Garrison

As a 30 year resident of the Continental Village portion of Garrison, I'd like to let everyone know about my corner of Philipstown. I live off the Historic Old Albany Post Road, the oldest road in the United States. Our section has been preserved and is still a town maintained, dirt road. Milestones issued by the first Post Master General, Benjamin Franklin dot the scenic roadway that links the Monument honoring the Mothers of the Revolution in Continental Village to the Historic Bird and Bottle Tavern near Route 9 in Garrison. We are a close-knit private lake community that lies in the Lakeland School District. There are actually 3 school systems that serve the Town of Philipstown. Haldane in Cold Spring, Garrison and Lakeland for Garrison residents. The Lakeland System is the largest in Westchester and offers many opportunities unique to a larger school district. We are also close to main roads, shopping and restaurants. While we can take advantage of all that Philipstown has to offer, we also are on the border of Westchester so we have the best of both worlds. Affordable properties, diverse suburban neighborhoods and recreation at the pristine lake, sandy beach and clubhouse make this an ideal location to live and play.

Garrison is a determinedly rural little paradise – or cow town, depending on your perpective – less than 60 miles from New York City. Surrounded by the spectacular Hudson Highlands, it is rocky and thickly wooded, and residents value their privacy and access to nature. It is home to artists, environmentalists, New York City dwellers with second homes, and a cross-section of those who simply want to enjoy a non-suburban way of life not far from a metropolitan area.

Garrison is a hamlet, and really has no town per se; visitors getting off the train will see the Depot Theatre, the Garrison Art Center, Antipodean (a wonderful store selling fine, old, and rare books, maps, prints, and photographs) and, looming across the river, the granite fortress of West Point. There are two golf courses, The Highlands and The Garrison, both with fine restaurants; The Garrison has breathtaking views. For architecture and design buffs, there is Boscobel, a Federal-stye house painstakingly restored, filled with period furniture and turned into a museum, which also hosts the summer Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival; and Manitoga, the home, studio, and woodland garden of renowned designer Russell Wright.

The Garrison Institute, a center for contemplative studies housed in a beautifully restored former monastery, offers events and retreats hosted by leaders of all religions. Right next door, the Philipstown Recreation Department offers classes, sports, and a summer camp for kids. Although there’s no real night life except for a few very good restaurants, there is a busy social scene which revolves mostly around the many non-profit organizations based here and in nearby Cold Spring (which has an array of restaurants, as well as bars with live music.)

The Garrison Union Free School runs from kindergarten to 8th grade, then students continue to Haldane, in Cold Spring, or O’Neill, across the river in Highland Falls. Most Garrison residents do their daily shopping in Cold Spring, ten minutes north, but travel to Cortlandt, twenty minutes south, to do their large supermarket runs. Shopoholics may run into trouble, although it only takes 25 minutes to get to Woodbury Commons, the massive outlet village in Central Valley, and 45 to the Palisades Mall In Nyack.

Garrison will not satisfy those looking for suburbia, but will delight those who love life off the beaten path.