Things to do / Travel Guide
Farmers Markets in the Catskills and the Hudson Valley
The Catskills and Hudson Valley region used to be a huge base for agriculture. But when this industry moved further west, the small farms searched for new ways to reach consumers. One of these ways, which has been steadily developing in the past few decades, is the farmers market. At these affairs farmers could sell their onions and peppers along with jams and jellies, wines and vinegars, and all kinds of homemade wares.
There are farmers markets in the Hudson Valley, in Tarrytown, Ossining, Cold Spring, Peekskill, Beacon, Fishkill, Poughkeepsie, Millbrook, and the town of Hudson. In the Catskills farmers markets can be found in New Paltz, Liberty, Saugerties, and the town of Catskill. The farmers market in Millbrook is quite large, while the one in Saugerties also features plenty of activities for adults and kids. All these markets open around 8:00 or 9:00 a.m., and close between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m., and are closed from around November-April. As a tourist you'll have the opportunity to buy picture-perfect squash, fresh onions, juicy tomatoes, and shop for beautiful, homemade prepared foods.
Art Towns in the Catskills and the Hudson Valley
A number of the old industrial cities along the Hudson River, which saw their heydays in decades and centuries past, have more recently been converted into art towns with excellent art museums and galleries dotting downtown main streets and harbors. In this regard, you'll be interested to visit Beacon, near Poughkeepsie. Just a few years ago the Dia Art Foundation founded new premises in the town, in the old factory building of the Nabisco box-printing plant; since then other factories in the downtown docks-area are becoming museums, and galleries have been sprouting on Main Street like the region's famous vegetables. Beacon's a small city, with a population under 15,000, and you can find the best galleries near Dia: Beacon, Dia's Beacon premises. Dia: Beacon is located on 3 Beekman Street.
Additionally, New Paltz's downtown area is lined with a number of galleries and boutiques showing off the region's artistic offerings.
Woodstock, a few miles west of the Hudson River, is another great place for arts shopping, and, dare say, hippie wares. There's been an artists' colony in the town since the turn of the 19th century, and the main thoroughfare is called Tinker Street. Farther into the depths of the Catskills are two additional scenic art towns with growing downtown districts. These are Phoenicia and Big Indian, both on State Road 28, where visitors can find some nice art galleries, boutiques, and coffee shops.
In the north of the region is East Durham. This town has historically had a predominantly Irish population, having begun as a resort destination in the 1880s for Irish immigrants wanting a taste of their homeland. At the heart of East Durham is Guaranteed Irish, which claims to be (and judging by the sheer size must be) the largest Irish import store in the U.S. Shop around for any and every object feasibly associated with Ireland; there's also an excellent selection of Irish music and art in the store.
Antique Shopping in the Hudson Valley
The region is fast becoming a major antiquing destination in the East. You could say this is owing to the rich past, subsequent fall, and final recent rediscovery. Many of the towns in the Hudson Valley, usually those closer to the river, have their own antique shops.
- Seven evenly-placed weekends a year, the Stormville Airport Antique Show & Flea Market opens its doors to display and sell all kinds of old and new arts and crafts. With 600 separate vendors, this is one of the largest events of its kind in all of New England.
- Rhinebeck has a number along State Road 9, the largest being that behind Beekman Arms, and appropriately called Beekman Arms Antique Market.
- In the town of Beacon there are also a number of excellent antique stores, mostly located on Main Street between Tioronda Avenue and State Road 52. On historical Warren Street, in the town of Hudson, you'll find plenty of antique stores to shop around as well.
Antique Shopping in the Catskills
These mountain towns are as famous for their antique shops as they are for their outdoors opportunities. Not an exaggeration.
- In Kingston, virtually all the main streets bear an antique shop. This means you'll find on Boulevard, Broadway (Rondout), Lucas Avenue, State Road 28, Main Street, and Wall Street.
- Saugerties has a good selection, on Partition Road, Main Street, and Ulster Avenue.
- Phoenicia, a hamlet belonging to the town of Shandaken along State Road 28, is focused along a main street - called Main Street - with five antique shops. They sell everything from vintage toys to antique furniture. Actually, most of the hamlets and communities of Shandaken have antiquing opportunities.
- There are some antique shops in Hunter, on State Road 23A.
Shopping Malls in Woodstock, Cooperstown, New Paltz, Catskills and Hudson Valley
Shopping
|
|
|