The Catskills
We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Catskills - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Catskills - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Acres of fields, a small stone gravesite, and mountain views on the outskirts of Roxbury are the perfect memorial to John Burroughs, an early environmentalist whose books changed the way many Americans looked at the natural world. En route to the memorial you'll pass Woodchuck Lodge, a rustic summer home with quarter moons carved into closed shutters that Burroughs built in 1908 for his retirement years. You can stand on the front porch where Burroughs slept, and take in the vistas that inspired him.
A giant golden Buddha resides in the colorful shrine room of this Tibetan Buddhist monastery, where you can meditate or wander the grounds. Stroll around to discover a fishpond, guesthouse, and solitary-retreat cabins, or join a guided tour on weekends at 1:30. Because this is a religious center, you're not permitted into the main shrine room wearing shoes, hats, or revealing garments. Introductory instruction in shinay (mind-calming) meditation is also available. The monastery is about 3 miles north of the village center.
John Lansing, who served in the New York State Assembly (1780–88) and as mayor of Albany (1786–90), built this Federal-style manor in 1819 for his daughter Frances and son-in-law, the Honorable Jacob Sutherland, so that they could collect rent from his tenant farmers. After the Sutherlands sold the manor, it passed to the Rosseter, Spring, and Mattice families before the New York Power Authority bought it in 1972. The manor, a window onto the 19th century, is filled with period antiques, some of which belonged to the resident families. In the ladies' reception area you can see where a young member of the Rosseter clan and his friend scratched their names into the window with a diamond. Tours take place each half hour.
Originally know as the Motts Flats Bridge, this beautifully restored covered bridge was built in 1860. More than 100 feet long, it spans Willowemoc Creek, and in season you're likely to spot anglers in the waters below.
Opened in 1958, the track has year-round harness racing, a daily-double race, and trifectas and perfectas with wagering. Inside is a Vegas-style "racino" with video lottery terminals. The all-you-can-eat buffet is first-rate.
Ever since a carriage road and observation tower were created in 1882, intrepid souls have ventured to the 3,365-foot summit to take in the sweeping vistas of Delaware and Schoharie counties and the Berkshire, Green, Adirondack, and Catskill mountains. (It's a bone-rattling drive up a steep gravel road). A 1926 wooden observation tower is under renovation at this writing, as are the steel fire tower and hiking trails. According to local lore, the mountain takes its name from an American Indian princess who drowned herself in a lake after her father killed her white lover and their child; the princess is supposedly buried on the mountain.
Along the famed Willomeoc Creek—the birthplace of American fly-fishing—a half million brown trout are raised each year to stock the state's waterways. Visitors are welcomed year-round for guided tours; experts from the state Department of Environmental Conservation are glad to answer questions and explain all things fishy. Call for specific hours.
A steep, serpentine, half-mile climb leads to a series of carvings chiseled into a prominent sandstone outcropping. With only slight sarcasm, the whitewashed carvings are noted as the "Rushmore of the East." According to local lore, Zadock Pratt commissioned sculptor Andrew W. Pearse to create the cameo-like carvings in exchange for room and board. Images of Pratt's son George, a colonel who was killed in the Civil War, and Pratt's favorite horse are visible from the mountainside as you hike.
In a beautifully restored 1929 building that was once home to the Roscoe Fire Department, this distillery still has the huge garage doors that used to house the fire trucks as well as state-of-the-art equipment for producing small batches of award-winning vodka, gin, and whisky. Head in past the oak barrels lining the entrance hall and you'll find a cozy tasting room where you can sample the distillery's claim to fame. Free tours are given whenever there's a crowd, and it's fun to see the gleaming chrome vats alongside the building's handsome wood stairway and tin ceilings.
Designed by and built under the supervision of John A. Roebling, the future engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Delaware Aqueduct dates back to 1847 and is the oldest existing wire suspension bridge in the country. It once carried canal boats high over the Delaware River on the Delaware and Hudson Canal. It was so solidly built that when the National Park Service took over maintenance of the bridge in 1980, most of the existing ironwork was still in great shape. The Tollhouse, on the Minisink Ford side of the bridge, has exhibits and historic photographs, along with a reconstructed canal boat cabin. The D&H Towpath Trail is a 1-mile stroll along the 1828 towpath.
Roscoe is nicknamed Trout Town, U.S.A., which accounts for the rainbow trout on the label of all the beers produced by the Roscoe Beer Company. It's a friendly place, with a tree-shaded spot out front where there are often concerts during the warmer months. Inside is a fireplace, cozy leather couches, and lots of beer on tap. You can stop by the shop for a growler of one of the limited-release beers, including the Rainbow Red Ale.
You'll easily spot this little museum by the red caboose sitting outside. Operated by the Ontario & Western Railway Historical Society, the museum also features a passenger car, train signals, watchman's shanties, and ephemera like conductor uniforms and signal lights. Kids love the model railroads that are in constant motion. The museum is open weekends from Memorial Day to Columbus Day.
Verdigris copper onion domes perch atop cedar-shingled structures at the Ukrainian cultural complex built without using a single nail in the 1960s by Ukrainian expatriates who settled in the surrounding mountains. You can see the interior during services on Sunday mornings at 10.
Sample up to 10 wines on a spacious deck overlooking the nearby mountains at the highest vineyard and winery in the Northeast. Cornerstone wines include a Riesling, Chardonnay, and a variety of sweet and dessert wines. Tastings and tours are offered throughout the year; hours vary by season, so it's best to call ahead. The vineyard is about 5 miles northwest of Windham.
Dead artists of all kinds reside here: poets, musicians, writers, painters, sculptors, dancers, and bon vivants. Many of the stones, in keeping with the wishes of their buried subjects, tell artfully rendered stories. Look for the grassy knoll behind the Evergreen Cemetery to commune with the spirits of Woodstock.
Antiques and memorabilia depicting life in the 1850s fill the former Greek Revival summer home of Prattsville's namesake. A tireless entrepreneur, Zadock Pratt—who outlived five wives—made his initial money in tanning but went on to develop a variety of industries, including several mills, factories, a general store, and a printing plant. The museum includes a cultural and educational center with changing exhibits related to the history of the Catskills.
This monastery resides in a four-story bluestone–and–white-oak church on 230 acres bordered by the Beaverkill and Esopus rivers. The building, constructed by Norwegian craftsmen at the turn of the 20th century, includes a 150-person meditation hall, a dining hall, and resident and guest quarters. The only way to visit is to partake in introductory Zen instruction—offered Wednesday evenings and as weekend retreats—or in the Sunday session of services, zazen (or sitting) meditation, and lunch.
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