Getty Images/iStockphoto

Catskills

This beautiful mountainous region west of the Hudson Valley has been a popular getaway since the 19th century. The romantic image of mossy gorges and rounded peaks, as popularized by Hudson River School painters, encouraged a preservation movement: in 1894 the state constitution was amended so that thousands of acres are 'forever kept as wild forest lands.'

Best Time to Visit

Best Things to Do

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
Catskills
The site of the 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair, on Max Yasgur's farm outside Bethel, is 70 miles southwest of the town of Woodstock. It's now home to an…
Opus 40 Sculpture Park & Museum
Catskills
Beginning in 1938, artist Harvey Fite (founder of the fine arts department at nearby Bard College) worked for nearly four decades to coax an abandoned…
St John the Baptist
Catskills
It's hard to miss this stunning timber block work Ukrainian church perched on a hill just off of Rte 23A, about 10 miles west of Tannersville. You can…
Kaaterskill Falls
Catskills
For the best view of New York State's highest falls – 260ft, compared to Niagara's 167ft – without a strenuous hike, head to the viewing platform. Popular…
Saugerties Lighthouse
Catskills
A half-mile nature trail leads to this 1869 landmark on the point where Esopus Creek joins the Hudson. Tours of the building are available by appointment,…
National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum
Catskills
Cooperstown bills itself as the home of baseball (the myth that it was the birthplace of the game was long ago debunked). This classy three-floor facility…
Center for Photography at Woodstock
Catskills
Founded in 1977, this creative space gives classes, hosts lectures and mounts exhibitions that expand the strict definition of the art form, thanks to a…
Fort Delaware Museum
Catskills
A reconstructed log fort (not a military outpost) from the 1750s when English settlers and Lenape Indians coexisted in what was then wilderness territory…