Countryside Trips From NYC
 

I am spending Christmas and New Year in New York. I have been to NYC a few times before and this time I am determined to get out of the city and into the countryside for 2 or 3 days. Can anyone please suggest where I should go. I will be hiring a car for this part of the trip. Cheers.

Since we know nothing about you and your party, Hutch, it's difficult to make recos. You can head east to Long Island. The Hamptons, the North Fork and Montauk. Beaches, vineyards, some pretty historic towns.

You can head north to Westchester or upstate NYC where it's hillier.
http://tinyurl.com/ydwg4e

You can head south to New Jersey/Pennsylvania.

http://gorp.away.com/gorp/location/cities/new_york.htm

While there are certainly a lot of potential destinations in any direction from New York, the end of the year is not an ideal time weatherwise to go exploring. I'd stay in the city and enjoy the joy of New York at Christmas time!

Within a few hours drive of the city you can be in the Hudson Valley in NY, Montauk/Eastern end of Long Island, the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut, the Berkshires in Mass., Newport, Rhode Island...problem being that time of year it will be cold so your activities will be limited. If you want to ski, then you have many opportunities abound!

Agree that the middle of the winter is not the ideal time to visit either the countryside (unless you plan on skiing) or beach resorts.

There are numerous places that you can visit indoors - but you need to realize that days are short, it gets dark early (no later than 4:30 - so you'll be driving home in the dark) and some places may have limited hours.

On Long Island you can still visit the wineries, Teddy Roosevelt's home at Sagamore Hill and even the colonial recreation Old Bethpage Village (but only on a warmer day and check on opening hours). There is also an air/space museum with IMAX movies.

If you head up the Hudson you can see West Point, Bear Mountain State Park (again only on a warm day) the Dutch colonial area near Tarrytown or FDR's home at Hyde Park.

However, realize the countryside will be cold, brown and crunchy - so depending on how much time you have you might want to focus on the city and save the country for better weather.

Consider heading to Old Lyme and Exeter Connecticut. I've only been there in the summer, but these are quaint little towns that would probably be nice for Christmas.

Lambertville, NJ is a nice town for antiquing. You can stop in Princeton on your way. I enjoyed this daytrip out of NY very much as well.

If you take 80 West out of NYC you will be smack dab in the middle of the Poconos after a two hour drive. Lots of skiing, snowboarding.

Ski slopes:
Camelback
Montage Mountain
Elk

The Poconos is great fun in the winter. You can look into the town of Jim Thorpe.

www.jimthorpe.org

Whilst Jim Thorpe is a great little town, it is not in the Poconos, although close. You would have to take 80 West to the PA Turnpike South and get off before the Lehigh Tunnel.

Cimbrone mentioned Lambertville, NJ which is a nice little town, but didn't mention New Hope which is directly across the river from Lambertville, another nice little town known for its artist colony and antique shopping.

Also, I join Cimbrone that on the way to Lambertville/New Hope, you can stop in Princeton and visit the university and one of the prettiest and richest small cities in the entire USA.

It's definitely splitting hairs to say that Jim Thorpe is not in the Poconos. You also would not take the PA turnpike to get there from 80.

Lambertville/New Hope is quaint and beautiful. If there is snow (which I hope!) I'd prefer more activity in the Poconos. If it's not too cold I'd like the strolling in New Hope.

Enjoy your vacation!

LOL! Sorry, darling, but my step-father was born in Jim Thorpe (Machunk). It is NOT in the Poconos. You obviously don't know the area very well. Hazelton and Wilkes-Barre are close by and they aren't even in the Poconos.

I know the Poconos. I have a cottage house near Gouldsboro. That is the Poconos.

You most certainly do take 80 West to the PA Turnpike South to get there.

Sorry, had to take a phone call.

Please tell me how you would get to Jim Thorpe from new York City, Dohlice. I would like to know your route.

I am not trying to be an @ss, but I live in Manayunk, PA, which is about a 40 minute drive from Jim Thorpe. I grew up in the area and have been to Jim Thorpe many times.

I know absolutely nothing about Jim Thorpe, but I was intrigued and looked at the website. For what it's worth, the town website says it's in the mountains...should that help solve the riddle of whether it's in the Poconos or not.

MM, so as to avoid confusing newcomers to JT, it's Mauch Chunk not "machunk".

JT certainly is gentrifying. When I was growing up in the Lehigh Valley and condemned to the purgatory of color guard in the marching band at away football games, the JT band couldn't even afford full uniforms.(back then, girls were assigned to color guard if they were REALLY auwful at playing musical instruments, which tells you something about my flute playing skills, given the calibre of the average high school band).

But whatever the name, it wouldn't be my first choice for a few days out of town.

I love the area, marginal. You live in a great place. Sorry if I came off rude. I take 80 to exit 284 Blakeslee. Then 115 to 903 which goes right into JT. We have a a little place off of 903 and the Turnpike just doesn't go the best way for that area.

Now, I wouldn't go looking for screaming late nights in Jim Thorpe. But it is a beautiful location with good restaurants and a great "Christmas Scene". (Although fall is my favorite.) I love to ride the bike trails, hike and browse the stores. I think it's charm factor has definitely increased the last few years. To me it's like a very small New Hope.

BTilke - my childhood could not possibly have been more different than yours! Sometimes people want to escape TO what you want out of. haha. I think "nice" from your description and you're probably wondering why Hutch10 would want to go to the countryside for a couple of days when they could just stay in NY!

Wow, just read your first reply and I revoke my apology. Can't believe I was worried I might have sounded rude when that is so obviously something you're quite comfortable with. My "cottage house" is 10 miles from Jim Thorpe so I know exactly where it is. And Wilkes-Barre is 40-60 minutes away so I'm not quite sure what your point is.

You better contact the town of Jim Thorpe. They also seem to be confused about how you get there from NY.

Just to be clear, I'm not from JT, but my high school had to play them in most sports, so when I was serving time in the marching band, I was up there for football games. We also marched in a parade or two up there.
I think of JT as being at the far edge of the Lehigh Valley and/or the very beginning of the Pocono "region" if not actually in the Poconos.
My parents called it Mauch Chunk until the 1990s--old habits die hard.

Yep, you people that know Jim Thorpe really make me want to visit there!!!???

I guess that the stereotype of rude Jim Thorpers has a bit of truth!

:)

Please.....If your cottage is 10 minutes from Jim Thorpe then you know it is not in the Poconos. The area is known as the Lower Coal Belt. Wilkes-Barre is not 60 minutes away. It only takes me 45 minutes to get from Allentown to W-B. My point of bring up W-B is that it is north of Jim Thorpe and it is not in the Poconos.

PS going through Blakslee takes longer than taking the Turnpike.

BTilke, your story is very funny. I am sure, like me, you grew up going to the Bloomsburg Fair and the Kutztown Fair. I am sure your school played Allentown Allen High or Tamaqua or Hazelton Area.

I am not being rude. I am just amazed that a person would question me about the area that I grew up in.

Oh, and Cimbrone as most people in the area know, there are many mountains in the area--Broad Mountain, Nescopeck Mountain, the Endless Mountains. That doesn't make JT the Poconos.