2016 Tavern Trail of the Hudson Valley Kicks Off Soon

Get your drinking shoes ready! The 2016 Historic Tavern Trail of the Hudson Valley , a journey through Orange County’s most historic inns and restaurants, starts at the end of the month.

The Tavern Trail happy hour and dinner events features local food, a specialty Tavern Trail cocktail, made with local ingredients, and discussion of local history.

“We received a wonderful response during last year’s Tavern Trail events and look forward to building on that success in 2016,” Orange County Historian Johanna Yaun said in a statement. “Guests this year will have an opportunity to meet new friends, learn more about historic venues in Orange County and try the ‘Apple Jack Downing,’ a new signature cocktail featuring local ingredients.”

The “Apple Jack Downing” is made with locally produced applejack brandy, apple cider, and apple slice garnish. It’s named after Andrew Jackson Downing. He was born in Newburgh in 1815, is famous for his influence into American architecture and landscape design, and died a hero in 1852 while rescuing victims of a Hudson River steamboat accident.

The seven tavern happy hour trail will be held on the last Friday of each month from April through October between 5:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Each event is free to the public. If you plan on staying after happy hour for dinner, reservations are encouraged at his tavern.

The Tavern Trail will kick off at the North Plank Road Tavern in Newburgh, which has been in operation since the early 1800s, in of Newburgh’s oldest surviving buildings.

The North Plank Tavern historical features include an elaborate carved mahogany bar from Newburgh's former United States Hotel and hand-painted walls mimicking wood, brick and stone.

Here’s the complete list for the rest of the 2016 Historic Tavern Trail of the Hudson Valley:

May 27: Erie Hotel and Restaurant, Port Jervis
June 24: Iron Forge Inn, Warwick
July 29: Painter’s Restaurant, Cornwall
August 26: Chateau Hathorn, Warwick
September 30: Schlesinger’s Steak House, New Windsor
October 28: Ward’s Bridge Inn, Montgomery