Go on, take a look around.
The Vassar campus comprises over 100 buildings in architectural styles ranging from modernist to collegiate gothic and 1,000 picturesque acres ranging from the sweeping lawns of the main campus to the meadows and woodlands of the Vassar Farm. Main Building, designed by James Renwick Jr., and the Maria Mitchell Observatory are both National Historic Landmarks.
360 Tours
Explore our campus with these 360-degree videos—the next best thing to being here (especially if you wear your VR goggles)!
Living
Dorms
Learning
Academics
Libraries
View from Above
The Hudson Valley
Designated a National Heritage Area by Congress, the Hudson Valley has more major historic sites per square mile than any other area in the United States. Fabulous mansions of the Gilded Age, quaint river towns, unparalleled hiking and climbing sites in the Catskills and the Shawangunks, world-class art museums—the valley is a national treasure. Poughkeepsie, Vassar’s hometown, is half way between Albany, the state capitol, and New York City.
Directions to Campus
Car
Via Taconic State Parkway
- Exit at Route 55 westbound (6 mi.)
- Turn left onto Route 376 Extension/Van Wagner Road (which becomes Raymond Avenue <1 mi.)
- Main Entrance (gothic stone archway) on left
Via New York State Thruway
Northbound
- Take exit 17 for I-84 East toward Newburgh across the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge
- Take Exit 13 onto Rt. 9 North (9.59 mi.)
- Turn right onto Spackenkill Rd. Rt. 113 East
- Turn left at second light onto Wilbur Blvd. (0.5 mi.)
- Turn right onto Hooker Avenue (<1 mi.)
- Turn left onto Raymond Avenue (<1 mi.)
- Main Entrance (gothic stone archway) on right
Southbound
- Take exit 18 for Rt. 299 toward New Paltz/Poughkeepsie
- Turn right onto Rt. 299 East (5.1 mi.)
- Turn right onto Rt. 9W South (2.3 mi.)
- Take exit ramp onto Rt. 44/55 East (<1 mi.)
- Cross the Mid-Hudson Bridge and continue on Rt. 44/55 East(2.0 mi.)
- Turn right onto Raymond Avenue (<1 mi.)
- Main Entrance (gothic stone archway) on left
Via Route 9
- Head east onto Spackenkill Rd. Rt. 113 East (0.7 mi.)
- Turn left at second light onto Wilbur Blvd. (2 mi.)
- Turn right onto Hooker Avenue (0.6 mi.)
- Turn left onto Raymond Avenue (0.4 mi.)
- Main Entrance (gothic stone archway) on right
Train
Metro-North Commuter Railroad connects New York City’s Grand Central Terminal with Poughkeepsie. For timetables, call (800) 638-7646 or visit their website. Poughkeepsie is also served by Amtrak. For schedules, call (800) 872-7245 or the Amtrak website. Taxi and bus service is available from the Poughkeepsie train station to campus.
Bus
Service is available from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City via Short Line Bus, (800) 631-8405.
The Dutchess County L Bus picks up at the train station and drops off on Collegeview Avenue, which is directly next to campus—the L bus’s schedule and route.
Air
For travelers flying into a New York City airport, the easiest way to get to Vassar is by Metro-North Train to Poughkeepsie from Grand Central Station. To get to Grand Central Station from the metro area airports, take the NYC Airporter (LaGuardia and JFK) or the Newark Airport Express (Newark).
Scheduled passenger service is available from Stewart International Airport (SWF) in Newburgh, New York, 35 minutes from Vassar.
Other nearby airports include: Westchester County Airport in White Plains, Albany International Airport in Albany, or the three major airports in the New York City metro area (LaGuardia, JFK, Newark Liberty).
Lodging
Poughkeepsie
5–15 minutes from Vassar
Alumnae House at Vassar College
161 College Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
(845) 437-7100
Best Western Plus The Inn & Suites at the Falls
50 Red Oaks Mill Rd., Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
(845) 462-5770
Courtyard by Marriott
2641 South Rd., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
(845) 485-6336
Days Inn
536 Haight Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
(845) 454-1010
Hampton Inn & Suites
2361 South Rd., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
(845) 463-7500
Holiday Inn Express
2750 South Rd., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
(845) 473-1151
Homewood Suites by Hilton Poughkeepsie
900 Thomas Watson Road
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
(845) 462-0030
Residence Inn by Marriott
2525 South Rd., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
(845) 463-4343
Hyde Park
20 minutes north of Vassar
Journey Inn (B&B)
1 Sherwood Pl., Hyde Park, NY 12538
(845) 229-8972
Quality Inn of Hyde Park
4142 Albany Post Rd., Hyde Park, NY 12538
(845) 229-0088
Roosevelt Inn
4360 Albany Post Rd., Hyde Park, NY 12538
(845) 229-2443
Fishkill
30 minutes south of Vassar
Courtyard by Marriott
17 Westage Dr., Fishkill, NY 12524
(845) 897-2400
Hampton Inn Fishkill
544 Route 9, Fishkill, NY 12524
(845) 896-4000
Hilton Garden Inn
21 Westgate Drive, Fishkill, NY 12524
(845) 896-7100
Holiday Inn Express
21 Schuyler Blvd., Fishkill, NY 12524
(845) 896-4001
Homestead Studio Suites Hotel
25 Merritt Blvd., Fishkill, NY 12524
(845) 897-2800
Brinckerhoff Inn
1577 Route 52, Fishkill, NY 12524
(845) 765-2535
Rhinebeck
35 minutes north of Vassar
Beekman Arms (the oldest operating Inn in America) and Delamater Inn
6387 Mill St., Rhinebeck, NY 12572
(845) 876-7077
Rhinebeck Village Inn
6860 Route 9, Rhinebeck, NY 12572
(845) 876-7000
Dining
Arlington
right off campus
Billy Bob’s BBQ
34 Fairmont Ave, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
(845) 471-7870
BurgerFi
60 Raymond Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
(845) 473-7200
Savona’s Trattoria
1 Collegeview Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
(845) 867-4505
Twisted Soul
47 Raymond Ave, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
(845) 454-2770
Poughkeepsie
1915 Wine Cellar
40 Cannon St. Suite 4, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
(845) 232-5311
Blue Collar Brewery
40 Cottage St, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
(845) 454-BREW
Brasserie 292
292 Main St, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
(845) 473-0292
Christo’s Restaurant
155 Wilbur Blvd, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
(845) 471-3400
Cosimo's
120 Delafield St, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
(845) 485-7172
Crew Restaurant & Bar
2290 South Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
(845) 462-8900
El Azteca
97 Main Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
(845) 483-7677
Essie's
14 Mount Carmel Place, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
(845) 452-7181
Ice House On The Hudson
1 Main St, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
(845) 232-5783
Mahoney’s Irish Pub and Restaurant
35 Main St, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
(845) 471-7026
Milanese Restaurant
115 Main St, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
(845) 471-9533
Mill House Brewing Company
289 Mill St, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
(845) 485-2739
River Station
1 Water St, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
(845) 452-9207
Rosticceria Rossi & Sons
45 South Clover Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
(845) 471-0654
Shadows on the Hudson
176 Rinaldi Blvd, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
(845) 486-9500
Hyde Park
10 miles east of campus
Eveready Diner
4184 Route 9, Hyde Park, NY 12538
(845) 229-8100
Millbrook
15 miles east of campus
Charlotte’s
4258 Route 44, Millbrook, NY 12545
(845) 677-5888
Rhinebeck
19 miles north of campus
Aroi
55 E Market St, Rhinebeck, NY
(845) 876-1114
Beekman Arms – The Tavern
6387 Mill St, Rhinebeck, NY
(845) 876-1766
Cinnamon Indian Cuisine
51 E Market St, Rhinebeck, NY
(845) 876-7510
Gigi Trattoria
6422 Montgomery St, Rhinebeck, NY 12572
(845) 876-1007
Le Petit Bistro
8 E Market St, Rhinebeck, NY 12572
(845) 876-7400
Liberty
6417 Montgomery St, Rhinebeck, NY 12572
(845) 876-1760
Market Street Restaurant
19 W Market St, Rhinebeck, NY 12572
(845) 876-7200
Pizzeria Posto
[Wood-fired oven pizza]
43 E Market St, Rhinebeck, NY 12572
(845) 876-3500
Terrapin Restaurant
6426 Montgomery St, Rhinebeck, NY 12572
(845) 876-3330
Wappingers Falls
8 miles south of campus
Aroma Osteria
114 Old Post Rd, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590
(845) 298-6790
Newburgh
20 miles south of campus, across the Hudson River, along the waterfront
Billy Joe's Ribworks
26 Front St, Newburgh, NY 12550
(845) 565-1560
Blu Pointe
120 Front St, Newburgh, NY 12550
(845) 568-0100
Yobo
1297 Route 300, Newburgh, NY 12550
(845) 564-3848
Things to do
Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center
Vassar’s collection of over 20,000 works spanning the history of art from ancient Egypt to present-day America, including an extensive collection of works from the Hudson River School.
124 Raymond Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY
(845) 437-5632
Franklin D. Roosevelt Home, Presidential Library, and Museum
National Historic Site: Springwood, FDR’s lifelong home, and the presidential library and museum (operated by the National Archives).
114 Estates Lane, Hyde Park, NY
1 (800) 337-8474
Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site (Val-Kill)
National Historic Site: Stone Cottage at Val-Kill, the home of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
54 Valkill Park Road, Hyde Park, NY
(845) 229-9422
Vanderbilt Mansion
National Historic Site: 54-room mansion of Frederick and Louise Vanderbilt, built between 1896 and 1898.
119 Vanderbilt Park Road, Hyde Park, NY
(845) 299-7770
Locust Grove, the Samuel Morse Historic Site
The home of inventor Samuel F.B. Morse, designed by Andrew Jackson Davis, with an extensive collection of art and period furnishings.
2683 South Road, Poughkeepsie, NY
(845) 454-4500
Dia: Beacon
Dia’s collection of art from the 1960s to the present, with major works by artists such as Andy Warhol, Richard Serra, and Dan Flavin.
3 Beekman Street, Beacon, NY
(845) 440-0100
Olana State Historic Site
Home of Frederic Edwin Church, one of the major artists of the Hudson River School of landscape painting.
5720 State Route 9G, Hudson, NY
(518) 828-0135
Storm King Art Center
Open-air museum with the largest collection of contemporary outdoor sculptures in the U.S.
1 Museum Road, New Windsor, NY
(845) 534-3115
Hudson Valley Renegades Minor leaugue baseball
1500 Route 9D, Wappingers Falls, NY
(845) 838-0094
Appalachian Trail
30 miles of the trail cross the southeast corner of Dutchess County.
Mohonk Preserve
8,000 acres of cliffs, forests, fields, ponds, and streams in the Shawangunk Mountains.
3197 US-44, Gardiner, NY
(845) 255-0919
Walkway Over the Hudson
The longest elevated pedestrian bridge in the world (212 feet tall, 1.28 miles long).
61 Parker Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY
(845) 454-9649
Powerhouse Theater
New plays, musical workshops, and readings of works-in-progress on the Vassar campus each summer. A collaboration between Vassar College and New York Stage and Film.
124 Raymond Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY
(845) 437-5907
Bardavon 1869 Opera House
The oldest continuously operating theater in the state, the Bardavon is home to the Hudson Valley Philharmonic and the primary venue for touring artists and musicians.
35 Market Street, Poughkeepsie, NY
(845) 473-2072
Dutchess County Rail Trail
13-mile trail from the Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie to Hopewell Junction.
(845) 298-4600
Upstate Films
Foreign, independent, documentary, and animated films as well as lectures by guest filmmakers, scholars, and critics.
6415 Montgomery Street, Rhinebeck, NY
(845) 876-2515
Trevor Zoo
At the Milbrook School, the zoo was founded by Frank Trevor, the school’s first biology teacher, and today houses 80 different species including nine endangered species.
131 Millbrook School Road, Millbrook, NY
(845) 677-3704
Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum
A destination for families with young children with exhibits that focus on early literacy, art, and early STEM education.
75 N. Water Street, Poughkeepsie, NY
(845) 471-0589
Poughkeepsie Galleria
Premier shopping destination with department stores, specialty shops, restaurants, and a multiplex theater.
2001 South Road (Route 9), Poughkeepsie, NY
(845) 297-7600