The Catskills, New York State
There is something cult-like about The Catskills. The original festival, Woodstock, happened here after all. Cult film Dirty Dancing was set on a sixties holiday resort in the Catskill Mountains, based in part on writer Eleanor Bergstein's real life experiences of summers in these hills, just a hundred miles out of the city. The hills where mothers and children would, in their thousands, come to have the 'time of their lives' while dads stayed in the city to work. And of course, as far back as the mid-19th century, the Hudson River art movement captured the magical qualities here and took the world by storm with their portrayal of wild, natural beauty. And now, there is a vibrant gay scene in the Catskills, with the town of Roxbury flying rainbow flags in most windows, and Sullivan County proud to have a high proportion of gay-owned businesses, all listed in their dedicated website Out In the Catskills. The boom in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) tourism here is also thanks to the New York ground breaking change in law to allow same sex marriages.

Kayaking in The Catskills
Jim Kelly, owner of Susan's Pleasant Pheasant Farm talks about kayaking & hiking in the Catskills & spotting deer on mountain trails. Find more outdoor adventures [01:52]
Jim Kelly, owner of Susan's Pleasant Pheasant Farm talks about kayaking & hiking in the Catskills & spotting deer on mountain trails. Find more outdoor adventures [01:52]

And when the snow falls, of course, the skiing cult kicks in. This is the closest spot to New York City for winter sports, just an hour or so from fresh powder. For ice climbing, there are waterfalls such as The Notch, The Playground, Hellhole and Kaaterskill Falls to take on. And of course, the slopes of Hunter and Plattekill Mountain are too cool for ski school when the snow starts to fall.
Responsible Travel would like to thank the New York State Tourist Board for their sponsorship of this guide
New York State holiday, USA
Discover the best of New York State on this tailor made tour
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