Tips for Visiting West Point, New York

The United States Military Academy at West Point offers the visitor many unique benefits. The most obvious is the rich military and politcal history of the Academy. Many notables throughout history have attended West Point, such as McArthur, Westmoreland and more. The beauty of the geography is also breathtaking. The Hudson River Valley offers diverse scenery during each of the four seasons. Snowcapped mountains in the Bear Moutain National Park in the winter, beautiful fall colors, sparkling rivers in the summer and comfortable temperatures to explore hiking in the abundant trails of the region.

When visiting West Point, the Thayer Hotel on post is one of the regions top places to stay. While it is on the pricey side, the ambiance of the lobby and the dining is hard to comeplete against by the local motel chains. Alternatively, for a drive of 9 miles south, the grandma/grandpa owned Bear Bridge Motel offers a small, clean, comfortable room (it's only a 6 room motel, and two of the rooms have 3 double beds in them for families to stay in the same room together) and the pricing is very affordable, especially when comparing to the Holiday Inn, Thayer and other chains in the region. A link to their site is here. The Bear Mountain area is also a great place to take a few hours to drive through or hike and enjoy the scenery.

While you're in the area, don't foget to visit the West Point library, with it's display of class rings from every USMA class that has passed through West Point. You'll also find the cannons that fired the very first, and very last, shots of the Civil War mounted to the main entrance. On Cannon Point, overlooking the Hudson River, you'll find displays of cannons from throughout history. You'll also find a section of the chain that was once strung across the Hudson to stop attacking Confederate Navy boats from coming North along the river. This chain would rip through the wooden hulls and sink the ships, as it was underwater and not seen by the ship captains. You'll also want to visit the beautiful multi-faith chapel on post (just on the hill behind the main USMA dormitories). Don't forget to stop a cadet and ask them about having to climb the steps to the cathedral and counting them (and how many there REALLY are). There is a boat dock below Ike Hall that offers Hudson River scenic tours if you have the time (you can sign up just outside the main gate at the West Point Museum).

If you have the time, take advantage of the fact that you are an easy 1 hour drive North of New York City down the parkway. If's a beautiful drive, and if driven between the hours of 930A-330P or 7p-6a the traffic is really no big deal either. It'll take you right into Manhattan, or give you easy access to many of the Eastern Boroughs. Park in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, catch a David Letterman taping near Central Park, or hop on one of the many trains that will take you south to many of the tourist areas. Finish off your visit to NYC with a stop at the Southside docks, and enjoy the park, see Wall Street, You can also take one of the ferries to the Statue of Liberty or just take a cruise around Manhattan.