Exploring Dutchess County Backroads: Finding Samuel’s Sweet Shop

The Ride

As I climbed aboard the BMW S1000R in Cross River, the Beeline Moto indicated 48.1 miles as the crow flies to Samuel’s Sweet Shop in the Dutchess County town of Rhinebeck, NY.  Dutchess County has some of the best motorcycle roads in the northeast, so I was sure I’d have a good ride & hoped to find roads I’d not sampled yet.  Plenty of New York coffee spots are reachable in one tank of gas, but I love finding ones in Dutchess County because of the great roads. See our article on discovering new roads with Beeline.

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I took Route 121, heading north to the end, where it joined Route 6 and followed the edge of the East Branch Reservoir. Then, I turned north on some backroads that climbed through Brewster Hill.  I headed west on Route 164, passing Mendel Pond before passing the ominously named Bullet Hole Road.  This section of Route 164 crosses the Maybrook Trailway a few times through narrow overpasses the trains that used to run on the railway traveled on.

At the junction with Route 311, I took that heading north before immediately turning off onto Cushman Road, which I’d passed many times on Route 311 but never tried. Today, it was nearly perfectly aligned with the compass, so I took it and was gifted with a pastoral ride along some wooded areas broken up by large fields.

A few more turns landed me on  State Highway 292, which is always an enjoyable road with undulated hills and a meandering path that passes on the west side of Whaley Lake and then crosses the Maybrook Trailway again before hitting a t-intersection in front of an old stone house and heading north on Old Route 55 along a residential area before it joins with the main Route 55 heading northwest toward Beekman.

I made the right at the junction of Clove Valley Road with gas stations on either side of Route 55.  Farms with stands for both vegetables and meat dotted the road. I took Shaughnessy Road, heading northwest, as it aligned better with the compass, but it was short-lived; it terminated at Bruzgul Road. This lovely road winds back and forth, climbing a hill, and the S1000R falls effortlessly into the curves.

I nearly reached Route 55 again.  It is more of a major road, so I sought an alternative.  Fortunately, there was a small road just before it headed in the same direction as my compass, S Parliman Road.  Like Robert Frost’s poem, two roads diverged in a wood & I, I took the one less traveled by & that has made all the difference.  What a difference, indeed.  While I’ve been on Route 55 many times & it is a pleasant scenic major road, the backroads I found with this diversion were outstanding.

I even came across some signs for an airport, and as I saw the runway through the trees and houses, I noticed that it looked familiar.  I found the entrance and sign for Sky Acres.  When I was training for my private pilot’s license, my instructor took us to this airport many times.  It is a small airport with no control tower, so you make radio calls on the “traffic” frequency.  The runway is so narrow that you can quickly think you are much higher than you are.  The prevailing winds have an approach with a rapid rise to the plateau on which the runway is situated, so it is a perfect training airport with multiple atypical features to be exposed to.  I stopped and grabbed some pictures of the restaurant with the grain silo at the airport before heading back north.

I continued finding roads that generally aligned with the compass before I passed through Verbank Village. It is off the main drag, with a narrow road winding its way past houses built to match the natural flow of the land surrounding them. I was more than halfway to Rhinebeck here, but I still enjoyed these backroads I’d discovered with the Beeline. I wasn’t looking for a faster road, but I ended up on State Highway 44 when the road ended.

I grabbed the first right after passing below the Taconic State Highway onto Tinkletown Road.  This was another of those narrow roads in Dutchess County that most people bypass if they don’t live on them.  But they are missing out.  The road split at Davis Road, and a sign indicated if I stayed on Tinkletown, it would lead back to the Taconic, so I turned left onto Davis Road as it climbed a small hill and meandered until I met Scout Road.

None of these roads perfectly aligned with the compass, so I kept trying new ones roughly aligned.  I came across a sign for Clinton Hollow Road.  Any road with Hollow in the name tends to be a fun winding road, so I pointed the S1000R along that path & the 160HP made short work of the winding road.  I found another T-intersection at Nine Partners Road with the Golden Russet Cafe & Grocery, which looks like one of those wonderful country stores that have local food served.  I marked it on my GPS as a place to return to try before I turned west.

My route continued to meander through farmland and rolling hills before letting me out at Route 9G, where I could head north toward Rhinebeck and grab Violet Hill Road to bring me to Main Street.  Samuel’s Sweet Shop was on my left, so a quick u-turn found me right in front, where I parked the BMW S1000R as Rever reported 68.9 miles on the journey along some new favorite roads.  See the route below.

REVER is a mobile app designed to help you track, plan, or navigate your ride. With the app, you can easily plan your route, view maps and directions, and track your distance using GPS technology. The app is an excellent tool for anyone who loves to ride and wants to keep track of their progress and distance.

The Coffee Shop

Rhinebeck is a charming village in Dutchess County alongside the Hudson River.  The town of Rhinebeck extends around it with many farms and fantastic scenic roads to ride along.  A bit further up on Route 9 is the Dutchess County Fairgrounds, where the Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride starts and ends for the Rhinebeck location.  I’ve ridden in that DGR for several years and will return to ride the following weekend.  If you’ve not participated, it’s a beautiful way to get on your bike & support a vital charity benefiting men’s health.    Please consider donating.

The shop is located near the end of Route 308, where it meets Route 9. While there is street parking, there is a lot across the street that offers more spots. The shop has a pair of colorful metal tables on the sidewalk out front with four chairs each.

True to its name, the shop is a treasure trove of candies and sweets, packed to the brim. Friendly staff tend a small counter dedicated to preparing coffee and tea. The counter also showcases a delectable array of baked goods, tempting you to indulge in a sweet treat with your beverage.

With a proud sign displaying its establishment in 1994, the shop’s 30-year history is a testament to its expertise and commitment.   While you might know him from The Walking Dead and Supernatural and his business partner from Ant-Man, actors Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Paul Rudd wanted to keep Samuel’s Sweet Shop authentic after the original owner, Ira, passed away, so they purchased the shop.

Despite its small size, the shop efficiently serves its customers, mostly take-out orders. The menu offers a standard selection of espresso coffees, ensuring a satisfying experience for all.

I got an Americano served in a paper cup with a brightly colored sleeve bearing the pale blue logo for Samuel’s Sweet Shop.  I paired it with a crumb cake.  With no seating inside, I took my coffee and crumb cake to one of the tables out front.  On the opposite side of the street near the Rhinebeck Bank, a street performer played some jazz on a saxophone providing a great ambiance to my experience.  Rhinebeck can get quite crowded on the weekends with visitors, but on a Tuesday when I visited, it was more of the quaint character it is known for.

A golden brown color encouraged me to sip the coffee from the first glance.  A nice, slightly sweet flavor was my reward for each sip perfectly matched to the sweets offered in the shop.  The crumb cake was delicate and very tasty.  A sign indicated they proudly served Partners Coffee Roasters beans.

So next time you are looking for some wonderful Dutchess County roads and a sweeter treat at the end, head to Samuel’s Sweet Shop in Rhinebeck, NY.