Road Trip: The Catskills
Classic diners, micro-breweries, hiking and some respite from NYC
Summer in the city is sticky, sweltering and strangely quiet—with plenty of New Yorkers escaping as often as possible. Just a few hours north, the Catskills offers the peaceful respite of nature—and a little action. Whether hiking mountains, swimming at the base of waterfalls, floating down a river, visiting wineries and breweries, a summer road trip can be as adventurous or relaxing as you choose. We recently hit the road for a weekend that was equal parts laid-back escape and adventurous activity—all with plenty of Catskills charm.
Woodstock Brewing
Perfect for an early lunch, Woodstock Brewing is less than two miles from Phoenicia Black Bear Campground (around three minutes in a car, or 30 minutes on foot). Founded in 2018, the micro-brewery has exploded from a half-barrel pilot system in a Woodstock garage to a fully functional 15-barrel brewery with a complete beer list, restaurant and outside beer garden with games and a fire-pit. Aside from the stellar beer list—which includes their local favorites like Woodstock Lager, their Awesome, Terrible, Holy, Majestic Double IPA, and all-new pineapple passionfruit gose—Woodstock Brewing also offers delicious pub fare like beer-battered onion rings, wings (with house-made blue cheese dressing), homemade tamales, tacos and more. We recommend trying a flight of beers and plenty of snacks before heading out to a winery or to Town Tinker Tube Rental to float down the creek for a few hours.
Eastwind Hotel & Bar
A converted hunters lodge from the 1920s, Eastwind Hotel & Bar is located way up in the Catskill Mountains and features 19 rooms—including three unattached Lushna Cabins. Whether reading by the fire-pit or sweating at the on-site sauna, there’s plenty on offer here—including a bar with impressive cocktails and food, focused on seasonal ingredients. Eat a family-style meal with other guests (we recommend the genuinely melt-in-your-mouth slow-roasted braised short rib) and then play board games in the salon, before waking up early for a yoga class. During the summer season, the Eastwind offers foraging classes, outdoor on-site concerts and more.
Hero image courtesy of Eastwind Hotel & Bar
COOL HUNTING always gets permission to use the images we publish; however, as an independent publication, we cannot afford to continue fighting unfair claims of copyright infringement, so the images have been removed from this post.
