Head to West Point in your Bronx rental car

A great place to take a drive with your Bronx Car Rental is the historic West Point Military Academy. You can drive to West Point from the Bronx in your rental car in about an hour and a half. It is a scenic drive, with many scenic overlooks where you can park your rental car and take photos of the majestic Hudson River.

Information about West Point.

West Point has a long and illustrious history dating back to the Revolutionary War as the British and Americans realized that the West Bank of the Hudson River has great strategic value. General George Washington thought West Point was of great strategic significance, possibly the most important position in America.

George Washington chose Thaddeus Kosciuszko to build the defenses of West Point in l778. One year later, Washington transferred his headquarters to West Point. His soldiers built fortifications, barriers around West Point and even designed and built a 150-ton iron chain which was extended across the Hudson to control river traffic. West Point is built across the narrowest points of the Hudson River. That is why Washington chose this spot along the Hudson for the West Point defenses. When you drive your Bronx rental car to West Point, you pass over the Hudson River from which you can get an excellent view of the waterway. Due to the defenses built, West Point was never captured by the British. West Point continues to serve as a military establishment and is the oldest continuously occupied military post in America. In 1802 President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation designating West Point as the United States Military Academy.

Visitors?information for Bronx rental car travelers

When you arrive at West Point, you will need to park your Bronx rental car and enter the visitors center to purchase tickets and board the bus tour. The tour itself is one hour. Any persons over the age of 18 must present picture identification otherwise they will be refused entry. If you make prior arrangements, you may be able to enter West Point in your Bronx rental car and view the Chapels and areas which are not shown on the public tour.

At the entrance to West Point is a hotel, which is open to the public and is named after Colonel Sylvanus Thayer, the "father of the Military Academy." Thayer served as Superintendent of West Point from 1817-1833. You can drive your Bronx rental car directly to the hotel and spend the weekend. Aside from visiting West Point there are dozens of local shops you can frequent, as well as walk, hike and picnic along the scenic and historic Hudson River.

The best and the bravest are trained at West Point

West Point graduates dominated the highest ranks on both sides during the Civil War. Academy graduates, headed by generals such as Grant, Lee, Sherman, and Jackson, set high standards of military leadership for both the North and South. On the tour you will view the house in which these famous Generals lived in during their tenure at West Point.

After World War I, the now famous General, Douglas MacArthur, was the Superintendent at West Point. He pushed for changes in the physical fitness and sports programs. "Every cadet an athlete" became an important goal.

Eisenhower, MacArthur, Bradley, Arnold, Clark, Patton, Stilwell and Wainwright were among an impressive number of West Point Academy graduates who fought for our freedom during World War Two. After World War two, West Point again revised its curriculum to expand studies of science and technology. The curriculum has been further expanded to include more than a dozen subjects of study from the sciences to the humanities. In the mid 1980's, women were permitted to become Cadets.

Things to look for when driving your Bronx rental car at West Point

On the bus tour, or if you are fortunate enough to drive your Bronx rental car on the base, you will see several of the sports fields used by the cadets, among them the baseball field, the indoor hockey and basketball arena, the parade grounds, and the 40,000 seat football stadium. A common sight to look for as you drive your Bronx rental car through the grounds are the signs "Beat Navy" in light of the rivalry between the Army and Navy football teams.

In 1964, President Johnson expanded the number of Cadets from 2,529 to 4,417 which was recently reduced to 4,000. On the tour you will see many of the new buildings, including the recently opened Library, built to accommodate the expansion of the number of Cadets.

The drive from the Bronx to West Point in your rental car is a pleasant and informative journey. You can pack a picnic lunch and visit Bear Mountain State Park for an afternoon of boating or a visit to the Bear Mountain State Park Zoo. You can also rent a 15 passenger van in the Bronx so you can take friends, your family or a group to spend the day.

Bronx rental car companies have a variety of vehicles from which you can chose to make the trip. You can chose a compact car through full size car, minivan or 15 passenger van from one of these Bronx rent a car companies.

Check out the Staten Island car rental All Car Rent a Car location at 950 Bloomingdale Rd Staten Island, NY 10309