Six Hudson Valley Travel Tips

Proximity to a major metropolitan area brings large crowds to the best places in the Hudson Valley, and you’d be surprised how many of them overlook thoroughly enjoyable and simple ways to experience the area. These tips not only help to avoid the masses, but to deepen your explorations and understanding as well.

There are tremendous views to be found in the Catskills, like this scenic look at North-South Lake. Photo © Colin Young/123rf.

Highly recommended for those wishing to step off the beaten path is to:

• Get off the Thruway: I-87 is straight with many lanes, and usually the fastest route through the valley, but older parkways and highways often make for a more pleasant drive.
• Get out of the car: Go ahead and stop at scenic overlooks and roadside stands. Follow handmade signs. They often lead to cool places.
• Eat something fresh off the farm: Try a heirloom tomato, fresh-picked strawberries, or an antique apple. You will taste the difference.
• Talk to the innkeeper: Bed-and-breakfast hosts in the country know a lot about the area—who’s harvesting what that week, which businesses have opened and closed, and which have changed hands.
• Get dirty: Roll up your sleeves and feel the dirt. Volunteer on a farm, camp in the woods, or pick your own fruit.
• Take to the river: The land looks different when you’re cruising on a small ship. Travel by boat to see fall colors, historic mansions, and birds of the Hudson.

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Excerpted from the Fourth Edition of Moon Hudson Valley & the Catskills.