Fall is one of the most beautiful times of the year, especially in a place like New York! The weather tends to be warm and mild and the Fall foliage is unparalleled. While many think of New York only being New York City, the “North Country” makes up most of the state and is filled with all of your outdoor fantasies like hiking, camping, lakes and rivers and so much more! The leaves tend to change later down where we live, so Eric and I decided that we wanted to see peak Fall foliage in the mountains! We decided we wanted to spend a weekend in the Catskills and immediately started looking for places to stay and things to do!
Loungewear Sets // Yoga Sets // Sleepwear
WHERE TO STAY
Eric is a big outdoorsman and always wants me to go with him on his outdoor adventures. While I get adventurous sometimes, he knows that I would be miserable if I had to do any real camping. Knowing this, we started looking for glamping sites. Of course, we could have stayed at a hotel or bed & breakfast, but we’ve been wanting to do a glamping trip and we thought this was the perfect opportunity. We were looking for a place that had electricity, heat and a bathroom. We found this amazing Yurt that is one of two that are housed on a 100 acre organic farm just outside Gardiner, NY. The photos on the website don’t even do the place justice, because it was seriously the cutest thing we’ve ever seen! In addition to hitting all of our must-haves, it also had a fire pit (check!) and a beautiful raised porch overlooking the farm, a pond and, in the distance, the beautiful Catskill mountains. Inside, there was a cute little coffee station, a King sized bed and a great bathroom! If you are looking for a place to stay, I highly recommend our Yurt on Frogs Hollow Farm!
WHAT TO DO
Finding the perfect place to stay is only as good as the activities surrounding it. We wanted to make sure that we would be able to stay busy during our long weekend. Luckily, the surrounding areas had a lot to offer, including, Farm Markets, Orchards, Hiking, Wineries, Breweries, Antiquing, a Historic Street Tour and so much more! Located just 5 minutes from our Yurt is the little town of Gardiner, NY. We found some of the cutest Farm Markets there along with a really good selection of wineries and breweries! Only another 15 minutes down the road is the slightly larger town of New Paltz, NY.
Robibero Family Winery
This cute little winery sits atop a hill overlooking the vines and offers a selection of white, red and rose wines that will give you all the warm and cozies!
Yard Owl Brewery
This brewery employs the saison method of brewing beer and has a tasting flight and some small noshes!
Wright’s Farm
If you are looking to bring home all the Farm Market goodies, then this is the place for you! Not only do they have pumpkins and flowers (seasonally), but they have a great selection of local produce and canned goods that you will love! We picked up some local cheese, meat and jams that we plan to use on our Charcuterie boards for the holidays. They also bake fresh pumpkin chocolate chip bread and have warm cider donuts! We even snagged some tins of tea to give as Christmas gifts to the family.
Minnewaska State Park Preserve
If you are more outdoorsy, then you might want to do a bit of hiking. There are a bunch of great trails in the preserve, but two that kept popping up in my research were Awosting Falls and Gertrude’s Nose Loop. The Falls is a beautiful waterfall that you won’t want to miss and it’s only a short distance from the trail head. The trail to Gertude’s Nose is a bit long, about 3 miles round-trip, but the views look absolutely gorgeous. Because of the bad weather, we decided not to hike during this particular trip, but both of these trails are still on our to-do list for next time!
Mohonk Preserve
Since I was a kid, my parents used to take my me and my sister to Mohonk Mountain House. It is a beautiful hotel sitting on a lake and surrounded by mountains. While the rooms have become very pricey since then, you can still buy a day pass to hike the trails, which is definitely worth it!
Clemsen Brother’s Brewery
If you are looking for a family friendly brewery, then Clemsen Brothers is the right place. It is newly renovated and has its brewing casks right in the middle of the bar/dining room area!
Historic Huguenot Street
Though Eric and I didn’t do the guided tour of Huguenot Street, if you are someone who likes to add something educational to your trips, then this is a great addition. We were able to just walk down the street, see the beautiful old buildings and read the plaques about all of the historic figures who once lived in the area. It was a fun little divergence from eating and drinking!
Twin Star Orchards
If you are looking to go apple picking, then definitely stop by Twin Star Orchards. They are also know for their ciders, which makes this stop both kid and adult friendly!
Headless Horseman (September/October only)
My cousins, sister and I have been doing an annual Halloween trip to the Headless Horseman event for the past few years. They have Escape Rooms (some of the best I’ve ever been to), a Haunted Hayride and multiple Haunted Houses (which are very scary)! I highly suggest buying tickets in advance and consider also buying the “scream pass”, which is basically just a Disney Fast Pass to skip all the lines. We’ve always had a blast doing this each October!
WHERE TO EAT
Cafe Mio
This cute little cafe is the first one you come across as you enter the town of Gardiner. The food is good, the service is friendly and fast and they have a great selection of adult beverages!
Julian’s Provisions
If you are looking grab a quick bite to eat or just stock up on some delicious pastries or other goods, definitely stop in Julian’s Provisions. We grabbed breakfast there and everything was really fresh and delicious and then we stocked up on pastries to have the next morning along with some frozen waffles, which we brought home with us!
Gardiner Liquid Mercantile
Right in the middle of town is the Gardiner Liquid Mercantile. They serve food and noshes, but are really known for their unique and over-the-top craft cocktails! They even make their own liquor, so stopping in here after dinner is a must!
Fuchsia Tiki Bar
If you are looking for something a little fun and different, definitely stop in the Fuchsia Tiki Bar! The ambiance is totally fun and will make you think you are on an island vacation. Every drink is a creating in and of itself and is served in a really fun tiki glass! Finally, you can order sushi and other noshes as well!
Huckleberry
If you happen to get a nice day, definitely check out Huckleberry! They have a great food and drink menu as well as a nice outdoor space with seating, fire pits, etc.!
A Tavola Trattoria
We went to A Tavola Trattoria our last night in the Catskills and we were really impressed. The menu had a lot of options to choose from, including the delicious appetizers we had. The Shishido peppers and Beef Tartar were unreal! You can also make a reservation on Yelp in advance!
Overall, Eric and I had an amazing weekend away in the Catskills and we already want to go back and stay again to do all the rest of the things that we didn’t have a chance to do! Feel free to ask me any questions in the comments below about our trip, but I highly recommend this little getaway!
Thank you so much for stopping by!
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