Happy December! I honestly can not believe we’ve come to the end of another year. One thing I’m glad I got to do before the new year has got to be taking a weekend getaway to The Greater Northern Catskills of Greene County with my partner Clark.
We absolutely love the Catskills and usually try to visit at least once a year. Its close proximity to the city which ranges from 3 to 6 hours is one of the reasons we love it so much. It a quick escape from the city whenever you want or need it. With the pandemic still happening, we weren’t sure we would make it this year. Luckily we did some research and realized the Catskills is the perfect place to get back to traveling with its various outdoor adventures and spaciousness for proper social distancing. So come along as I share what we did on our mini getaway.
Where To Stay
The Woodhouse Lodge
For this particular trip, we stayed at The Woodhouse Lodge. It’s a 10 room hotel located on 4 acres of sprawling lawn right in Greene County. We knew about this lodge for a few years and we were very excited to finally stay there.
Check-in and check-out were all through text to avoid close contact with the staff. We had the King room which also included a love seat. The rooms have everything you could possibly need as a guest, but they do not have a television which we both liked.
On the grounds, there are fire pits spread out all around which are lit up every morning and evening. The restaurant on site Provisions has both indoor(limited seating to adhere to COVID-19) and outdoor seating which also has fire pits to keep you warm. There is also a communal indoor area in the hotel, but because of the pandemic, it’s currently closed.
If we had to pick our favorite thing about staying at The Woodhouse Lodge, it would have to be sitting in the 2 chairs right outside each room and drinking coffee while admiring the grounds and the morning fire. You can order their thermos of coffee for two with room service (available 7 am to 10 am) and food. They leave it right outside your room with a brown paper bag filled with sugars and cream.
Where To Eat
We got in pretty late on Friday night, so we quickly ran over to Provisions which is the in-house restaurant at the Woodhouse Lodge to grab dinner before we even went to our room.
The New York Restaurant
The next morning, we had an early morning reservation at The New York Restaurant. It’s a modern American restaurant with Polish infusion located on Main Street.
Clark and I felt very safe dining there. The entire staff had their mask on and the tables were all separated both indoors and outdoors.
The New York Restaurant is owned by Polish/Ameican owners, so it makes sense that they are known for their perogies. We however didn’t get a chance to try them. We had a full day ahead of us, so we went for the steak and eggs because we needed all the protein we could get to get through it. Again, the weather was pretty warm so we didn’t feel cold, but they did have heaters available if that were the case.
Gracie’s
We heard great things about Gracie’s, so we stopped there for a mid-day donut and coffee snack.
Mountain View Brasserie
We went to the Mountain View Brasserie on our second night for dinner, because it wasn’t too far from the hotel. This restaurant is very popular. We were lucky enough to make a last-minute reservation 30 minutes before we got there. For appetizers, Clark had the chowder, and I had the crab cake. We both had steak as our main dish, and let’s just say, we’ll definitely be going back here.
The Tasting Lab
On our last day, we went to The Tasting Lab, another place we’ve heard great things about. It’s a great place to grab a burger or sandwich and a drink. The inside is very spacious and spread out and there isn’t any outdoor seating space.
Additional Place to Eat
What To Do
The million-dollar question. What to do when you’re there? We’ll there is a lot to do and see. We did manage to do more than we thought we could, given we were only there for 2 nights.
The Thomas Cole National Historic Site
The first very thing we did after brunch on Saturday was to go to The Thomas Cole National Historic Site for some history and scenic views. Located right between the Catskills Mountain and the Hudson River, The Thomas Cole National Historic Site was home to Thomas Cole who was a 19th-century American landscape painter and founded the Hudson River School of painting.
Having moved to the US with his family from Britain, Thomas fell in love with the natural landscape of the Catskills. It was the total opposite of the industrialization occurring in his home county and was the thing that inspired his work.
The grounds are open from dawn to dusk free of charge. We took a self-guided tour since group tours are currently on pause. There were some Outdoor Explorer Kits set outside Cole’s Old Studio, which helped with our self-guided tour.
The grounds include Cole’s New Studio, the main house, and his Old Studio. Cole’s New Studio was reconstructed in 2015 and is now an art gallery showcasing Cole’s work. The inside of both studios and the main house is currently closed to visits, but they do have online virtual tours available.
A newer addition to the grounds was “The Pollinator Pavilion. “The Pollinator Pavilion was designed specifically for the site by artists Mark Dion and Dana Sherwood. Dressed with flowers, plants, and paintings by the artists, the artists designed the Pavilion to bring humans and pollinators together by sharing the same space.
Cairo Nature Preserve
Roamed the Cairo Nature Preserve. We were lucky to catch the last of the foliage here alongside the beautiful creek. There was no one else there so we got to enjoy it all to ourselves.
Greenport Conservation Area
Stumbled on the Greenport Conservation Area in Hudson on our way home and decided to stop and check it out. It’s a great place for hiking, bird watching, picnicking, or taking in views of the Hudson River and the Catskills Mountains. We didn’t have too much time to enjoy as much as we would have wanted, so it’s definitely on our list next time we’re in the area.
Antiquing is a very popular activity people like to do up in the Catskills. Clark and I personally love antiquing and made it a point to visit some shops before the end of our trip.
Pidgin
Pidgin which is located in Oak Hill is a new antique shop that opened during the pandemic. The shop is own by a couple who were very warm and welcoming. They took the time out to tell us a bit about why they opened their store. They even gave us some recommendations for places to go to next time we’re in town.
Coxsackie Antique Center
Another antique store was the Coxsackie Antique Center. This place is absolutely massive with all sorts of antiques. I honestly could have spent all day there if I could.
Green Acres Farm
Green Acres Farm was our very last stop before heading to the city. We saw the signs for warm apple cider donuts and couldn’t resist.
That’s a full recap of our adventures in The Greater Northern Catskills of Greene County. Clark and I had such a wonderful time away from the city. We ate, took in nature, and discovered new places all while staying safe and socially distancing. I hope you enjoyed my recap and hopefully, inspired you to take your own weekend getaway to the Catskills soon! Let me know if you have any questions regarding visiting in the comments or email me HERE.
LEAVE A Comment +