Upstate, updated
100+ recommendations for your next Upstate weekend
Last year, I put together an adorably fun decision flowchart to help you find your perfect Upstate hotel, and then shared over 100 recommendations for places to visit during your Upstate adventure.
Here’s an update to that massive recommendation list with new spots that opened this year and replacements for favorites that closed.
You might ask: What makes me an expert? Well, I’ve spent my whole life going up to the area, then lived in Hudson full-time and spent a lot of time in my car reporting pieces about restaurants and folks up here for Vogue, T Mag, Times Union, and more. Now, I am obsessive about staying up to date on the happenings. Plus, I like to think I have pretty good taste. So, while I’m not the expert to end all experts, I definitely know a little more than someone who just got back from their first weekend up the Amtrak line.
Note: Some of the best things are behind the paywall — including the list of all my Hudson favorites. There are some real insider goodies in there, if I do say so myself.
CATSKILL
Stay/
Camptown - motorside inn turned stylish boutique hotel with pool
Eat & Drink/
Phos - Greek food with Hudson Valley ingredients
Hemlock - named one of the best bars in the country for good reason
Casa Susanna - elevated Mexican at Camptown with homemade masa
Julia’s Local - seasonal dishes in a homey environment with ingredients grown down the road. call to reserve!
Willa’s - now in Glen Fall’s house with the same in-house pastries and more
Cafe 27 - vibey, cafe with a listening room in the back, great matcha
Subversive Malting & Brewing - big burgers and brews with plenty of outdoor seating
Gracie’s Diner - classic diner featuring homemade donuts
See & Do/
Foreland - collection of galleries and shops like the new Grains of Paradise
Cole House - Hudson River School artists’ house
Hoe Bowl - down and dirty bowling alley
Hi Way Drive In - drive-in theater with ultimate nostalgia factor
Shop/
Toko - Japanese provisions in a tiny market
Kaaterskill Market - the spot for woven baskets
The Little Art Shop - just as it sounds, small but mighty
Catskill Collectibles - for Rip Van Wink-o-philes like myself
Catskill Chocolate - women-owned chocolate shop that’s just… outstanding
Hartland Shop - roadside shop for stationary and coffee
A. Therien - vintage design books and high-end ceramics
Windham/Hunter & Tannersville
Stay/
The Henson - sweet little hotel that feels like staying in a friend’s stylish house
Scribner’s (specifically in The Rounds) - cottages with Japanese soaking tubs, enough said
Hotel Lilien - 1890s estate turned boutique hotel in a very not-haunted way
Eat/
Deer Mountain Inn - classic Americana menu in mountain lodge setting
Lucky Catskills - Chinese-inspired dishes like dumplings and amazing mapo tofu
Tanners Boathouse - bar on the lake with bbq
Fred’s Coffee & Donuts - drive-through apple cider donuts
Matilda - jaw-droppingly good dinner inside The Henson
Fellow - a coffee and cinnamon bun stop (if you get there early enough)
See & Do/
Rip Van Winkle Hike - hike up to the rock that Rip “fell asleep” at
Fly fishing - take a fly fishing lesson if the season permits
Shop/
Paracasa - shoppy-shop / cafe owned by The Henson guys
Idler Books - petit bookstore
PIDGIN & N O R M A N — H A S S E L R I I S - detour for two impeccable design stores
Accord, Rosendale and High Falls:
Stay/
Inness - Scandi-vibes in the Catskills
Six Bells Inn - almost creepy storybook-vibes in the Catskills
Eat/
Darlings - fun, fish-forward, has a disco ball
Westwind - cidery in a barn setting with good food
Ollies - top-notch pizza with family-friendly vibes
The Big Cheese - classic hippy town cafe with great smelling lentil patties and, yes, coffee
Restaurant at Inness - farm-to-table in gorgeous modern-farm-Inness setting
Bkyn Sour - new sourdough bakery with interiors by Amalia Graziani of Callisto Farms
See & Do/
Skate Time - skate rink owned by BjornQorn
Woodstock Farm Sanctuary - touch some cows, goats, and pigs
Saunderkill Farms - U-pick, the most satisfying scam of them all
Shop/
Good.good.shop - curated vintage and womens clothing
Postmark Books - well-curated bookstore
Clubhouse Vintage - excellent selection of vintage (jeans, jeans, jeans)
Hudson & its close surroundings
