New York’s four-county region offers visitors a quieter way to soak up scenery and local flavor.

It’s easy to be distracted by New York City—the lights in Times Square alone can be a overwhelming. But outside the city, the state opens up into pristine countryside, quaint towns and a quieter way of life. Here in the Catskills—a giant four-county region—natural culture is readily available in so many forms, travelers won’t miss the bright lights of the big city at all.

Delaware County
At 1,460 square miles, this quiet western Catskills area stretches over more space than the entire state of Rhode Island—and it’s full of things to do, minus the crowded hustle and bustle of New York City.

Visitors can get to know the county via numerous hiking, biking and driving trails. The nearly 20-mile Catskill Scenic Trail offers those on foot—or bike, or horse, or snowshoe—a way to explore both the natural and economic beginnings of the county. The trail is situated on top of the original Ulster & Delaware Railroad rail bed, which once was a direct market line for produce and timber from outstate New York into New York City.

Today’s Delaware & Ulster Railroad serves as a nostalgic throwback—the excursion train departs twice on Saturdays and Sundays to take riders through the rolling scenery along the east branch of the Delaware River. The railroad hosts special events throughout the year, as well as private parties on its elegant Rip Van Winkle Flyer Dinner Train.

The whole of the Catskill region comes alive in the multicounty Catskill Park, 300,000 acres of which make up Delaware County’s Catskill Forest Preserve. Spruce-fir, northern hardwood and old-growth forests, as well as streams and wetlands, are home to abundant trout, coyotes, bears, bobcats and porcupines. Public and private campgrounds are available on preserved land.
 
Greene County
Greene County, located in the southeastern area of the Catskills region, is a history buff’s must-stop. Visitors can start at the Greene County Historical Society, which makes its home in a cluster of buildings, including the Bronck Museum, the oldest surviving house in upstate New York, and the non-circulating Vedder Research Library.

Commanding attention is Cedar Grove, the Thomas Cole National Historic Site. The founder of the Hudson River School of Art—which spawned such landscape greats as Frederic Edwin Church, who would later co-found New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art—found renowned inspiration in Catskills country. Today, visitors can tour the painter’s home, studio and surrounding grounds. To get a real feel for the school, tourists can also walk and drive the Hudson River School Art Trail, a series of painting sites depicted in Hudson River School works, located within 15 miles of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site.

Visitors can find their own inspiration at the spectacular Kaaterskill Falls in Hunter. The 260-foot, two-drop waterfall is the highest in New York state.

Sullivan County
This southeast county is a true something-for-everyone destination with plenty of art, culture and entertainment tucked along the scenic byway country (most of the Upper Delaware Scenic Byway, from Port Jervis to Hancock, traverses Sullivan County).

On the site of the original 1969 Woodstock festival is the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, which is set to open a museum this year. There, interactive displays and programs will allow visitors to relive the Woodstock experience while examining the cultural impact it had at the time and in the years since. The rest of the complex comprises multiple outdoor stages and arenas utilized for live music performances and a local farmers market.

Sullivan County’s Forestburgh Playhouse has been providing its own brand of summer theater for more than 60 years—and after a 2004 renovation, guests have been enjoying it in air-conditioning. The 2008 mainstage season includes Broadway hits The Producers, Cabaret and Gypsy; afterward, guests can take in a cabaret show and dinner. The theater also offers a lineup of children’s shows suitable for little ones, staged in the mornings and early afternoons all summer.

Avid anglers should plan to stop at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum in Livingston Manor. The non-profit educational center serves as a resource for current and future fly-fishermen; it collects and cares for fly-fishing equipment, hosts educational programs, sponsors research and acts as a meeting place for fans of the sport.

Ulster County
Woodstock left its mark on Ulster County, too. This mid-Hudson River county, the largest in the New York Metropolitan Area, hosts the annual Woodstock Film Festival, dedicated to promoting art, culture and diversity. Last year’s festival featured such critically acclaimed independent films as The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Lars and the Real Girl and I’m Not There (the festival makes a point to showcase music in film). Entries are still being accepted for the 2008 festival, slated this year Oct. 1–5.

Visitors who want to take in the county’s natural scenery can do so aboard one of the many excursion boats that cruise the Hudson River. A two-hour sightseeing tour on the Rip Van Winkle—complete with refreshments and lunch—allows explorers to travel in comfort and with the expertise of a guide.

Families can pack the car in the fall and head to the number-one haunted attraction in the U.S., the Headless Horseman Hayride and Haunted House in Ulster Park, about 10 minutes outside Poughkeepsie. Located on a 45-acre, 200-year-old farm (which some say is truly haunted), the attraction features a one-mile hayride, a corn labyrinth, three haunted houses, concessions, and gift and magic shops. The nightly John Shaw Pandemonium Midnight Sideshow delights with illusions, too.
 
Planning Your Trip
For more information on the counties and attractions in New York’s Catskills, including directions and lodging information, call (800) NYS-CATS or visit www.visitthecatskills.com.

For vacation-planning help, contact your AAA Travel agent or www.AAA.com/travel.