Destination state parks around exclusive Tuxedo Park
A town of about 4,000 people surrounded by scenic state parks, Tuxedo may appear rural. But the attractions in this community draw in hundreds of thousands of people. Nature enthusiasts visit both Harriman State Park and Sterling Forest State Park. The New York Renaissance Faire and World Headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses also bring in quite a crowd. “It’s 90% state park, with all the wildlife that goes with it,” says Deirdre Murphy, Councilperson for the Town of Tuxedo. “There’s a lot of open space, but also about 30 miles north of Manhattan.” A small, gated village within the town is Tuxedo Park, complete with a private golf club and million-dollar mansions on Tuxedo Lake. The village is known to house celebrities, including Whoopi Goldberg and Cyndi Lauper. “During the Gilded Age, it was a hunting retreat for affluent New Yorkers,” Murphy says. “They used to wear suits with tails to formals, but when the tails became too much, the tuxedo was invented.” Today, the area maintains an upscale atmosphere, but other communities have been built up around it. “If you go into Macy’s, there’s the Ralph Lauren section. Tuxedo is Macy’s, and Tuxedo Park is Ralph Lauren," Murphy explains.
From enchanting cottages to lakeside estates
The spacious town of Tuxedo offers quite a variety of home styles, both historic and future-focused. Million-dollar lake properties are generally found in the gated and private Tuxedo Park. Woodlands, which backs up to the Tuxedo Club golf course, is a community of premium townhomes and single-family houses that offer amenities like multi-car garages, a pool and a fitness center. The Woodlands community offers amenities like multi-car garages, a pool and a fitness center. Mary Ann Mitchell, an associate broker with eXp Realty, explains more of the unique residential communities in Tuxedo. She says that near Woodlands, the Maple Brook subdivision is more relaxed, and in the northern part of town, Laurel Ridge and Clinton Woods are woodsy areas surrounded by state parks. She also mentions the smaller East Village homes, which are located around the highway and the railroad in a quaint retail area. Woodlands townhomes are around 2,000 square feet in size and about $635,000 to $660,000 in price. Contemporary, Craftsman and sprawling cottages tucked away in the woods range from 2,000 to 4,000 square feet, with price tags anywhere from $650,000 to $1.3 million. Within Tuxedo Park, there are spacious, 2,500- to 5,500-square-foot colonials-style, Tudor Revivals and French Country properties with estate-like privacy and landscaping, several with in-ground pools and terraces, some enclosed by iron gates. These properties can cost between $1.4 million to around $6 million, with homes on the higher end sitting on Tuxedo Lake. The town is also anticipating the completion of Tuxedo Reserve, which will feature a downtown area and bring around 1,200 new apartments, townhomes and single-family houses to Tuxedo.
Community park space and The Tuxedo Club
In the southern part of Tuxedo, near Woodlands and Maple Brook, is the Eagle Valley Playground, which offers play areas and a basketball court. The community gathers in the East Village area at Powerhouse Park for a summer concert series. And nearby is Tuxedo Dog Park, where furry friends can run off-leash. Also on the east side of town, the Tuxedo Farmers Market is open every Saturday from June through October at the Tuxedo Train Station. “The town also has the Plein Air event, where we invite artists from all over the Hudson Valley to paint the architecture, rivers, lakes and woodlands in Tuxedo,” Murphy says. “We display their art in the Train Station, and then people come and bid on the art.” On the northern end of Tuxedo is Tichy Field, a park in Laurel Ridge with a baseball field, tennis courts and a playground. Inside the gates of Tuxedo Park, Wee Wah Lake provides swimming access with a lifeguard on duty for residents only. The neighboring Tuxedo Lake, also private, allows electric boating, but nothing gas-powered. The Main Clubhouse of the private Tuxedo Club overlooks the lake, offering amenities like an 18-hole golf course, a boathouse, an indoor fitness gym and a heated outdoor pool. “It’s almost like the Land of Oz,” says Mitchell, referring to The Tuxedo Club. “You don’t know what’s there until you get there.
Getaways at Harriman and Sterling Forest state parks
Part of the beauty of living off the beaten path from the noise of the city is the proximity to natural escapes. There are several hiking trailheads and access points throughout the town of Tuxedo, and the area is surrounded by state parks. The east side is made up of Harriman State Park, close to swimming at Lake Tiorati Beach and scenic photo backdrops of the rock formations at Lemon Squeezer. This state park, which also offers camping sites and lake access, provides miles of hiking and biking paths that are part of the Appalachian Trail. On the west side of town is Sterling Forest State Park, complete with its own lake and 22,000 acres of forest. Dater Mountain Nature Park on the south side of Tuxedo also presents scenic hiking views, picturesque lakes and campgrounds.
Small public-school sizes and Tuxedo Park School
The Tuxedo Union Free School District prides itself on providing a private school atmosphere to public school students. With student bodies of around 100 students per school and STEM Academies, each school provides a hands-on learning experience. Pre-kindergarten through fifth graders begin with a 7-1 student-teacher ratio at George Grant Mason Elementary before progressing to a 5-1 student-teacher ratio at George F. Baker High for sixth through twelfth grade. Both schools receive an A-minus grade from Niche. Private education options in the area include the A-plus graded Tuxedo Park School, a pre-kindergarten through ninth-grade institution on 17 acres of protected woodland.
Dining at Dottie Audrey’s and Steve’s
Several restaurants and storefronts are peppered along New York Route 17 as it passes through Tuxedo. Dottie Audrey’s is a bakery and kitchen known for Southern comfort breakfast and lunch dishes. Further south, a shopping plaza features dining options like Tuxedo Sushi and Los Molcajetes, a Mexican eatery. Steve’s serves wood-fired pizza and cocktails inside of a big red barn. For quick groceries, residents will need to head to nearby Sloatsburg for organic and fresh produce at either Valley Rock Mountain Market or Auntie El’s Farm Market. “We’re working on revitalizing the downtown area surrounding the train station,” Murphy says. “We’re trying to figure out which businesses can thrive, and we’re identifying specialty high-end shops.” For larger shopping hauls, there’s a Costco and a BJ’s about 15 miles away, and Woodbury Commons is an open-air mall just 8 miles north.
The New York Renaissance Faire experience
The west side of Tuxedo is home to the annual New York Renaissance Faire, which attracts thousands of visitors from August through October. “It brings a lot of traffic on the weekends,” Mitchell says. “You’ll see cars parked on 17A, waiting in line to get in there.” While there, attendees travel back to 16th-century Elizabethan England through live performances, artisan markets, food, drinks, kid-friendly rides and even jousting tournaments. To the south is the World Headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses. “This brings in a significant amount of visitors to Tuxedo, which is another reason why we’re working on getting specialty stores downtown,” Murphy says.
City commutes on I-87 and the NJ Transit train
Interstate 87 and New York Route 17 run parallel through town, offering a quick route to the city. “Anywhere you want to go, you just pick up and go,” Mitchell says. “There’s hardly ever any traffic.” Thanks to convenient highway access, New York City is just a 40-mile drive away. Another way to get around easily is on the NJ Transit train, which picks up passengers at the Tuxedo Train Station and takes them to Manhattan in just an hour.
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Photography Contributed By
James Leynse
