekends not a lot offered during the summer but come fall lost if events are held and are great for a nice little day with the family

Yay if this is your kind of thing (Hudson valley old timey houses that is) then this is a nice treat. You drive off into small towns and the country, and you find a mansion built in the early 19th century with great views of the Hudson River. What I most like about houses like this are ones that focus both on a) this origin of the house and the family who lived there and b) how it came to be a historic landmark. Both parts are pretty interesting, especially how the house was restored and moved from its original location. The visitor's center presents some facts on the timeline of the house, and then you can pay for a house tour and/or garden visit. Our guide was very informative and the house looks really great and authentic. They also had a contemporary furniture show in the basement, a farmer's market on the premises, and a cute little gift shop. There is actually a lot to do/see for a small fee and a nice way to spend an afternoon in nice weather. And the guy who built it was named States Dyckman, and if you are familiar with the Dyckman family from NYC, it's cool to see a branch of it's history, and how cool is the name States? I should name my kid States.

Went for a Shakespeare Festival today. The grounds are beauty and he views of the Hudson River and West Point are breathtaking. Only 1 1/2 hour drive from NYC worth the trip.

Sunday expectations : spend a quiet early afternoon touring a historical mansion museum Sunday afternoon turnout : I spent the first 15 minutes walking through the rose and herb gardens only to be chased by a dozen fruit flies.. not fun After being to Vizcaya house in Miami, I had my expectations high. I was hoping for a mansion with at least 10 rooms. The Boscobel turned out to be a little steep to charge 16 dollars admissions for a ground tour of the house with only 4-5 rooms. I did, however, get to learn a whole lot about American history. Thanks to our guide Minette who did a great job of storytelling or I don't know how we can survive the 45 minutes examining every detail of this house. The views of the Hudson river, however, are absolutely stunning. I will come just to lay here for a picnic...but please don't be surprised if you find yourself trying to fight off a gazillion bugs. DO: Bring lots of bug spray Food for a picnic

What a wonderful escape. This was my second visit and well worth it. Sam was our tour guide- what a captivating place and location with the sweeping views of the Hudson valley. Originally built in 1808- relocated and restored in the 1950's. The mansion is of the Federal style- complete with expansive windows, brilliant warm colors, traditional molding and Duncan Phyfe furniture. I have been here in the fall and late spring... Any time of year is a good time to go.. If you go in early- mid June- you won't miss the rose blooms. During Christmas time, the house is beautifully decorated. I'm ready to go back! I added some photos...

This is a fantastic house, with an incredible staff. We met the director Jennifer Carlquist who made us feel quite at home. Our tour guide was quite knowledgeable and the view of the Hudson is absolutely amazing. The saving of this building and moving it to this site is an interesting story in it's own right. We wish we lived here to join and support Boscobel.

Fantastically beautiful. Even during COVID the grounds are well kept, especially the herb garden. Matthew the docent was so kind and knowledgeable about the different herbs and their uses when the house was in use.

Beautiful place! We took an audio tour and a docent tour around the mansion. Both were great. There was a nice surprise in the end of the tour! Definitely a wonderful museum to visit! The view is spectacular.

Came here with my sister on a weekday over the summer as part of a day trip to the Hudson Valley/Cold Spring. We went on a tour with a lovely, informed guide who told us about the history of the house and its restoration. Our visit was about 1 hour long and a perfect stop after a morning hike. We came back later in the evening for the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (performances occur in the grounds of the mansion), and were treated to beautiful views of the Hudson at sunset. Definitely recommend stopping by here as part of your Hudson Valley visit!

A nice little day trip getaway. The Boscobel home with ties to the Dyckman family of NYC. The tour guide will give you the complete history of the home and how it was moved up to Garrison. The view of West Point and the story of "the Hudson River Chain" with a chain on the property. Beautiful gardens that you can walk around and they also have the Shakespeare Festival at certain times of the year. It's close to Coldspring so you can go over there and walk to Main Street right after.

Drive from L.K.'s house to Boscobel: Approximately 5 minutes Admission fee: $12 View from the front lawn of the estate: Priceless Now that I've just finished sounding like a MasterCard commercial, I do want to add that this gorgeous 19th century house and its sprawling gardens are worth the trip even if you don't happen to live within a short driving distance as I do. The honey-colored house with its white front porch gives way to an expansive front lawn that sports jaw-dropping views of the Hudson River; Constitution Island; and West Point. If the day is a clear one, you can even see the Bear Mountain Bridge shimmering silver in the distance. The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival is in residence at Boscobel during the summer, and once you enter the estate and drive past the charming gatehouse - so charming I want to live there - and see the long drive with its line of huge trees on either side, you'll immediately understand why they've chosen this spot to bring the best of the Bard to local residents (apparently this drive is known as Maple Lane). Park your car and head on over to the visitors' center to pay the $12 admission fee (there are also student, senior and group rates). You can't walk the grounds of Boscobel, visit the house or see any of the art exhibits unless you pay the admission fee and get the appropriate sticker, although this place is so huge, I'm not quite sure how the staff manages to keep track. Maybe they're just relying on the honor system or something. There's a small gift shop on premises, and while the stuff they sell is charming in a colonial-era knick-knack sort of way, you're not there to spend your time in the gift shop. Get a map, get the hell out of the visitors' center, and wander your way through the apple orchard or the herb garden; check out the orangery; and you must, oh you must, visit the rose garden. It's beautiful, it's serene, and it even has a fountain. While this summer hasn't been so hot in terms of weather and the roses have taken a bit of a beating, it's still a beautiful place. The staff maintains it, as well as the other gardens, very well. They've also got some outdoor sculptures on display at various points throughout the property, and there are wooded trails for walking for those who are so inclined. They've also got a pond and picnic areas down by the gatehouse, but compared to the rest of the property they're not too exciting. What IS exciting? The ability to do yoga on the West Meadow from June through mid-September. How cool is that? Boscobel offers tours every day except Tuesday, when they are closed, and also does an art exhibit every year. The exhibit changes each year but they tend to do something that is in keeping with the theme of the place. This year they're doing an exhibition on Hudson River School painters; it opened in June and runs through Labor Day. I haven't seen it yet, but I plan to hotfoot it over there while I still have the time. Boscobel and its property is open from April through December, and apparently they do a candlelight house tour for three days around Christmas. They also host weddings and receptions on the premises. Their website says that you can rent the property for such functions from May through October, but only when the Shakespeare Festival isn't in residence. Since the Festival is in residence from mid-June through Labor Day, that pretty much limits people to the months of May, early June, September and October. But who cares, really? It's Boscobel and it's gorgeous. I noted on Yelp that Boscobel isn't good for kids, not because it's so anti-child - there's certainly plenty of room to run around - but because I think kids would honestly be bored by it. Do you think the average kid really wants to spend time in a rose garden or an orangery? But maybe I'm wrong. The Boscobel staff do school and educational tours, so it must work for the kids on some level. I'm sure there are people who wonder why I still live in this area, and even I must admit that there are days when I think I should pack up and move to NYC or something. But then I spend some time at Boscobel and I know why I still live here: because this area is gorgeous, it's peaceful and it's a part of me. Boscobel and its view are my moment of zen.

This is a review for a grounds only visit. The house was beautiful, the grounds were vast and green. Neither of which justified the steep entry price, at $10. National Trust properties in the UK are grander and a fraction of the price. I wasn't surprised that we were the only people there.

I had a great time this past Saturday at Boscobel Gardens, enjoying the Farmer's Market, picnicking with goods from the Museum Shop (sourced from Hudson Hil's in Cold Spring) and frolicking along the grounds - until we met the most condescending woman ever who ran the ticket center. Likely to be the same rude blonde woman referenced a few reviews below. To preface - me and my group of girls arrived around 1pm, to peruse the Farmer's Market. It was my understanding that Boscobel admission prior to 1:30pm was complimentary. We then did the above activities until about 3:00pm before heading back to catch the Trolley in front of the museum shop/ticket center. We decided to purchase some bottled water from the shop before our journey home and was met with the nastiest "Can I help you?" tone from the aforementioned woman. I told her we were simply purchasing some water, and she cut me off by asking "Were you on the grounds?" Not realizing the context of her question, I said "I'm sorry, I don't understand" to which she replied, "I don't see any of you wearing any stickers so I need to make sure you weren't on the grounds." I barely had enough time to tell her we had arrived during the Farmers Market complimentary admission before she grumpily rushed off. Dang, you is rude. First of all - she was not even working the ticket center (actually, nobody was. It was empty!) when we arrived earlier to purchase our goods. We would have gladly paid admission if needed (BUT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FREE). Nobody stopped us during our two hour stay to ask us to pay - including the cashier at the museum shop where we purchased lunch. Had the extremely rude lady asked us to cough up $11 admission each AFTER we were done with our visit I would have gladly laughed in her face and left. This is precisely how you do NOT treat customers who just spent over $100 in your store for food and water. Will not be returning and future visitors beware of this hawk-eyed employee who knows nothing of customer service.

We usually love the mansion tours up and down the Hudson Valley but this one was a bit lacking for a few reasons: 1. The entry fee of $17 is too high. 2. The landscaping is lacking. There is almost no color. 3. The mansion is not original to the grounds. It was originally in Montrose, 15 miles away. The remnants were moved to Garrison in the 50s. 4. Much of the original building was sold off or destroyed. Much of what you see is a rebuild. 5. One person was making a commercial yoga video on the grounds. How is this allowed? The views are spectacular though, thus the second star.

Wound up here unexpectedly on a weekend at 1pm. It was easy enough to find and there was just enough parking available. We were told that due to a wedding, the next tour would be at 2:30 so she told us to go check out the farmer's market (on the grounds) in the meantime and then come back. The farmer's market was small but great! All of the sweets were made with unbleached flour and fresh, organic ingredients and everything was awesome. Came back to reception and the woman told us that if we were willing to wait she would give us the senior rate. Cool! Our tickets went from $17 to $14. She said that before she confirmed it, she would call down to see if they could indeed do 2:30. Unfortunately, they wanted to push it back to 3pm just in case anything went over for the wedding. Again, the woman told us that if we were willing to wait, she'd do the tour on the house. HELL YES. Now our $14 tickets were $0! It's 1:30 and we decide to do the mile train around the grounds at a very slow pace, which takes about 30 minutes and offers some refreshing greenery and a preview of the views you can expect from Boscobel. We come back to the car around 2:20 and finish our goods from the market and are ready for the tour by 3. The tour was awesome; the woman who gave it must've been in her 90s but was quite sprightly and we soon found ourselves to be too slow for her pace. Her tour of the mansion was in-depth but not boring and we really enjoyed every bit. She knew a great deal about not only the history of the house, but a lot of the history of the various wares and textiles within. The tour ended with lemonade and cookies at the front of the house. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone and I would probably do it again myself!

Nice place. Came just for grounds which were nice but not enough blooming as it is mid April. Quiet. Docents seem knowledgable. Love the gift shop!!!

I really enjoyed touring this house. It's not a super interesting tour or anything, but the house itself is so pretty, I just liked seeing it. I could move right in. (Provided it's not haunted, which it very well could be, in which case I would move right out.)

We saw a show here for July 4th under their outdoor tent. OMG, it was hot under the tent. And to make matters worse, the afternoon sun was streaming diagonally right into our eyes. I honestly had to shield my eyes with my hand for the first half of the live performance. I was also getting a bit sunburned, and wish I'd brought at least a hat. The show was well done, but being in physical discomfort (even the seats hurt) totally distracted me. The grounds are lovely and there's a nice view of the river, but the mansion itself was actually disappointing. It's rather small and not really grand. It's about the least impressive of all the estates that the public can visit in Westchester County.

Quietly resting along the banks of the Hudson lies the shit hole that is boscobel. Even though I came to boscobel with low expectations it still managed to disappoint. The tour guide, who shall remain anonymous, only because she never introduced herself, was very rude. The sole focus of the tour was not on the house, its construction, or its rich history. Instead, we got a tour of a seemingly infinite amount of broken items that had been repaired. These were dubbed "make-do's". The tour was so boring I considered drinking the mercury out of an old mirror to end it early. When the tour abruptly finished, we received cookies that were actually not bad. Will I ever be returning to boscobel? Absolutely not. No thanks boscobel, I think I'll have to "make-do" with another tour.

It's a beautiful home and worth a tour if you're coming anyway for the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, though the home's lack of roots in this spot detracts somewhat from the history. (The history of how it was moved here, on the other hand, is fascinating.)

While the grounds might be pleasant, the woman who manages this property is far from. Attended a wedding here during a thunderstorm that brought with it incredibly heavy rain. Not only did the tent she provided flood, she seemed less than interested in helping alleviate the issue, and to add insult to injury, she had an awful attitude. Leaving the guest's to scramble together in an attempt to help move the tables and gifts which were now soaked from all the water that came in. She made a lot of promises to the bride and groom that she later denied them only days before the event. Not to mention the fact that she had the nerve to steal food towards the end of the reception that was packed up and intended for the guests!

This place is absolutely gorgeous. The view of the Hudson Valley is just unbelievable here. The house also is wonderful - I would definitely recommend getting a tour just so you can appreciate the history/architecture. They also hold events here - I did the chocolate and wine tasting with Oliver Kita which was just incredible. A must see!

Perched on an amazing spot over looking the Hudson River and beautiful gardens surrounding it, this 100+ year old house is a great place to unwind and slow things down. The view of the Hudson River is spectacular, the different gardens are interesting, and outdoor sculptures and artwork change periodically. The house itself is pristine, and the thought that this house was relocated here in pieces just amazes me. The cost of $11 just to wander the gardens might be a little steep considering there isn't much involved with a person just walking around, but in reality, the price is in line with a number of preservation themed sites in the area. One Yelper's completely negative review was all about the price and admission, but I don't know what would make her feel entitled enough to expect free admission, even if it was just "to take a few pictures." All she could say about what drew her to the Boscobel in the first place was "it might be pretty". If you appreciate the preservationist movement happening all around the area, majestic views of the Hudson River, and various types of gardens in a serene setting, then $11 is worth it.

I cannot speak for the museum since we came here for the HVSF performance. The setting for our picnic before the performance was amazing and the views are killer! What a perfect setting for the performance. I would definitely take advantage of the grounds if you're coming here to see a performance. Also - what is up with with the complaints about the tent? the heat? the bugs? You are outdoors in the summer,no? They provide free bug spray for the bugs and ice cream for the heat.

Beautiful afternoon overlooking the Hudson River watching a Shakespearean play. The experience here is surreal. Where else can you drink wine, enjoy a picnic in an amazingly beautiful spot, and then sit under a moonlit tent to watch a play? Even if the play was a bit hard to follow, the experience is well worth the confusion!

What an incredible view! We saw HVSF here last week. Boscobel was a wonderful set for the play.

Today, I took my family over to Boscobel thinking it was a beautiful day and they would enjoy a walk around the property. I have been there before so we did not want a tour. I wanted to simply walk to the water, get a photo and leave. We got to a sign saying, "not allowed on grounds without tickets" which surprised me because I have been there before for classes and I guess bc I was taking classes did not need a ticket (clearly!). The lady stopped us-like a pit bull guarding a prized piece of meat- she was on us. I explained we just wanted to see the water and would leave. We did not want a tour. She then responded with "for a family of four it's 30.00". I explained we were five and could we pay that rate. She said no. She would charge an extra person fee of 11.00. SERIOUSLY? 11.00 to walk on the grass?? I am sorry but there was NO one there and we did not want to see anything but the water. Am I missing something here? AM I in the wrong here? My family was also upset-so we found a nice spot to walk and it was free.

Went here today for the first time with my friend and my boyfriend to take a few pictures of me and my boyfriend because he's leaving later this month. A older blond woman watched us since the moment we got out of the car. So much so, that before we started taking any pictures we all commented on her. At first we took pictures on the benches near the main building , and she just stood there looking at us. Then I guess we [barely] passed a sign that would lead you to the flower garden and she followed us and told us not to go passed the sign and we would need tickets to go any further. So we inquired politely inside about ticket costs, and it was $33, and we decided that was too much for just a walk. I'm having foot problems anyway, so we decided to just take a few more pictures not past the sign and then leave. We walked towards the pond, where there was no signs saying not to go there or anything (we double checked). And all the sudden the same lady comes running over to us literally screaming at us and flailing her arms that we weren't allowed over there without tickets and she had given us more then enough time or something. There were people around with their kids, so it was also kind of embarrassing. Boscobel might be pretty, but we wouldn't know because the staff is so ugly. I will also be posting this on the other boscobel name on yelp. Terrible people service. All we were doing was taking a few pictures.

We got our tickets through Metro North at a great discount! We only visited the Gift Shop last year and made it a point to tour the house this year. The tour was awesome, with lots of important historical and fun facts! Dorothy was our guide. My only complaint is that you could not hear a word she said when we were outside, and she was facing away from us. But, she was certainly knowledgable about her subject and the history. At the end of the tour they gave us apple cider and ginger cookies. I love the Gift Shop. I bought more Christmas ornaments, as many have admired the ones I got last year. They have some wonderful gifts in there. Was so disappointed there were no apples for sale this year, as last year there were bags of them. Apparently, it wasn't a good year for the apple orchard, maybe because of Hurricane Irene, but they are still beautiful trees/grounds, and I can't wait to go back again soon to see Fall Folliage! Highly Recommended!

I consider this a hidden gem. There was a small quaint farmers market near the parking lot. The grounds itself is kept very neatly and beautifully. I like that this place is not well known so it's not crowded. The Hudson Valley view is gorgeous! This is a worthwhile stop if you're in the area.

Please do yourself a favor when in the area, visit. May want to time visit during fall for some apples grown right there. Trolley can take you from Cold Spring. Be sure you know when the trolley can take you back though so you dont miss the MNRR if that is how you got up there.

The Sparkle was ok, much more could have been done to make it more special. It is ok for children around ages 4-7. It is not geared at all for adults. The house tour was ok but kind of rushed and the one docent who did the dining room and pantry started to speak before all were assembled and also spoke in a very low voice - a low talker. Not what one wants for a guide. The other docents were very good. We would not go back to the Sparkle unless they step it up.