High above the Hudson River with striking views of the Catskill Mountains, the Vanderbilt estate in Hyde Park is an excellent example of a country place owned by wealthy American industrialists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Frederick and Louise Vanderbilt enlisted several prominent architects, interior decorators, and landscape designers to create a country estate that would imitate and rival the grand houses of England and Europe. Recognizing it as one of the oldest and best preserved estates in the North, FDR designated it as a national historic site in 1940. The grounds of the 212-acre estate are a popular venue for walking, jogging, and picnicking and include access to the river at Bard Rock