New York City: SPLURGE

Where to Go: Milton, New York.

Distance from New York: 75 miles north.

Where to Stay: An updated homestead from the 17th century set on 70 lush green acres along the banks of the Hudson River, Buttermilk Falls Inn & Spa has 14 individualized guest rooms and suites, all with fireplaces and most with whirlpool baths and views of the Hudson Valley. Both the Grand Laurel and Sage Right rooms have fabric-draped antique canopy beds.

Price: Doubles from $225.

What to Do: Multitask and get your nature and culture together by strolling among large welded-steel sculptures by Henry Moore, Alexander Calder, Louise Nevelson, and others at the Storm King Art Center in Mountainville; escape the heat by plunging into the Split Rock swimming hole in the Mohonk Mountain Preserve (swimsuit not required); learn safe and proper shotgun skills at Orvis Sandanona, the oldest shooting club in the country, in Millbrook. Be sure to get back to the inn in time for relaxation at the spa and afternoon tea with petite sandwiches and desserts, such as pound cake scented with lavender from the inn’s gardens.

Insider Tip: The Culinary Institute of America has five restaurants—American Bounty, Caterina de’ Medici, Escoffier, St. Andrew’s Café, and Apple Pie Bakery Café—11 miles north and across the Hudson River in Hyde Park. Advanced reservations recommended. Note: restaurants are closed for part of July.