An LGBTQ Summertime Getaway to the Heart of the Hudson Valley

Barton Orchards

Summer fun is heating up here in Dutchess County, and this is a wonderful time to visit the heart of New York’s Hudson Valley!

You’re sure to have a blast at the annual Pride in July festival at Barton Orchards on July 19. This year’s event will include drag performances, lots of fun activities and entertainment, craft vendors, and more. Barton’s famous Amateur Drag Contest returns with a $1,000 cash prize! Kick up your heels at the DJ dance party and the foam party, test your skills on the mechanical bull, and enjoy the “Hey Girl, Hay Ride.”

Head to the Fisher Center at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson for two action-packed months of performances of all types at the annual SummerScape festival June 27–Aug. 17. Enjoy work-in-progress readings of “Jubilee” by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, and performances of Bedrich Smetana’s opera “Dalibor,” among others. The adjacent Spiegeltent, meanwhile, keeps the party hopping all summer long with live music performances, drinks and dancing. John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) performs David Bowie Aug. 15 and 16, and Andy Monk of Queer Conspiracy hosts the Spiegeltent After Hours series featuring a rotating lineup of DJs after every Spiegeltent performance. Enjoy a risqué cabaret show featuring nightlife icon Susanne Bartsch on July 25 and 26, and a cabaret show starring drag queen and comedian Juno Birch on Aug. 1 and 2.

Fisher Center

If outdoor adventure is your thing, be sure to check out the Destination Dutchess Zen Finder, a mobile passport program featuring some of the best hidden-gem trails, fresh air activities, and captivating views in a curated itinerary that will help you find the kind of nature-inspired rejuvenation that can only be found in the Hudson Valley.

And speaking of the great outdoors, our acres and acres of lush farmland are bursting with ripe fruits and vegetables ready to be picked and included in your favorite summertime recipes. Pick your own berries, stone fruits and vegetables right off the vines at places like Fishkill Farms in Hopewell Junction, Greig Farm in Red Hook, Rose Hill Farm in Red Hook, and Mead Orchards in Tivoli (check with each farm to see what is in-season). Later in the summer, the sunflowers steal the show at places like Hudson Valley Cold Pressed Oils in Pleasant Valley and Barton Orchards in Poughquag.

These are just a few of the many unforgettable experiences waiting for you here in Dutchess County. Click here for more information on LGBTQ-friendly travel.

Sometimes called “New York City’s Backyard,” Dutchess is easy to get to by car, train or plane — but oh-so-hard to leave!