September 21, 2007
Reader needs ideas for a one-night weekend getaway to PA or upstaet NY for fall foliage
I recently heard from Gerry who needs ideas for weekend getaway with the wife:
I'm looking for ideas for a single weekend night getaway (kid-free) with my wife (Saturday night only) for sometime in Oct. I'm in the north Jersey area and probably would head off to PA or upstate NY for fall foliage and hiking, but can only do one night, so that rules out all the nice B&B's which require a two night stay this time of year. Any thoughts on a reasonably priced getaway?
So far people are recommending Niagra Falls, which is a bit too far from here for a one night stay. People also recommended Mohonk Mountain House. Mohonk Mountain House looks nice, but has that two-night minimum which is the problem I keep running into. Too bad since I hear they are really good for foliage and hiking, you probably won't find anything much nicer, plus the advantage that if the weather is crappy, they have a great sports facility/spa. Disadvantage = price. Plus the two night minimum stay...
One friend said I could always do the Finger Lakes for a Wine Tour. Good idea, but still a bit far for a single night stay. I'm probably only looking for a 2.5 hour drive from Manhattan max. New Paltz was a good idea, but the single night requirement is killing me...
The Finger lakes B&Bs all have a minimum 2 night stay. I've been through that looking for a one night stay.
I was told to think about the Delaware Water Gap. There is the Shepard House B&B, and the Deer Head Inn. The Deer Head is a great place for jazz. About a 1/4 mile down the 611 or up Mountain Road, is trail access to the Water Gap recreational area. There also is a B&B located on Mountain Road directly across from the trail access. My friend can't remember the name, but he stayed there and it was great. He also said there was no minimum stay!
He said it's 5 minutes further up to the Appalachian Trail. He said to avoid the famous Bushkill Falls. Too hard on your calves and it's so overcrowded and they charge you 9 or 10 bucks or something like that. If you're lucky to know the area well enough, you can find Jacobs Ladder water falls.
William Penn falls is another one no one knows of, a secluded spot where you can have a picnic. This is all according to my friend though. Brownie's is located right across the street from the Deer Head is a great restaurant/watering hole. Plenty of antique shops if you don't feel like hiking and you always have the Crossings Outlets in Tannersville about a 15-20 min. drive west down 80. Or you could head a little further north to the Milford, PA area.
Another beautiful hiking area in the Water Gap is Worthington State Forest on the Jersey side (1st exit). Crater lake which is a glacial lake is a must see.
The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, Mass is supposed to be a good bet. My friends stayed there earlier this month and really enjoyed it. The food is very good and the facilities are exceptionally relaxing. Rates this time of year are quite reasonable and it's a really easy drive. Either take I-87 up to I-90 or, for a nicer drive, take I-84 across to route 7 and go up through Connecticut to Stockbridge, MA. Is Stockbridge good for Autumn leaves?
Also, what about Cooperstown? Is it more than the baseball Hall of Fame? I heard about the Otesaga Resort in Cooperstown right on the lake. Or drive a little further and hit Mirror Lake Inn in Lake Placid or the Sagamore in Lake George.
And if anyone has heard about Journey Inn, they are in Hyde Park, across the street from the Vanderbilt mansion. Never been there - is it any good?
I also wanted to check out New Hope, PA - LOTS of B&B's and tons of restaurants all with their own themes and twists. I have a friend who stayed at the Porches on the Tow Path B&B which was very affordable and the location right in the middle of the shopping/railroad/tow path was good.
But another person told me to go to the Lambertville inn in Lambertsville NJ where all rooms are suites with fireplaces, supposedly reasonable priced and include room service breakfast, it is also right across from New Hope.
So anyway, I've talked to too many people and gotten so much advice I have no idea what to do. So I figure I'll ask everyone for more advice so I can be even more confused. LOL. If I have to get away from Fall foliage, Cape May is still quite nice this time of year. Plus it is now technically off season and might be cheaper.
Well, that's the email. Can anyone tell Gerry what to do?
New Paltz is 4 hours south of Upstate New York. A 2.5 hour drive is nothing to get anywhere. The Adirondacks in October are truly beautiful and there are countless inexpensive places to stay for one night.
Posted by: Jim at September 21, 2007 10:04 AMIf you're thinking of going to New Hope/Lambertville (a great choice), check out the Golden Pheasant Inn: www.goldenpheasant.com. They are just 20 min. up the road from New Hope in Erwinna, PA. I just checked and despite what their website says about a two-night stay, they have reasonably priced rooms available in October for only one night. I hear the food is excellent there though I haven't quite made it there yet.
Posted by: Julie at September 21, 2007 1:58 PMHey James. Glad to see you're still at it. I think I posted here on Portland a little while back. My wife and I recently moved to the DC area, and we had an invitation to stay at at a friend's cottage up at Keuka Lake (NY Finger Lakes) over Labor Day.
We both love the outdoors and thought the Finger Lakes might be too touristy. We were dead wrong. We did a bike/wine tour of two of the Keuka Lake Vineyards and loved it. We went to Dr. Franks and then Herron Hill. NY wines have come a long way since the days of all of them tasting like concord grape juice. They do especially well with the Rieslings.
We brought our bikes, but there are outfitters who rent. Caution: there is usually a huge climb from Route 54A up to the top of the ridgeline, and a correspondingly huge descent. Once you get up there, it's country roads and considerate drivers. The weather cooperated and it was fantastic. Long winding roads, pastures, and vineyards. The views are amazing.
There are B&B's all over. The NY Times listed the Yates County Chamber of commerce, here's the NYT article:
http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/06/11/travel/11journeys.html?pagewanted=all
Finally, here's a funny story about a Navajo proverb that a worker told us as we left Dr. Frank. (Update to that story: since crossing the Dust Devil's path, my friend had his laptop crash and lost everything...)
http://javaunmoradi.com/blog/?p=96
Posted by: Javaun at September 21, 2007 8:28 PMMohonk used to offer a day pass which included a buffet lunch and use of all facilities and access to all the hiking trails. It was outstanding in fall foliage season. If you don't want to drive back the same night, stay more cheaply in New Paltz.
Posted by: Denise at September 21, 2007 11:13 PMHow flexible are you? You can't beat the Shawangunk Mountains in the fall, it is a nice drive from Poughkeepsie or Hyde Park, and Lake Minnewaska State Park has trails from easy to difficult by foot or bike, and you can see the Mohonk Mountain House, or even hike over there from here. I suggest you go to Bash Bish Falls in Massachussetts instead, it is a great hike up to the falls, pretty any time of year, but especially in the fall. And then next year you can attend the Taste of New Paltz for some great Hudson Valley food and wine, and spend the weekend at Mohonk.
Posted by: Lisa at September 23, 2007 1:55 AMThe Berkshires is only 2 hours from Jersey and very lovely during the fall. Stockbridge is just one town that is part of the Berkshires, The Red Lion Inn is fine if you make sure that you get a room away from RT.7. The noise will keep you up all night. There are many B&B's around the area. Most are way more romantic and luxurious than the Inn. But if the others don't have one night stays then the Red Lion is great. The rocking chair front porch is a great way to watch the world go by. Check out the other towns around Stockbridge such as Lenox, Great Barrington, Lee. During the fall it is one of the most romantic places on earth. I lived there for 10 years and loved every minute of it, especially in the fall. Each restaurant is better than the next. The food at the Inn is just mediocre, so try other places.
Posted by: nina at September 24, 2007 1:37 AMCheck out the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon (near Wellsboro), which is best in spring and autumn. There's plenty of hiking in this area and eastward (particularly the Poconos). I think Wellsboro, Danville, and Sunbury are very pretty towns, worth perhaps 30 or 60 min each to stroll around; and Wellsboro has a very tasty (and relatively famous) diner right at its center.
Centralia, near Bloomsburg, is an interesting division worthy of about 30 minutes or so -- it's a town which was abandoned after a coal mine caught fire. Toward the south end of town is an abandoned portion of expressway which is fascinating to see. If you're a fan of history, all of Carbon County, PA, offers some great stories relating to coal mining.
If you like sports, perhaps consider catching a Penn State football game (if you can get tickets) and follow it with a movie at the Bellefonte Opera House.
Check into Bloomsburg or Williamsport for accommodation if you are having trouble finding anything closer to your destination. Traffic is not much of an issue in this area and the scenery is lovely -- especially if you stay on the back roads.
State College has plenty of accommodation, but beware traffic on a football Saturday.
Posted by: Bossi at September 25, 2007 12:21 PM