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Things to do / Travel Guide
Catskill Road Trip Planner
A compact region, loaded with a variety of activities, close to New York City. The Hudson River Valley is where previous generations of industrialists built their palaces, which have some of the best views on the East Coast. The Catskill Mountains offer natural, historic, and cultural attractions.
Such a short drive away from New York City and the destination of many NYC tours, it would be shame to visit the region and not take advantage of the lovely nearby mountainous area. Read on for some Catskill road trip planner ideas. Bear in mind that access to the Catskills is by the New York City airports.
Hudson Valley Tourist Attractions
Hudson Valley tourist attractions are varied and diverse and offer visitors with the best of the best when it comes to active adventuring, relaxed museum touring, shopping, and relaxing. Some examples of the Hudson Valley diversity? There's the Poughkeepsie Galleria, the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, the Tallix Fine Arts Foundry, the Gillinder Glass Factory and, a bit further off in Cooperstown, New York, The National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Woodstock, of course, is well known for its music festivals (the famous one was in Bethel, though), laid back lifestyle and unique shops.
Woodstock Tourist Attractions
You won't want to visit the Hudson Valley without planning a getaway to Historic Hudson Valley in Tarrytown, New York. This area highlights the history and culture of the region and provides a great outing for the whole family. Visit Historic Hudson Valley and you'll spend your day visiting different estates and gardens and learn about estate life in the 19th century just outside the bustling New York City. One the most popular places to visit in the Catskills, check out the Woodstock tourist attractions, the town attracts artists and craftspeople making it a great destination for a day of gallery hopping. Just, don't bother searching for the site of “Woodstock” – that was 50 miles away, in Bethel, NY.
Catskill Tourist Attractions
The Catskill area is dotted with spas, yoga retreats, and alternative health institutive. Some are typical and some more unique. Some of the latter include the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Ranch, the New Age Health Spa, the Omega Institute, and the Sanivan Holistic Retreat and Spa. You'll see from these places and from some of the natural beauty that surrounds you in the area how essential the idea of natural living and peace of mind is to the locals of the Catskill Mountains and to the visitors who flock to their natural slopes.
With such a strong emphasis on health, it's no wonder that the area provides such a lengthy list of physical activities. There are options to go skydiving, hang gliding, biplane flying, and hot air ballooning over the Hudson Valley, as well as other more traditional (and less expensive options), including skiing and rock climbing. In fact, this area has some of the best rock climbing in New York State!
Visitors should certainly not neglect the historic side of the Catskill Mountain region, for the area is rich with historic homes, estates, sites, and landmarks. Spend a few days landmark hopping to fine-tune your historic sense of the region. Stop by the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site (Hyde Park, NY), the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site (Hyde Park), the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) National Historic Site (Hyde Park), the Philipsburg Manor (Sleepy Hollow), the Old Dutch Church Cemeteries (Sleepy Hollow), George Washington's Headquarters (Newburgh), and the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site (Kinderhook).
Hudson Valley Road Trip Planner
While not as grape-abundant as, say, Napa Valley, the Catskills and Hudson Valley region is considered wine country among the Mid-Atlantic states of the U.S. and has been dubbed “Napa of the East.” And, Metro-north makes the region accessible by the Hudson Valley trains running pretty frequently north of New York City along the Hudson River.
In fact, the region has been rich in wine since the French Huguenots settled the area more than 300 years ago. Some road trippers may create their getaway plan based on the area's wineries. There are dozens of wineries you could add to your road trip planner, including Brotherhood Winery (in Washingtonville), Millbrook Winery & Vineyards (in Millbrook), Adair Vineyards & Winery (in New Paltz), and the Royal Kedem Winery (in Marlboro). The Royal Kedem Winery produces kosher wine. L'chaim!
Rather than battling traffic and visiting on day trips from New York City, it's best to enjoy long weekends in the area based in quaint and hip Catskill towns. Just take the New York Thruway or the Quickway and get off to be welcomed by the bluest of waters (NYC's drinking water, in fact), quaint artist villages, and some of the best preserved covered bridges in the United States. When you are done, head back to the Thruway and go north for a few days enjoying the Adirondack tourist attractions or head east to choose from one of the Vermont getaways.
Get started planning your weekend Catskills road trip using TripCart's map of Upstate New York, courtesy of Google, of course.
Tourist Attractions and Highlights in Woodstock, Cooperstown, Catskills and Hudson Valley
Tourist-Attractions-Highlights
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