Probably the BEST music festival! There seems to be a festival someplace event week these days but…read morethe Taste Of Country is GREAT. A wonderful list of artists. Helpful staff to take care of all our needs. Then you have the location. Everything was well planned and made sure everyone had a great time. Thank You to all who worked to make this a friendly fun filled event.

If you love country music, you are doing yourself a serious disservice if you don't go to this…read morefestival. Although this year (2015) was only its third, the nascent festival surpassed all expectations. I am a huge country music fan (Tennessee born and bred) and went this year for the first time, along with my husband and 24 yo niece. We rented an RV (another first) and drove from Maryland to Hunter Mountain, NY. From the word go, the entire experience was amazing. We purchased Outlaw VIP tix with Premium RV camping, which allowed us to stay on site in our RV. The Outlaw tix gave us front row access to the stage for all shows, access to the VIP tents, etc. My husband and I made some amazing friends while hanging out in the VIP tents and will be meeting up with them again at the festival next year. Our niece loved the front row access to the concerts, but also liked that she could escape the sun, grab some food and drinks in the tents, and watch the show with us every so often. The food vendors were great, especially those from local businesses. Festival staff were amazing. HUGE kudos to those that produce this festival. Specifically, I would like to thank Steve, Paul, Kaitie, Pam, Jess and all the others such as the VIP tent servers (tent 2) that made this experience absolutely fabulous. We even purchased our tickets for next year before we left. In talking with my husband, we agree that this festival/trip rates as one of our all-time top vacations, which says it all considering we have traveled the globe extensively. The relaxed atmosphere, great music, good food, and super service resulted in a truly stress-free escape that we really needed. I have only one suggestion for next year: availability of water bottles and soda bottles in the VIP tents all three days would be super. They were available on the third day, which was great, and would love that availability throughout the festival.

There are so many fantastic family day hike trails in the Catskills. We have done these:…read more1.Overlook Mountain (awesome old hotel from 1800s on the way up to the fire tower - amazing views) 2. North Point (near North/South Lake Campground) 3. Mount Tremble (on Slide Mountain - we saw a copperhead rattlesnake!) 4. Overlook Mountain 5. The Giant Ledge And there are MORE that we want to hike. So much FUN! Good for kids and adults. You can make the hikes as long or short as you like. Find a local campground close to the trails you want to enjoy. *There is Buttermilk Falls which requires a permit (FREE) you can reserve online on a Monday because they go FAST! Hike then spend the rest of the day swimming in a natural DEEP BLUE HOLE (pool) - people bring all sorts of fun floaties.

We were looking for something to do on a cold and snowy afternoon in town and a visit to the…read moreWoodstock Artists' Association seemed like the perfect option. While there was not a set entrance fee, a donation was appreciated. The gallery might not have been large, but it had a vast amount of photography, paintings, and sculptures from various time periods all on display. Everything was perfectly curated, and the staff was lovely. It would definitely be worth a quick or leisurely stop.

This place has been around for 100 years and is still running strong. The sell a lot of nice…read moreartwork ranging from paintings to photographs to carvings. They have two floors and even benches for you to sit down on and to observe the art. The ladies are very nice and it sure is spacious in there

A magnificent semi-professional theater with an intimate 84-seat house and an emphasis on new and…read moreneglected plays (or fresh takes on classic material). An annual five show Mainstage Season is augmented with visiting artists from a wide range of performing disciplines - theatre, dance, music, magic, visual arts, and more. 5-time consecutive winner of "Best Theater/Performance Space" at the annual Best of Greene County Awards and 2023 winner of "Not-For-Profit Business of the Year" from the Greene County Chamber of Commerce. The complex has a cozy, homey atmosphere, the owners and staff are friendly, ticket prices are shockingly affordable, and the work they do onstage is invariably surprising, exciting, and beautifully and imaginatively presented. World-class productions in a small-town setting.

I finally made it to Garlic Fest this year and it was very hot and very crowded. It took about half…read morean hour to get to the on-site parking ($10 for parking), but getting into the festival from the parking lot was quick if you pre-ordered tickets online. My group arrived probably at the height of the event (Saturday - noonish) and there was a long line at every food vendor. The festival was much larger than expected and we were there for a good 3 hours. There is live music scattered around the venue and lots of samples from the vendors. You can probably go through the festival within an hour when the crowd is more manageable (very early or later in the day).

They do such a fantastic job with this festival. I go every year. I should have taken my own advice…read moreand brought something to shade myself with. It was a whopping 91°. The vendors are in their same spot as they were the previous years so I was able to go and get everything that I love, especially the garlic ice cream! It is still $10 to park! It is $15 to get in! They have a credit card option now for entry too. Everything garlic! Fun fall day.

Hot and buggy the day we went but very cool place to walk around and see sculptures, gardens, etc…read more We didn't go inside the house, but unique from the outside.

"Among the Catskills, a disjointed member of the Adirondacks, there lives a simple and good natured…read morefellow named Rip Van Winkle". - Washington Irving. And I can continue to quote much chapter and verse of this posthumous writing as the writing is near and dear to my heart - the gallantry shown at Fort Christina and more, the true founders of New York and I wish the good Peter Styversant were here today to drop a heap of learning about America on you who don't understand not just NY history, but America! Love it or be gone. Arriving at 5:45, I hadn't inquired as to what time the first tee ball hits the air, turns out it's about 8:00am. So I practiced my sneaky bump and runs, flips and flops and Texas toe downs. And player worth his salt has to know a multitude of great escape shots. So I lead the field being put out as a single with twins and fours amassing behind me and being 2 years removed from the short grass (due to injuries) I was a bit nervy on the 1st tee, nobody knew who I was, everyone else knew each other. Fortunately I ripped a low 3 iron cut stinger and I was off, still walking and carrying my bag, adding layers and subtracting layers as it was nippy in the mountains. I love the classic shallow and square bunkering design originally popular with architecture from the 20's and 30's. The greens rolled true but I couldn't buy a putt, not much break out there and putting off the second collar is doable. The fairways were in the shape to be expected for early season golf, what I should have done was pay closer attention to the unseen creeks that protected some greens and ran out along the sides. But I was the first player and I needed to set a good pace out there. Overall, the course played extremely fair, I can't give the staff enough credit for such fine service for me, attentiveness and extremely friendly.

Rip Van Winkle holds a special place in my heart…read more Not only is it the closest golf course to my parents' home and as such the place where I've golfed the most in the past decade (not saying much), but it's also the first place my brother, my father and I played after my father went through some very serious medical issues. We weren't entirely sure if he would ever be able to play golf again, so it was an amazing feeling to get out and hit a few balls with him last year. My father is doing much better now (physically at least, not that much better at golf), and so we try and get out whenever possible. This adds up to a couple times a year here when I'm in town, and accordingly, I am very, very bad at golf. Please believe that no one is mistaking Rip Van Winkle for something that belongs on the PGA Tour. When Greene County hasn't gotten enough rain, you may see a few brown spots out there. It's only nine holes, and generally pretty flat. However, it's an accessible, family-run place that I feel lucky to be able to play. It's affordable (kids play free too), and has my kind of casual vibe. I love that if I forgot to pack a collared shirt, they don't hassle me. My dad says the owner John is a great guy, and I like that his teenage son is often riding around tidying up the course. It's a true family biz. They do a good job too; the greens are well-maintained, the mountain backdrop is gorgeous, and you can't be sad about any day you spend trying to knock a little white ball around a beautiful grassy area. I suppose I can be sad about how poorly I do it, but I'm pretty happy here overall.

I love this artist so much--maybe more than any other! Dina's art is so delightful, funny,…read morefantastical, warm. I have a number of her prints framed. Visiting the Open Studio is a joy and so much fun. Her exhibit is incredible.

One of my most favorite art studios ever. NYC meets Argentina meets the world at this gorgeous…read morespace on Main Street in Catskill. Treasures await to be discovered in every corner. There is truly something for everyone of all ages to enjoy. My favorites? The adorable hand-sewn dolls or embroidered vintage photos by Julie Chase or the ceramic goddess lanterns by renown artist and author Dina Bursztyn??!! I can't decide!!! A must-see when in the Hudson Valley. Take a special trip up to visit. Trust me, you won't be disappointed!