Wildlife, design, food & drink, travel, real estate, country characters, adventures, waterfalls.
THE ULTIMATE KID-FRIENDLY GUIDE TO THE CATSKILLS AND HUDSON VALLEY! After 5+ years of research, we’ve finally compiled all our favorite family-friendly destinations in the Catskill Mountains. This is the post you can send to your friend who is coming upstate for the first time or save for yourself to use as a Catskills day trip bucket-list. We hope it inspires many fun adventures in the months and years to come!
At Woodhouse Pizza, the new restaurant at Woodhouse Lodge in the Catskills town of Greenville, NY, the pizza is made with fresh ingredients from neighborhood farms and they’re pairing pies with excellent cocktails, natural wines, local beer, and crave-worthy small plates.
Subversive Malting and Brewing is joining the ranks of the best breweries in the Catskills and Hudson Valley. Subversive also brews with their own malt, lending a depth of flavor to their lagers, IPAs, saisons, and sours, along with my own malt-forward favorites — like Elemental Confluence, a crisp ale with the roasted caramel goodness of an English mild, and Dark Harvest, a stout with notes of chocolate and coffee. Plus, they’ve got great pizza.
Where’s the best place to hike with kids in the Catskills? Easy trails, waterfalls, gorgeous views, and proximity to good food turn kid-friendly hikes into happy family memories. Here are 10 Catskills and Hudson Valley hikes we’ve experienced first-hand and loved.
Howe Caverns or Secret Caverns? Both of these Upstate New York caves make super-fun, memorable, family-friendly adventures. Both promise otherworldly landscapes, fascinating tours, and incredible water features. However, they’re geared toward different types of visitors. What’s your cavern personality? Take our quiz and find out!
Looking for an easy, kid-friendly waterfall hike in the Catskills that’s just 10 minutes from a diner with outdoor seating and soft-serve ice cream? Mine Kill Falls is the holy grail of family hikes in the Catskill Mountains.
Niall Connolly, an Irish-born singer-songwriter who splits his time between Rockaway Queens and East Durham (a.k.a. The Emerald Isle of the Catskills), has a gift for crafting songs of hope during hard times.
A guide to breweries and bars with outdoor seating and breathtaking views in the Catskills and Hudson Valley
Hayley Shine, a head brewer with a bioengineering degree and a focus on well-balanced beers and cider-making, shares her expertise at Roe Jan Brewing Co. in Hillsdale, NY.
Nikki Burst, a thoughtful and perceptive writer, poet, tarot reader, and astrology practitioner recently relocated from Brooklyn to the Catskills town of Hobart, NY. Whether you’re deepening your understanding or just getting your first taste of astrology and tarot, Nikki’s insights are priceless.
Hi! I’m Kara Zuaro, a freelance writer based in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. I grew up on Long Island, I studied at Notre Dame, and have been spending summer vacations at my family’s place in the Catskills all my life. The Brooklyn DoubleWide team includes my 6-year-old daughter, Ramona, my 10-year-old son, and my husband, Pete.
A new Brooklyn-based reupholstery designer is taking on furniture restoration projects in the Catskills and Hudson Valley. Rachael Rosenblum of Double R Design spent 20 years in fashion before shifting her focus to wingback chairs, upholstered headboards, and custom cushions, like the one she designed for my bench seat.
Briars & Brambles Books, a cozy little bookstore in Windham, has an incredible selection of winter reads. Their staff picks are perfect for curling up by the fire, their cookbooks are geared toward comforting cabin fare, and their children's section is carefully curated with the exact books you want to be reading at bedtime after a long day of skiing or snow-tubing on Windham Mountain.
Phoenecia-based jewelry designer Sara Golden shares a guide to stylish gifts crafted in the Catskills, pairing her own jewelry line with chocolate, liqueur, beauty items, and housewares. Her clean-lined designs have a subtle, natural sparkle that’s eye-catching enough for cocktails in the city yet earthy enough for dinner on the deck.
Windham is the perfect wintertime destination in the Catskills—especially if you’re traveling with bonkers, stir-crazy children. From snow-tubing and easy hikes to coffee spots and kid-friendly meals, we’ve got everything you need to know about kid-friendly Windham right here.
If you love Storm King, you must put Art Omi on your upstate bucket list. Art Omi is less sprawling than Storm King, it’s only 20 minutes from Hudson, and it’s a must-visit if you’re traveling with kids. Take a virtual tour of Art Omi here, as you scroll through our photos of its colorful, larger-than-life sculptures.
Looking for pandemic-safe lodging in the Catskills? Check out my 5 favorite Catskills hotels with private entrances. They’re covid-safe and promise instant access to the great outdoors.
5 great movies and cocktail pairings, curated by Dwight Grimm, owner of the Greenville Drive-In.
This easy-going, kid-friendly, dog-friendly hike in the Hudson Valley town of Coxsackie promises breathtaking Hudson River views, picnic tables, and a close-up of a great, green swamp.
For the best off-the-beaten-path apple-picking spot in the Catskills and Hudson Valley, head up to Boehm Farm, just 20 minutes from Hudson or Catskills. They’ve got great prices, pumpkins, and a well-stocked farm stand, too.
