1. The Catskills
Forested rolling hills, gurgling brooks, and flower-filled meadows define this lovely pastoral region. At the heart of the Catskills, the 700,000-acre Catskill Park is protected as «Forever Wild» land. The park’s pristine rivers provide drinking water for New York City.
For decades, the Catskills were synonymous with summer vacation. New Yorkers have been drawn to the region’s wide open spaces and beautiful scenery since the 19th century. The fresh air and slow-paced country towns provided a welcome escape from the sweltering heat and congestion of New York City.
In its heyday (1950s and 60s), hotels and all-inclusive resorts flourished; there were over 500 accommodations in the region. At that time, the Catskills had many Jewish family resorts where Jewish comedians made a name for themselves. For a taste of the «Borscht Belt» (Jewish family resort) culture, watch the film Dirty Dancing or episodes 3, 4, and 5 of Season two in the Netflix series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Although the legendary Jewish resorts (The Concord, the Nevele Grande Resort, and Grossinger’s) have all been shuttered or torn down, it is still possible to find resorts in the Catskills that offer a similar vacation experience complete with social events and recreational activities. Some resorts include meals and entertainment along with accommodations.
A Borscht Belt relic of the 1960s, Scribner’s Catskill Lodge has been modernized with minimalistic contemporary-style decor to suit today’s guests. The hotel features a gourmet restaurant with sweeping mountain views. A variety of on-site activities keep guests busy throughout the year.
In the shadow of Windham Mountain, Christman’s Windham House is a historic inn set on a 300-acre property. The resort includes inviting hotel accommodations, two golf courses, tennis courts, an outdoor swimming pool, fitness center, restaurant, and complimentary breakfast.
2. Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley offers New Yorkers a dose of nature without being far from culture. Amidst apple orchards and wooded rolling hills, you will find picture-perfect small towns that offer the finest cappuccinos at trendy cafés, gourmet restaurants that serve farm-to-table cuisine, world-class museums, art galleries, elaborate gardens and sculpture parks, and fancy boutiques.
One of the top weekend getaway destinations for New Yorkers, the Hudson Valley begins around Yonkers and extends north to Troy in Rensselaer County. The valley spreads out in length for about 150 miles, sandwiched between the Catskills and the Berkshire Mountains. Both mountain ranges provide stunning scenery, which was captured by the Hudson River School artists of the 19th century.
The Hudson River School Art Trail indicates the beautiful locales that Thomas Cole and other celebrated artists painted. Tourists can visit these sites to admire the natural splendor and get a sense of how the artists created magnificent landscape paintings.
This pastoral region is also home to several National Historic Landmarks and Historic Sites (Lyndhurst, Olana, and the Thomas Cole National Historic Site). Thomas Cole was the founding father of the Hudson River School of art.
Many of the Hudson Valley’s top attractions are just outside the New York metropolitan area. The quaint riverside towns of Cold Spring and Beacon in the Lower Hudson Valley are easy day trips from New York City (less than a two-hour train ride or drive). Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow are colonial-era villages just 30 miles north of Manhattan (less than a one-hour ride on the Metro-North Railroad).
The Lower Hudson Valley (Cold Spring, Beacon, Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow) is not really considered Upstate New York. Most people consider that Upstate New York begins somewhere in the Middle Hudson Valley.
