THE WESTCHESTER WAY - “Southern Scenes, and Sights of the Sound” Driving Tour

 

A 90-minute (approximate) scenic drive of Westchester County’s southern tier and shoreline along Long Island Sound, beginning in Bronxville, traveling northeast and then southwest into New Rochelle.  The tour route follows historic roadways, tree-lined suburban streets, and charming downtown business districts.  Along the way, the drive is punctuated with up-close views of centuries-old historic sites, authentic castles, lush parks and nature areas.

 

Photo opportunities and scenic lookout points, shopping stops and rest areas are noted.

 

Begin your day with a drive up the historic Bronx River Parkway, from Bronxville heading north.

 

Construction began in 1917 on the Bronx River Parkway, the first modern, multi-lane parkway in North America. The Bronx River is frequently in sight, along with open spaces, woodland and rocky ledges.

 

Stop at the new Westchester County Tourism Information Center on the Northbound side of the Parkway, just north of Exit 9 (Leewood Drive) in Eastchester, NY.  Open during Bike and Skate Sundays (September 7—October 5), the Center is an excellent starting point to gather travel information.  The friendly staff will be happy to offer suggestions on things to see and do, provide driving directions, even help you make restaurant reservations!  Restrooms available.

 

Continue north only .3 mile on the Parkway to Exit 10, Harney Road.  Turn right onto Harney, and continue straight through 2 lights as the road turns into Brook Avenue.  Town of Eastchester sign on the left.  There is a AAA office on the left at third light, should you need additional travel assistance or information. 

 

After .7 miles, Brook Avenue ends at Route 22/White Plains Road.  Turn right. At third light, .2 miles south, make a left onto Wilmot Road.  The Lord and Taylor department store will be on your right.  The Vernon Hills Shopping Center offers an exciting shopping detour with several fine retailers, including Laytners Linens, Smith and Hawken, and Banana Republic.

 

Continue east through lovely residential, tree-lined streets.  At .8 miles, make a left at third light onto Stratton Road (a stone wall is ahead of you at this corner).  Progress 1.3 miles (past Iona Grammar School) to Route 125/Weaver Street. Turn right and head south.  Pass the entrance for the Hutchinson River Parkway and the Quaker Ridge School.  At .7 miles on right is the Cherry Lawn Driving Range, offering a recreational detour for golfers.

 

For food and refreshment, take a quick detour from the route, and continue .1 mile to the Cherry Lawn Farm and Nursery (since 1936) on the right. Fresh-squeezed orange juice and gourmet, ready-to-eat fare is available to go.  Then proceed back to Cherry Lawn Driving Range and resume driving directions.

 

Make a left onto Griffin Avenue and travel 1.3 miles past impressive estate homes and golf courses, Quaker Ridge Golf and Tennis clubs will be on the left.  At Mamaroneck Road, make a left.  Here you can decide to travel .2 miles to the entrance of the northbound Hutchinson River Parkway, or continue .4 miles to Saxon Woods Golf Course for a quick stop.

 

Saxon Woods Golf Course in Scarsdale is one of Westchester County’s 5 public courses.  The 700 acres of Saxon Woods’ rolling, wooded landscape give this sporting course tremendous character.  It was designed by golf course architect Tom Winton and opened to the public in 1931.  Arturo’s restaurant (914-713-0948) offers outdoor dining with a view of the course and the bridle path. Restrooms available. 

 

Get on the Hutchinson River Parkway in the northbound direction, and go 2.2 miles into the Town of Harrison.  

 

One of the oldest vehicular highways in New York State, the “Hutch” was built in the late 1920’s.  The parkway is named for Anne Hutchinson (1591-1642), one of the area’s first settlers and an outspoken advocate of women’s rights, separation of church, state and the free market.

 

Take Exit #25 for North Street, South (Route 127).  Make a right at the end of the exit.  Continue 2.5 miles south under tree canopy, past the famed Westchester Country Club (Home to PGA’s Buick Golf Classic).  Stay to the right at the fork, Route 127 turns into Harrison Avenue.  The historic red-brick Harrison Avenue School will be on right.  You will travel over Interstate 95.

 

There is a public playground on the left, just before the train tracks, if a stop is necessary for the children.  Just beyond the Metro North Railroad train tracks lies the intersection with Halstead Avenue, the main business thoroughfare in Harrison. 

 

Save your appetite for a meal in downtown Harrison along Halstead Avenue, where several fine restaurants are located, including the Town House Restaurant, Emilio’s, Uncle Henry’s, and  Tavola Vivolo.

 

Continue south on Harrison to the first light, and make a left onto Park Avenue.  A Spanish-style Presbyterian Church with a old-fashioned bell tower marks this intersection well.

 

Continue south via Park Avenue into the City of Rye, and travel .6 miles to the end at the Boston Post Road, or U.S. Route 1, in Rye.

 

Your first site on Route 1 will be the inspired Gothic Revival Whitby Castle, now a restaurant (914-777-2053).  It overlooks that Rye Country Club Golf Course.

 

In 1853, the Whitby Castle was built for the William Chapman family as a private residence. The construction of this facility contains stones from the original Whitby Abbey in England and thus the family chose "Whitby" as the title of this estate. The architect was the prominent Alexander Jackson Davis, who also designed the Lyndhurst Mansion in Tarrytown.

 

Make a left onto Boston Post Road and head north.  At .2 miles is a light for Oakland Beach Avenue.  On the left is the Osbourne School. Stay right at fork, pass Parkway Drive.  The first right after Parkway Drive is an unmarked entrance ramp to Playland Parkway (at .8 miles).  Take this and turn right onto Playland Parkway.

 

Playland Parkway leads directly to Playland Amusement Park.  Head left at the traffic circle for parking.  Stop and stroll along the quarter-mile boardwalk, open every day, along Long Island Sound. An excellent location for scenic photography.  Restrooms available.

 

America’s first planned amusement park, Playland is a 280-acre, Art Deco marvel. Designed by Walker and Gillette and opened in 1928, Playland is part of the National Register of Historic Places.  Playland celebrates its 75^th Anniversary in 2003.

 

Or, follow signs for the neighboring Edith G. Read Natural Park and Wildlife Sanctuary.

 

Located on the shore of Long Island Sound, along a migratory flyway, this 179-acre sanctuary is home to a great diversity of marine life, and has been recognized by the national Audubon Society of New York as an Important Bird Area.  There are three miles of trails through forest and field. 

 

Proceed back up Playland Parkway. At first light, make a left onto Forest Avenue, past Rye Beach Park on left.  At .3 miles, make right onto Oakland Beach Avenue.  Cross short bridge over Mill Pond. Go through light at Milton.  La Panetiere, a AAA four-diamond French restaurant, is on the left.

 

At second traffic light (.9) miles, turn left, back on Route 1, and this time head south. 

 

A half-mile on the left is the Jay Heritage Center.  The visitor center is open every day except Saturday.

 

The Jay Heritage Center was once the boyhood home of Founding Father John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.  The historic centerpiece of the Boston Post Road Historic District, the Center is comprised of two nationally significant buildings, the 1838 Greek Revival Peter Augustus Jay House and the 1907 Classical Revival Carriage House.

 

Just beyond this on Route 1 is the Marshlands Conservancy, where you can stop to take photography or do some bird-watching. 

 

The 173-acre wildlife sanctuary is composed of a diversity of habitats. There are three miles of trails and one-half mile of shoreline along Long Island Sound.  Located along the Atlantic migratory flyway, Marshlands is an excellent birdwatching location; more than 230 species have been sited.

 

Continue south 1 mile along Route 1 to the border of the Village of Mamaroneck.  At 2.2 miles is the lighted intersection for Mamaroneck Avenue.  Turn right and stop for a stroll up the half-mile shopping and dining district along Mamaroneck Avenue, where you will find restaurants and cafes, bakeries, country stores, gourmet food stores, a historic playhouse, antique shops and more. An afternoon matinee may even be scheduled at the nearby Emelin Theatre. 

Since 1972, the Emelin has offered a full range of performing arts programs, showcasing established artists with international reputations, young rising stars, community performers, and children.

Turn back onto southbound Route 1. Mamaroneck Harbor will be on the left. Larchmont is the next village to the south.

 

At the intersection with Weaver Street (1.1 miles) you will see signs for Hommocks Ice Skating Rink, open for public skating. 

 

The Larchmont border sign is at 1.5 miles.  There is free shopper parking along the main downtown streets.  Collectors of antiques will delight in the concentration of shops along Boston Post Road, Larchmont Avenue, and Chatsworth Avenue, including Arti Antiques, Dualities Antiques and Art, and the Post Road Gallery.

 

You can make a detour down Larchmont Avenue to the end for views of the water.  Re-set the odometer at the intersection of Larchmont Avenue and Route 1/Boston Post Road.  Head south on Route 1 toward New Rochelle.

 

Pass Larchmont Nursery on the left, enter New Rochelle, the “Queen City of the Sound”, at .6 miles.  Pass through commercial area and several traffic lights.  At 1.6 miles, there will be a traffic light and a Sunoco Gas Station on the right.  Turn left and head south on Echo Avenue. 

 

At .4 miles, Echo will turn into Pelham Road.  On The Waterfront restaurant and the New Rochelle Municipal Marina will be on the left.  Fleetwood Stage, a professional seasonal Equity theater, is located just off this road.

 

Continue past the castle-like architecture of Isaac Young Junior High School on the right. 

 

For art lovers in need of a break, make a right at .7 miles on Leland Avenue to the College of New Rochelle, home to the Castle Gallery, an art space housed in historic Leland Castle on the school’s campus.

 

Established in 1980, the Castle Gallery showcases original exhibitions of contemporary fine art, applied design, fine craft, and material culture.  The Gallery is open September through June, and is free to the public.  The college campus is comprised of 20 major buildings including Leland Castle, a Victorian stone National Historic Site built in the early 1900's.  The English Gothic “Castleview”, as it was originally called,  was built 1855-1859 for Simeon Leland, a wealthy hotel entrepreneur from New York City.

 

Continue south on Pelham Road, 1.4 miles to the lighted intersection of Weyman Avenue.  Turn left and proceed to Glen Island Park for a peaceful and picturesque end to the day’s tour.  Meander along the water’s edge and watch the boats sail by. Restrooms available. (A County Parks Pass is required to park your vehicle, but parking spaces are available on nearby side streets.)

 

The two castles at Glen Island Park were a focal point of the 105-acre property when John H. Starin established it as a summer resort in the 1920's. They were built in Germany of coursed rubble stone, and constructed at their present site.

 

You can also end your day with a waterview meal at Wright Island Marina Restaurant (914-235-5252) on Drake Avenue, or Mamma Francesca’s Trattoria on Pelham Road (914-636-1229).