Visiting the Catskills for the First Time – The Itinerary
How to spend a weekend in the Catskills! The Catskills are a very large area, consisting of multiple counties and quaint, charming towns. As someone who grew up in the area, and is a Hudson Valley local I definitely have my favorite spots. If I was going to visit the Catskills for the first time, I would be sure to explore the historic village itself, Catskill, NY and visit a couple of the surrounding areas. This itinerary blends boutique shopping and nature into one in the Hudson Valley. Welcome to a local’s Spring itinerary visiting Catskill.
When it comes to visiting the Catskills, I highly recommend having a car to get you from each town and you can truly explore the area. If I was visiting Catskill for the first time I would focus on the historic Catskill Village itself and some of the surrounding towns that are within 15 – 20 minutes from each other.
Friday – Spend the day/night in Hudson, NY
Head to Olana Historic Site to walk around the grounds and enjoy the morning in nature
Grab Coffee or breakfast at Le Perche or the Hudson Roastery
Explore boutique clothing shops and antiques in Hudson, NY.
Dinner at feast and floret and take home a flower bouquet.
Saturday – Spend the day/night in Catskill, NY
Grab Breakfast at the Award Winning Catskill Mountain Bakery
Visit the local farm stands: My favorites are Story’s Farm, Montgomery Orchards (Montgomery Orchards is on the Hudson side of the River so this would be a great place to stop on your travels if you’re traveling northbound to get to the Catskill area) and Stone ledge Farm.
Walk to Beatie Powers Historic Site to check out the views and/or have a picnic at the grounds
Lunch at Willas or Return Brewing if they have a food truck that day
Walk around and explore the shops in Catskill – check out some of my favorites here.
Hike Kaaterskill Falls, or North South Lake
Date night at Hemlock Catskill great vibes, amazing cocktails and insanely good smash burgers
Sunday
Head to the Catskill Farmers Market on the waters edge Sunday Morning and listen to the live music.
Book a farm visit tour at Kinderhook Farms, Catskill Animal Sanctuary, or Woodstock Farm Sanctuary to name a few or spend the afternoon at a U-Pick farmstand picking your favorite fruits to take home with you.
The Catskills are such a beautiful place to visit year round. There are endless activities and it’s the perfect weekend getaway. I reccomend researching some events that may be taking place during your time in the area, there is a yearly country concert that takes place at the Historic Catskill Point in June, live music at local breweries and so much more!
I’d love to know some of your favorite things to do when visiting the Catskills for a weekend getaway!
