Wildlife, design, food & drink, travel, real estate, country characters, adventures, waterfalls.
All in Catskills for Kids
Hiking Kaaterskill Falls with kids just got easier, but the new overlook platform filled me with a mix of joy and terror. Here's everything you need to know about taking your kids on the trail.
The stick insect, also known as a walking stick or Phasmatodea, is the most bizarre creature we've ever seen up close. Tottering on thin, stem-like legs, its movements seemed mechanical, more like a robotic stick than a real animal.
Brooklyn's 61 Local opened a second location, Windham Local, near Windham Ski Mountain in the Catskills.
WARNING: The Coxsackie Farmers Market will ruin you for city greenmarkets forever.
CATSKILLS BARGAIN ALERT: Pick the freshest flowers on a the most beautiful farm and take home a gorgeous bouquet for only $8!
The Yellow Deli in Oak Hill is the most unique cafe in the Catskills. The giant, dimly-lit, wood-paneled space, complete with an enormous avian mural and tinkling new age music, feels like a secret tree-house.
Need a natural remedy for a poison ivy rash that actually works? Or maybe you just need a thoughtful hostess gift for a friend's country house? Check out Auntie Ivy's Poison Ivy Soap, made by hand at Honey Hollow Farm Stay in Earton, NY.
With a giant teepee for kids to play in, live music, picnic tables, a fire pit, a volleyball court, a giant sand box, and family-friendly food the Chicken Run is hosting the best backyard party in town.
You want to experience the fun parts of farm life (Adirondack chairs around a campfire), not the gross parts (shoveling livestock poo). You want to leave NYC after lunch and be stepping into a leafy wilderness before dinner. Time to book at room at Honey Hollow Farm Stay.
On second Sundays this summer from noon to 2pm at Heather Ridge Farm, you'll find a circle of musicians playing gentle, lilting Irish reels between the lavender picnic tables -- and you may spot Chef Rob Handel popping out the kitchen window to join in with his tin flute.
At Hop Barn Brewing, Tom Vance is likely to strike up a conversation as you sip a beer in his tiny taproom, built off the side of his home. His daughter may pour your pint, you get introduced to his neighbor's cow, and there's a slim chance you could end up booking an aromatherapy massage with his wife, Irene, before the night is through.
Nachos, enchiladas, and some Guinness for dessert: We try the Mexican specialties served at this unassuming roadside diner in the heart of East Durham, the Emerald Isle of the Catskills.
East Durham Farms is one of the main reasons I started writing about the Catskills. Whether you're a local or a weekender, it's totally worth seeking out this little farm stand at 175 Brown Road in East Durham. In the past year, I've written about their glorious sun-sweetened peas, their kid-friendly farm animals, their impossibly delicious tomatoes, and their pumpkins and Thanksgiving turkeys. I love this place.
At IU Tripp in Oak Hill, antique shopping just got a little sweeter. The colorful shop now sells 10-cent classic candies, like Necco Wafers, Kits, B-B-Bats, and Squirrel Nut Zippers, plus hand-made barley sugar hard candy and spicy-sweet cinnamon cube pops.
Greenville Drive-In: A drive-in movie theater, a picture-perfect wedding venue, a destination-worthy hidden gem in the Catskills. Photo by Beth Schneck Photography.
The Catskills are calling. It's time to start planning your summer vacation, and we've got some fun happenings to get you started.
Our favorite storybooks come and go, but we never get tired of these beautiful non-fiction kids' books. Archer's top 5 animal books have amazing pictures to intrigue little kids and fascinating facts for animal lovers of all ages. They make the best gifts because they'll enchant a reader for years to come.
Wildflowers of the Catskills: Milk thistle, bushy aster, Queen Anne's Lace, and dame's rocket
