From ice cream and bootleg booze to hiking, Pine Plains has a little something for everyone.

One of the best things about living in the Hudson Valley is that we have so many towns that have new things to explore and try out. One of those towns, Pine Plains, located in Dutchess County has a few things that we think the entire Hudson Valley should be aware of.

So if you plan on spending a day exploring Pine Plains you might want to include stopping by or simply driving by some of these unique things that make Pine Plains!

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Stissing Mountain Fire Tower

If you enjoy hiking the Hudson Valley a "must-do" according to many hikers is the Stissing Mountain Fire Tower hike in Pine Plains. The hike is just under 2 miles long and once you get to the top of the mountain hikers are welcomed by the fire tower. The tower stands at almost 90 feet tall and if it's open, you are allowed to climb the many, many stairs to get to the top. The Stissing hike is rated 6 out of 10 on the difficulty scale according to our friends at Hike the Hudson Valley.

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Was Ice Cream Born in Pine Plains?

Ice cream itself wasn't BUT according to Melissa who texted us the man who brought us "Fudgie the Whale" and "Cookie Puss" called Pine Plains home for many years. Tom Carvel the man who brought the world soft serve ice cream lived on a 2,000-acre estate in Pine Plains until he died in 1990.

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Bootleg Booze Flowed Freely

Back in the 1930s distilling alcohol was illegal but at the Harvest Homestead Farm in Pine Plains, they did it anyway and in 1932 one of the largest bootlegging operations ever found in Dutchess County was uncovered. According to the Dutch's Spirits website, the operation included underground tunnels all over the property, a massive underground concrete bunker that contained two 2,000 gallon stills, 10,000 pounds of sugar, and 1,000 gallons of Sugar Wash Moonshine. The operation was allegedly the work of famed bootlegger Dutch Schultz. Fast forward to the present day and that's the story behind Dutch's Spirits located at 98 Ryan Road Pine Plains, NY. Some of the things you can find at Dutch's include, Sugar Wash Moonshine, bitters, and more.

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Tyler Lydon

Former college and NBA basketball player Tyler Lydon graduated from Stissing Mountain High School in Pine Plains and went on to play college ball for the Orangemen of Syracuse. Lydon entered the 2017 NBA Draft and was picked 24thin the 1st round by the Utah Jazz and was then traded to the Denver Nuggets. In 2019 Lydon was signed and then waived by the Sacramento Kings ending his NBA career according to Wikipedia.

Take a look at some of the other Hudson Valley "hometowns of the week" that we love to visit....

A Tour of Pleasant Valley

Six things we love about Pleasant Valley.

A Tour of New Paltz

Some of our favorite and not so favorite things about New Paltz, New York.

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