Locust Grove Historic Site — Attraction in Town of Poughkeepsie

Last June we made the decision to pay for a family membership at Locust Grove because Poughkeepsie is so woefully lacking in any outdoor areas for dogs. It's $100, which is a lot of money for our small family.

On Sunday we showed up to walk our dogs for the first time this year. The last time I checked a year is 12 months- therefore we still have well over a month left on our membership. Our name was not on the membership list, which was a color coded printout (I assume the colors denoted how much you "donated" for membership and therefore how important you are to them.) We affirmed that we are members and my GF offered to show her ID. Previously, she was asked for her ID and her name was always in their system. The woman at the desk said her ID is no good and asked for our "green membership card". We were never sent any type of membership card when we joined last June and stated such. As I said, on past visits attendants either asked for her ID or just trusted us when we said we were members (did she think that's our big master criminal plan- go to private estates and pretend to have a memberships to get inside? Mwah haha). She said that members have to be on the list and have to have the card. She refused to call anyone or look in any type of computerized system, if they even have one. Refused to just make an exception and let us walk until she could sort out whatever the issue was- an activity that costs the place NOTHING. Extremely rude and unhelpful. We paid for a YEAR membership, not 10 1/2 months. Our little dogs were greatly excited to walk in their favorite place- which we PAID FOR- and were sadly turned away.

This is clearly just a way of discouraging pet owners from enjoying the facility. Which is fine, if pets are a problem for them then just have a no pets for ANYONE policy, not a classist "pay for pets" policy that they clearly can't even honor accurately. The couple thousand bucks they probably get from "members" makes absolutely no difference to their bottom line in such a large place. If you have to charge membership at least give people what...

The Locust Grove Estate is a nice place to visit. The Locust Grove Estate was built in 1850 for inventor Samuel FB Morse. Years after he had the estate it was renovated and owned by William and Marth Young. During the Young’s ownership of the mansion it was expanded and made into a lovely Gilded Age Mansion. The estate has over 25 rooms. Many of the rooms have original furnishings. The tour of the mansion was very detailed and the guide did a great job explaining the purposes of each room and giving a nice family history of the Youngs. The rooms were well decorated for the holiday season in December. In the spring and summer months the garden displays are also very nice. Although Samuel Morse did own the house the tour does not focus on his ownership of the house. The tour guide did bring him up a few times, but the tour mostly focuses on the Young’s ownership of the estate. The tour not only talks about the Young’s use of the house, but does a good job describing Gilded Age servant life as well. There is a small museum and gift shop at the front of the estate. Make sure to tour the museum and you will see paintings that Samuel FB Morse did and you will also see some early reproduction telegraph machines. The video that starts the tour was also shown in this building. The gift shop has many different items and the staff was helpful and friendly. There are many trails to go for a scenic walk on the estate. Tickets currently are first come and first serve. At the time I went, tickets could not be purchased online. Make sure you stop by for some great views, interesting history, and a tour...

UPDATE: SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 2024, 9:46PM: I had the honor to return to Locust Grove Estate for the Moon Serpent and Bone 6th Annual Ostara Night Market. I noticed an increase in merchandise in the gift shop, and the person in the gift shop assured me that those super delicious, super nutritious fruit and grain bars shall be ordered. As usual, the staff and volunteers of Locust Grove Estate remain very professional, very helpful and with super good energy.

UPDATE: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2022, 3:02AM: As far as I can tell, I did not notice or see any changes at the Locust Grove Estate. The staff and volunteers remain professional, caring and helpful. The Estate, especially the main part with the galleries, remains very clean and appealing with all the art displayed in it. Granted, the outside grounds have no flowers, but then again, it is December. I look forward to returning in March, 2023, if not sooner.

I had the honor and pleasure of being one of the Readers at the Moon Serpent and Bone 3rd Annual Yule Market. Since I AM a fanatic for punctuality, I arrived between 3-3:30PM so that I could take a walk around the grounds. The staff and volunteers were genuinely helpful and professional; I felt like a total VIP. Also, I was so happy at how committed everyone was to stopping the spread of covid19. Face masks worn correctly snd constantly, hand sanitizers, even hot water in the bathrooms. The grounds are beautifully maintained and I look forward to returning next year, and exploring the grounds a little more. Oh, and there is so much gorgeous art work in the...