DAY TRIP: Cold Spring, NY — A Hudson River Village Stroll, Antique Shops & Riverfront Views

Cold Spring is one of the easiest Hudson Valley escapes from Bergen County: a walkable 19th-century village right on the Hudson River, with a Main Street full of antique shops and bookstores, plus riverfront parks where toddlers can run around and watch the boats go by. It is small enough to explore in a relaxed afternoon, and pretty enough that parents will want to come back without the kids too.

Place: Main Street, Cold Spring, NY — the village's main drag runs downhill toward the river, lined with Victorian storefronts, antique shops, cafes, and ice cream spots. Two stops worth knowing by name: Split Rock Books, 97 Main Street, Cold Spring, NY, an independent bookstore with a dedicated children's section and a friendly resident cat; and the riverfront at the foot of Main Street, where Foundry Dock Park (Market Street, Cold Spring, NY) offers a gazebo, benches, and a kayak launch into Foundry Cove. A short walk away, the West Point Foundry Preserve, 80 Kemble Avenue, Cold Spring, NY, is a free riverside preserve with trails past 19th-century ironworks ruins and a rushing creek.

Drive Time: About 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes from Tenafly and Fort Lee, via the Palisades Interstate Parkway and Route 9W. Weekend parking in the village can be tight, so arrive before lunch if you can. Cold Spring is also reachable by Metro-North from Grand Central.

What Kids Can Do: Hunt for treasures in the antique shops along Main Street; pick a picture book at Split Rock Books and read it on a bench; run around the grass at Foundry Dock Park and watch kayaks launch into the cove; walk the easy trails at West Point Foundry Preserve and spot the old stone ruins and the creek; count the boats on the Hudson from Dockside Park, 34 West Street, Cold Spring, NY, with Storm King Mountain across the river; finish with ice cream on Main Street.

What Adults Can Do: Browse the antique and home-goods shops at a slow pace; blend a custom candle at the scent bar at Mundane, 115 Main Street, Cold Spring, NY; take in the Hudson views from Foundry Dock Park's gazebo; walk the Foundry Preserve's trails and read the history of the ironworks; grab coffee and a pastry and people-watch from a Main Street bench.

Things to Do Nearby: Little Stony Point, 3007 Bear Mountain-Beacon Highway, Cold Spring, NY — a free, family-friendly loop trail with a sandy beach and panoramic Hudson views; Boscobel House and Gardens in nearby Garrison; Beacon, about 15 minutes north; Storm King Art Center in New Windsor, about 25 minutes south.

Seasonal note: Late October is a beautiful time for Cold Spring — the Hudson Highlands foliage is still showing color, and the village feels festive without the summer crowds. Dress in layers; the river breeze is cooler than inland Bergen County.