Field trips to Historic Hudson Valley sites provide immersive experiences that combine historic content with hands-on opportunities. Together, these sites cover a significant span in American history—from colonial America of the mid-1700s through the War for Independence and the New Nation era, to the Industrial Revolution and the westward expansion of the mid-1800s.

Philipsburg Manor (Sleepy Hollow, New York) is an 18th-century provisioning plantation with ties to trade in New York City, Europe, and the Caribbean. Central to the story at Philipsburg Manor are the 23 enslaved men, women, and children who were the only full-time, year-round residents of the site. The water-powered gristmill and 18th-century barn are highlights of a visit.

Van Cortlandt Manor (Croton-on-Hudson, New York) interprets America just after the Revolution. Through the Van Cortlandts, an important family in state and national politics, school groups learn about life in the New Nation, including questions about freedom and equality. Hands-on activities include open-hearth cooking, medicines, and textiles.

At Washington Irving’s Sunnyside (Tarrytown, New York) students explore the home of the celebrated author and learn about America in the midst of the Industrial Revolution. In a field trip that combines literature with social studies, school groups engage in a variety of hands-on activities to help 19th-century America come to life.

Pinkster was brought to the New World by Dutch settlers in the 1620s, and flourished in the areas of heaviest Dutch settlement: the Hudson Valley, northern New Jersey, and western Long Island. These same areas also had significant populations of enslaved Africans from the 1600s until emancipation in New York in 1827.

Enslaved people received few holidays or breaks from grueling work. Pinkster, in contrast, was an annual event the community look forward to: a chance to reunite and celebration that featured storytelling, music, dance, drumming, and food made from treasured recipes.

Despite Pinkster’s Dutch origins, Africans in New York and New Jersey were so successful at incorporating their own cultures into the celebration that by the early 1800s Pinkster was considered an African-American holiday.

Historic Hudson Valley’s annual Pinkster celebration at Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow, NY, includes programs on weekdays for school groups as well as a weekend public event.

Often compartmentalized in a discussion of the antebellum South and the causes of the Civil War, slavery is rarely explored as a national experience that gave shape to America from its very beginning.

The Slavery in the Colonial North Summer Teacher Institute challenges this notion by presenting slavery as fundamental to colonial development. The institute explores both the institutional and personal sides of enslavement: how slavery emerged under Dutch law and expanded and became codified under British rule, and how we can read between the lines of historical documents to learn more about the lives and experiences of enslaved individuals.

The institute draws heavily from its location at Philipsburg Manor, an 18th-century provisioning plantation which, for 20 years, has interpreted the story of slavery in the colonial North through the stories of individuals who lived there. A day trip into Manhattan completes the experience.

In addition to an in-depth exploration of historic content knowledge, the institute also helps teachers prepare to bring this content into their schools and classrooms. Teachers will gain not only a wealth of historical information but also the skills necessary to help students engage with this subject.

Traders & Raiders explores New York’s role in the Golden Age of piracy, which lasted from the late 1600s through the mid-1700s. The site includes short articles that examine the life of pirates and their methods of operating both inside and outside the law.

For student audiences, Traders & Raiders offers a glimpse into the realities of seafaring life, including the nautical paths to destinations on both sides of the Atlantic, the work that pirates did, and some of the myths surrounding piracy. Readers can also learn more about Frederick Philipse, the owner of Philipsburg Manor, and his role in both legal and illegal aspects of international trade.

The website also links to the educational game Traders & Raiders, which allows players to assume the role of a pirate. Players follow trade winds to get across the ocean safely, while the principles of supply and demand determine their success in plundering ships and selling their goods portside.