A weekend in the Catskills
The true changing of the seasons is probably the #1 thing that I appreciate the most living on the East Coast: there’s nothing like the incredible pop of colors blooming after a long gray winter or the turning of the leaves when the temperatures start to drop. When spring hits, I try to go to every city garden possible–and when fall comes around, I like to head upstate for the highest concentration of trees changing.
With that in mind, we headed up to the Catskills for a weekend at Scribner’s Catskill Lodge. We left after work on Friday, so we arrived in the dark. When we woke up in the morning, we were blown away by the explosion of colors on Hunter Mountain: we couldn’t have asked for a better weekend to visit! We had such a delightfully low-key weekend, filled with waterfall hikes and hot apple cider and lots of ooh-ing and aww-ing over the foliage.
Scribner’s Catskill Lodge
We stayed at Scribner’s Catskill Lodge, which just reopened after an extensive renovation (it opened originally in the 1960’s as a motor lodge). It was fabulous! We had the most incredible view of the Hunter Mountain from our room, and a lovely balcony with an Adirondack chair to enjoy it from. The interiors are super cozy (some rooms have fireplaces!) with great little design details: I especially loved the rotary phone. Although the restaurant Prospect hadn’t officially opened yet, the hotel had BBQ’s every night and continental breakfast with incredible homemade jalepeno cheddar scones. The location was also super convenient: close to a bunch of adorable little towns and hiking opportunities and scenic overviews. Bonus: the property is very pug-friendly!
Kaaterskill Falls Hike
One of the first things we did was a hike to Kaaterskill Falls. Gertie absolutely loved the crisp air and new smells, and I was in awe of the gorgeous view from the viewing platform. Apparently there’s a more difficult hike that comes in from the bottom of the falls (with a dangerous on-the-highway parking lot), but the easier walk in was super pleasant and good for a pug with little legs.
Phoenicia Diner
After our hike, we popped over to Phoenicia Diner for lunch. There was a bit of a wait before we sat down, so we grabbed drinks at the bar: they do a very good hot toddy, and I loved the “grown-up egg cream” with coffee liquor and bourbon. Definitely worth a stop! 
Walk along Hunter Mountain
The one thing we didn’t get a chance to do: riding the chairlift at Hunter Mountain! I’m a sucker for Ferris wheels and anything that moves with a view, so I would have loved to see that vantage point. Instead, I took Gertie for a a walk along the swimming hole at the bottom: it felt like a fall wonderland!
Little Catskill towns
We drove through a bunch of adorable little towns, but I especially loved colorful Tannersville. I had such a proud “Instagram girlfriend” moment: David actually spotted that bright red bush and asked if I wanted to take a picture of it, and then motioned for me and Gertie to get in front. Such an eye for photography! 
Saugerties Lighthouse
We took a walk down to Saugerties Lighthouse, which was such a hidden gem: it’s about a half mile along the water and marsh, and it’s so cute. Fun fact: the Saugerties Lighthouse is actually a B&B! I actually feel like it’d feel a little haunted to spend a night out there alone, but it would still be such a cool experience. 
Stone Ridge Orchards
I actually don’t care that much about apple picking (not that basic!), but I do love fresh apple cider and homemade pies. We stopped at Stone Ridge Orchards (more specifically: their farm store) to fill up on apple cider donuts and to bring home a bushel of apples to make delicious crockpot apple sauce.
Lekker
One of the surprising highlights of our trip: lunch at Lekker! The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, the food was SO good (great chicken sandwich!) and the drink special was apple cider with homemade apple brandy. 
Goats!
I actually missed our turn for the freeway, and got rerouted down a country road: right past a farm of goats and mini horses! 
Have you been to the Catskills? What was your favorite part?
