Leaving Poughkeepsie, Route 44 heads northeast through the heart of Dutchess County. Enjoy bucolic views of horse farms and the rolling foothills of the Taconic Range between stop-offs in the village centers of Pleasant Valley and Millbrook, whose flourishing Main Street shops and farm-to-table eateries welcome visitors to a genteel way of life.
Millbrook Beef & Dairy Market
Millbrook (845) 380-2971 Millbrookbeefdairy.com
Millbrook Beef & Dairy is a farm store nestled on route 44 in Millbrook. Brian and Keegan Donovan, a first generation farming couple, offer pasture-raised proteins and dairy products. You’ll find pasture-raised black angus beef, artisanal cheeses, and more raised right on the farm. The Donovans believe living a simpler life is more of a step forward, rather than backwards. Utilizing regenerative farming practices allows the Donovans to produce high-quality products while providing utmostrespect to the land as well as the animals. Read more about what they’re up to on their website, or take a visit to the farm store.
Charlotte’s
Millbrook (845) 677-5888 Charlottesny.com
Originally a c.1830s church, now an established restaurant in the Millbrook Hunt Country serving all your favorites. In winter, relax by one of the wood-burning fireplaces and enjoy a bottle from the award-winning cellar. In the summer, enjoy a mango margarita in the outdoor garden. Perfect for a dinner for two or a family reunion. Private rooms available.
The Village of Millbrook
Millbrooknewyork.com
A bucolic village surrounded by rolling hills and much to offer–Orvis Sandanona, Innisfree Garden, Trevor Zoo, two of the best shops in the world (Veranda Magazine 2022), Cary Institute, an authentic diner, Millbrook Winery, a hardware store founded in 1907, a classic French bistro, a volunteer fire department, and so much more.
Shady Knoll Orchards & Distillery
Millbrook
Shadyknolldistillery.com
Shady Knoll Orchards & Distillery is a family farm distillery near Millbrook. The apples and grains grown there create its Shady Knoll Apple Brandy, Pommeau, Rye Whiskey, Single Barrel Rye Whiskey, Four Grain Whiskey and Whiskey. They focus on producing small quantities of high-quality specialty craft distilled spirits. Tours and tastings by appointment through their website.
Peony Design Studio
1583 Main Street, Pleasant Valley | (845) 723-4600
www.Peonydesignstudio.com
With last summer’s opening of Peony Design Studio, Pleasant Valley residents now have a shop that offers a bouquet of services, from custom wedding and event florals to sustainable and Hudson Valley-made gifts to community workshops that show anyone how to tap into the floral artist within.
Peony Design Studio was founded in 2010 by Christine Fontana, a floral designer who has over two decades of experience in the industry. Over the last decade, she has become one of the Hudson Valley’s go-to wedding and event florists, traveling all over the region to bring her clients’ most-dreamed-about moments to life. Whether she is creating arrangements for celebrations in rustic Hudson Valley vineyards, Pennsylvania horse farms, historic Connecticut estates, or quaint Catskill Mountain backyards, her designs take inspiration from the people who are celebrating as much as the settings themselves.
This article appears in February 2024.
