Fun for all ages awaits in this famed Alpine enclave upstate. Here, the latest and greatest hits in the mountains of yore.
Ulster County
Roughly a 2 ½-hour drive from Manhattan lies Ulster County. After “are we there yet?,” the first thing kids clamor in the car is “we’re hungry.” And palates will be more than pleased at Mill & Main, a family affair helmed by a husband-and-wife team and their son.
Located in Kerhonkson, there’s a kids’ menu to keep little ones happy and shareable plates that will blow grown-ups’ minds, from loaded yucca fries with Colombian queso to grandma’s lemon-and-rosemary fried chicken. Grab a seat in the banquettes or, on a clear day, head out to the cozy patio. (Mill & Main Provisions is next door, a deli-grocer with heavenly pastries and iced coffee.)
Properly fueled, we’d steer families toward the Ulster County Nature Bus. Run by the county’s tourism office, the free shuttle service with mountain, ridge and river routes originates in Kingston and Ellenville with a handful of stops for hiking and biking.
If you don’t do the “ridge route,” definitely still pay a visit to Minnewaska State Park Preserve in Kerhonkson.
The two-mile Carriage Road Loop around the lake dazzles with kaleidoscopic panoramas of lake, cliffs, mountains and blue sky.
Speaking of such views, you can also visit the world’s largest kaleidoscope at Emerson Resort & Spa in Mount Tremper, or make your own multicolored candles at Candlestock’s Wax Imagination Studio in Saugerties. Post-action, adults and mini yogis alike will adore a unique yoga flow with Nixa De Bellis.
Have her come to your group for a private yoga experience enhanced by essential oils, or try her weekly class at Whole Sky Yoga in Stone Ridge.
Stay at Rocking Horse Ranch Resort (all-inclusive from $1,000 for four people), a kid-friendly resort in Highland with an indoor water park, mountain tubing, horseback riding and much more.
Other top votes: U-pick fun and the petting zoo at Kelder’s Farm in Kerhonkson (my dad and I recently picked strawberries here, and I assure you, we will never take the effort behind pre-packaged pints for granted again.); hop on the Delaware & Ulster Railroad tracks for a pedal-powered ride with Rail Explorers; and catch a Saugerties Stallions game, the summer collegiate baseball team regularly has events for kids where they bring them out to the field for races and games, offer face-painting activities, etc.
Don’t close your Ulster County sojourn without a visit to Belleayre Beach for swimming and boating, followed by a huge sundae at Santa Fe Burger Bar in Rosendale.
Sullivan County
Enter your own slice of Borscht Belt paradise at the Villa Roma Resort (from $207 per night per person, all-inclusive) in Callicoon.
It’s got something for everyone: zip lines, tennis, golf, basketball, volleyball, bumper boats, go-karts, outdoor pools, rock-climbing walls, hiking trails and fishing, to name a few faves.
For something a little out of the ordinary, post up at Catskill Conestoga Wagon Outpost (from $260 per night), where guests stay in covered wagons along the banks of the Beaverkill river at Roscoe Campsite Park. (Bonus points if you make your family embrace prairie living and disconnect from all tech and phones.)
There are also new campground and glamping options as well as RV and car camping (from $172 per night) at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, a nonprofit performance venue and the original site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival.
Activities-wise, let kids’ imaginations and limbs run wild and free at Buck Brook Alpacas, with alpaca yoga, farm tours or gem mining followed by a hike on one of the area’s abundant trails.
For lodging, check into your very own treehouse. Three of them were unveiled earlier this year at the bucolic Chatwal Lodge (lodges from $900 per night; treehouses from $1,800 inclusive of food, non-alcoholic beverages and most activities). The fun factor of dwelling in the canopy is there for the kiddos, and adults will be grateful for the chic factor complete with a living room with a wet bar, covered balcony and firepit.
The all-inclusive resort sits on 100 virgin acres along the Toronto Reservoir and has a dizzying array of activities for kids and kids-at-heart, and features a recreation center with duckpin bowling, billiards, reading nooks and books and a theater room.
Kids can also enjoy arts and crafts, nightly s’mores, biking, swimming and fishing in the reservoir. Current featured experiences also include a baking class with one of the property’s dough wizards and a “Tour of the Sky” stargazing jaunt that makes use of the lodge’s impressive telescope.
You might want to plan on a parents-only tryst at a later date: A pool and spa concept is in the works for spring 2025, and lovebirds can chase fly-fishing, hiking and paddleboarding outings with yoga, afternoon tea and sunset cruises for two.
You’ll definitely want to venture to these parts for the 144th annual Grahamsville Little World’s Fair from Aug. 16 to 18. Expect music, rides, livestock entertainment (racing pigs, sheep shows, horse exhibitions . . . what’s not to love?) and plenty of tasty food, put on by the nonprofit Neversink Agricultural Society. You may end up making it a family tradition.
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