Things To Do In Kingston

Rhinebeck Tennis Club's team of certified USPTA professionals shepherds aspiring racket wielders through a three-hour beginner clinic, lobbing expert guidance and instruction. During elucidative sessions, one of these seasoned tennis gurus will lay the groundwork with the fundamentals and rules, teaching the basic techniques of serving, scoring, and constructing a doctoral-level thesis when presenting your argument against a line judge's call. Rhinebeck hopes to help you make the transition from whishing the racket through air molecules to effectively using it to deflect solid objects, such as tennis balls and fondue-dipped bressane thrown by the sport's notoriously rowdy spectators, so that you'll be ready to host your own matches.

Peace can spring from the roughest, toughest places, according to Zosha, the former ER nurse who founded Primal Power Yoga. Instead of lining her studio with bamboo and lotus flowers, she’s stationed it between exposed-brick walls and sturdy wooden pillars that signify power and perseverance. Here, students mine their inner depths as they practice flowing Vinyasa sequences and athletic Ashtanga routines.

Poses and deep breaths flow together, centering minds and strengthening bodies to promote long-term wellness. During warm and hot Vinyasa classes, temperatures rise to 80–105 degrees to limber muscles and oust toxins. Beginners learn to synchronize poses and breathwork during Vinyasa Basics classes. In these sessions, an experienced instructor imparts meditation techniques and the Sanskrit names for concepts such as standing, stretching, and catching popcorn in one’s mouth.

To keep participants engaged during physical challenges, many classes also incorporate music and pose modifications. After class, students can linger to socialize and sip herbal iced tea, which Zosha brews fresh each day.

Winemakers from across the state of New York flock to the Hudson Valley Wine & Food Fest each year, bottles of their finest wines in tow. Hosted on the sprawling Dutchess County Fairgrounds, the two-day festival features food and wine seminars, live music, and tastings of hundreds of local New York and international wines. To fuel the weekend's activities, a variety of specialty food vendors peddle gourmet treats, and local restaurants dole out samplings of some of their best dishes.

Inspired by his grandfather’s legacy of superior wine crafting, Harry Robibero took the first step in rebooting the family tradition by buying 42 acres of property in the Hudson River Valley with his wife Carole in 2003. He couldn't start harvesting any grapes just yet, however—there was already an operational winery on the premises. He bided his time, waiting for the opportunity to fill his home's glasses and well-concealed flasks with his own cask-aged creations. In 2007, the original winery announced that it was vacating the acreage, opening the door for Harry to finally cut the ribbon on his family's very own vino haven.

After years of revamping the property, the family now welcomes visitors to savor red and white artisan wines by the bottle or glass while playing board games, watching sports on the 52-inch TV, warming up by the indoor fireplace, or listening to music during one of the winery's weekly events. The Robiberos also helm tasting sessions, in which oenophiles can sample a lineup of their expertly handcrafted libations. During the warmer months, they open the outdoor patio so that their guests can sip on sangria or wine while overlooking the lush vineyards speckled across the fertile valley.

The smile on Yancey's face as she holds her double gold-winning riesling up to the camera is infectious. It perfectly captures the love, dedication, and immense pride she and her husband Michael take in crafting their well-received bottles of wine at Whitecliff Vineyard.

Their artisanal labors of love started more than 30 years ago when Michael decided to transform an empty field into a winery. Following the traditions of his winemaking grandfathers and armed with a master's degree in organic chemistry, he started experimenting with grape growing. Determined to produce wines that would rival European classics, he eventually expanded his vineyard to contain more than 20 varieties of grapes, each with an uncanny resemblance to the American flag.

Today, he and Yancey sell their wines in farmers' markets and stores from Albany to New York City. They also invite visitors to stop by their scenic winery for wine and cheese pairings or events that include art openings.

Located on the 250-acre grounds of historic Boscobel, overlooking the Hudson River, the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival envelops theatergoers in worlds long past. Its inaugural production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1987 carved a path of critical acclaim for it to expand into summer-long festivals, ongoing educational outreach, and artist-in-residence programs. The organization's canon even extends past that of the Bard on occasion: past seasons have taken on The Three Musketeers and Tartuffe.