Small-town charm in the Catskills lures city slickers

Small-town charm in the Catskills lures city slickers

One of the fastest routes between stress and serenity is a new luxury bus service. Departing from Midtown late Friday afternoons, the Catskill Carriage ferries New Yorkers to five towns in Sullivan County for a weekend of eating, drinking, fishing and nostalgia — this, after all, was the home of Grossinger’s, the hotel that inspired “Dirty Dancing.”

Oaring Lander’s RiverRichard Harbus

Not surprisingly, many of its riders call the new service the Jitney of the Catskills, says founder Gabriel Brodbar, who hands out homemade cookies and beverages on the three-to-four-hour trip ($110 per round-trip ticket) through Midtown and the mountains.

The bus, which returns passengers to Midtown Sunday afternoon, includes Wi-Fi, a bathroom and spacious, comfortable seats. While some take the coach to their second home, Brodbar says, “we are getting more and more folks who are just falling in love with the area for the first time.”

Here’s what you’ll find, and where.

Luxe meets luck

Monticello is the most sprawling and suburban of all the stops. But a short cab ride away from the diner where the bus drops off are the area’s newest — and oldest — attractions.

The bright new Yo1 Wellness Center is an immaculate (and pricey) hotel, spa and holistic healing center. Here, you can enjoy meditation, ayurvedic massage, or maybe a juice cleanse. Therapies, yoga classes and food are included in the cost of a stay, which starts at $1,200 a night.

Where to pony up: Try your luck with some wagers on the horses at Monticello Raceway. The 60-year-old track hosts harness racing.

Where to stay: The casino hotel Resorts World Catskills, which opened this year. 888 Resorts World Drive, Monticello, NY; 833-586-9358.

Back to the garden
Stacey CohenRichard Harbus

In pastoral Bethel, the carriage drops passengers off steps away from the site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival. In its place today, the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is gaining a similar reverence for its outdoor performances — a recent weekend featured shows by Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers. Across the street from the field where Jimi Hendrix once wailed through the national anthem is the Dancing Cat Saloon, which is part restaurant, part gallery of the area’s hallowed music scene.

“Magical things happen here,” says Stacy Cohen, who owns the Saloon-adjacent Catskill Distilling Company. Cohen was 11 in the summer of ’69, and remembers handing out sandwiches and water to passing hippies, who were “stoned out of their minds,” she says with a laugh.

Where to imbibe: Taste the goods at Catskills Distilling Company, for a buckwheat whiskey that’s not messing around. 2037 NY-17B, Bethel, NY; 845-583-3141.

Where to jam: Bethel Woods Center for the Arts and its impressive museum. 200 Hurd Road, Bethel, NY; 866-781-2922.

Walkable and floatable
Callicoon Nine River Road Hotel

From where the bus stops in Callicoon — the Western Hotel — most of the town’s best attractions are within walking distance. Here, you can spend a day shopping in the town’s boutiques and famous Sunday farmers market, reading the paper over pastries and cold brew at the Cafe Adella Dori or kayaking down the Delaware River with Lander’s River Trips, which will bring you back upstream after a day in the water.

Where to stay: Steps away from the main drag is one of the Foster Supply Hospitality’s four rustic but pristine properties in the area, Nine River Road. You’ll be greeted upon checking in with supplies for fireside s’mores in their backyard. 9 River Road, Callicoon, NY; 845-887-0042.

Where to wine and dine: Bring a bottle home from the lovingly curated Callicoon Wine Merchant (for wine or local cider), or stay and snack on sherry-drenched tapas. 30 Dorrer Drive, Callicoon, NY; 845-887-3016.

Where to brunch: Head east to North Branch Inn where nonguests ought to make it out for their weekend brunch, and order chef Erik Kinealy-Hill’s crispy-on-the-outside, succulent-on-the-inside duck breast over grits. 869 N. Branch Road, North Branch, NY; 845-482-2339.

Bakery, brews and bait
The Catskill BreweryRichard Harbus

The carriage drops off at the Catskill Brewery in Livingston Manor, which not only serves craft beers, but nitro cold-brew coffee on tap. A short walk down the road brings you to the town’s main drag, where Brandenburg Bakery’s goods are still warm from the oven.

Just off Highway 17, through the woods, you might see the twinkling of an outdoor candlelit dinner hosted by the members-only Livingston Manor Fly Fishing Club, a hip new group in the town started by former city folk. Membership is currently open for curated nature weekends, or nonmembers can inquire about per-night stays on the enchanting property at LivingstonManorFlyFishingclub.com.

Where to go fish: Dette Flies, which could double as a museum for colorful fly-fishing accoutrements, is among the outfitters in town where you can hire a guide to take you out for a half day or full day. 13 Main St., Livingston Manor, NY; 845-439-1166.

Where to hide away: An entire weekend could be spent at the bucolic but modern DeBruce Hotel, tucked into the hills away from town. Nonguests can enjoy cocktails on the hotel’s patio or a prix-fixe tasting menu from its fine-dining kitchen. 982 Debruce Road, Livingston Manor, NY; 845-439-3900.

Where to snack: Gather simple but quality sandwiches at Main Street Farm, complete with artisanal snacks in their market. 36 Main St., Livingston Manor, NY; 845- 439-4309.

Talk of the Trout Town
Roscoe Beer Co.Lauren Steussy

Known as Trout Town for its world-famous fly-fishing scene, Roscoe is more than its well-known roadside diner, although the Roscoe Diner, serving comfort food since 1964, is a classic. A 20-minute walk from the bus stop is the Roscoe Beer Co., a bustling, wood-lined establishment in a former fire department that’s fast becoming the town’s main watering hole. Come for the Instagrammable cheese pull on their variety of grilled cheeses, but stay for the venison and cheddar bratwursts, washed down with head brewer Josh Hughes’ Rainbow Red Ale.

“Second-home owners always came here, but they never had anything to do — now they’re all spending time in town,” says the brewery’s co-owner Phil Vallone.

Where to stay: The homey Creekside Bed & Bath is central to the town’s main street. 3 Railroad Ave., Roscoe, NY; (607) 498-5873.

Where to mangia: Locals love Raimondo’s, where you can find New York Italian-style food without the city prices. 62 Stewart Ave., Roscoe, NY; 607-498-4702.

Where to find friendly wildlife: Visitors say you’ll find yourself oddly calmed by the gentle alpacas at the Buck Brook Alpacas farm. 99 Bestenheider Road, Roscoe, NY; 845-807-3104.

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