This past weekend marked the official start of the 2022 summer season, and with that comes many visitors to our beautiful corner of the world. As Hudson Valley natives, naturally we’re going to think highly of our community, and frankly, we’re glad everyone else is starting to catch on. 

COME FOR THE MOUNTAINS!

Here’s the deal: we have the Catskill Mountains. We have the Appalachian Trail. How about that Hudson River, eh? Or our personal favorite: we have the Shawangunk Ridge, which serves you quite the view, dawn-till-dusk, as you exit CronArtUSA’s flagship store in New Paltz, NY. You really oughta come see it in person.

We could go on and on about the hundreds of miles of streams and trails, lakes and waterfalls and freshwater swimming holes, or the hiking, or the camping, or the skiing, or the mere peace and quiet of the thunderous nature all around us, but then we’d just be bragging.

Instead, we figured we’d leave you to ponder all this with a quote from Artist Thomas Cole: "Must I tell you that neither the Alps nor the Apennines, nor even Aetna itself, have dimmed, in my eyes, the beauty of our Catskills."

Word, Thomas. Word.

 STAY FOR THE ART!

As art lovers, we’re biased, but then again, it looks the Hudson Valley is too: Storm King, Dia:Beacon, The Dorsky, Art Omi, O+ Festival, to name a few. Our neck of the woods is bursting with creatives and the institutions and organizations that support them. Throw a stone in almost any direction, and BAM! An art-filled day, full of thoughtfully-curated exhibits, installations, and more. See for yourself:

The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art  New Paltz

Storm King Art Center  New Windsor

Dia:Beacon  Beacon

Art Omi Ghent

Jack Shainman Gallery - The School Kinderhook

AND THE FOOD!

Just checking: does the name Culinary Institute of America ring a bell? How about the Hudson Valley Food & Wine Festival? (Really, any of the hundreds of other food festivals in and around our neighborhoods?) Or maybe, just maybe, you caught this New York Times article that exposes the truth: chefs from NYC prefer escaping to our miles and miles of organic farmland, in order to find the freshest ingredients from up and down the eastern seaboard.

Look. We can’t stress it enough: we get food. It’s in our blood. So if you’re up for diving headfirst into the freshest ingredients at the dozens of farm-to-table restaurants up and down the HudVall, we’re down to have you. Because we’re proud of our food. How we source it…how we sell it...how we buy it…and how we eat it…mmmmm…pickles…

SOME OF OUR FAVES:

The Parish New Paltz

Huckleberry New Paltz

Ollie’s High Falls

Pakt Kingston

Silvia Woodstock

GRAB A DRINK!

With every great meal, you should expect a great beverage. And when that beverage is brewed locally, it always tastes better. Like home. And it just so happens that our home is surrounded by over 60 craft breweries/cideries, an almost 500% increase from 2012’s when that number was 11. It’s big business here, and not just the beer. We also have distilleries and tea rooms and coffee shops galore, each with its own unique, distinctive voice, taste, and style.

And while we hate being trend-hoppers, we’re not about to turn down a wealth of options when it comes to our beverage-ing.

PS - FYI, our recommendations for all things beer/cider/whiskey are…

Twin Star Orchards New Paltz

Arrowood Farms  Accord

Subversive Malting + Brewing Catskill

Hudson House West Park

Suarez Family Brewing Hudson

STAY AWHILE!

It’s no secret that the Hudson Valley has always been a place to find sanctuary. For years, our community has been home to some of the most celebrated and stunning hotels, resorts, bed & breakfasts, and most recently, Airbnbs. Take it from us: if you’re looking for a getaway weekend with your loved one(s), a retreat to inspire your inner-artist, or simply an escape from the real world to clear your head, here are a few of our “homes-away-from-home” ideas, nestled right here in the Hudson Valley:

Mohonk Mountain House New Paltz

Inn at Kettleboro New Paltz

Audrey’s Farmhouse Wallkill

Inness Accord

Wildflower Farms Gardiner (Coming Soon)