I am back from our Catskills family vacation and wanted to share it all with you while it was fresh in my mind, but forgive me if any of this is incoherent because I am beyond exhausted. First, I want to say that I didn’t realize how big the Catskills region is. It’s actually huge and spread out, and there are lots of different places to go depending on what you’re looking for. It is pretty spread out, like most of the areas are a 40 minute drive from one another, so we didn’t get to check it all out, so this is in no way a comprehensive Catskills guide. But a lot of people were asking where we went and you know I love sharing our trips with you guys, so I thought I’d put together a post on our Catskills family vacation with where we stayed and ate and everything we did.
Now, this trip was a bit different for us, as I ended up taking the kids on my own. So it was a family vacation, but also an experiment in traveling with three very little kids solo. When we originally made the plans, Andrew was going to go with us, but he had something come up for work and had some work still being done at the house, and I just really wanted to get away. As I’ve mentioned before, at one point during my career, I traveled the world covering honeymoons and travel. I love traveling and adventures, and even though I’m super Type A and love having a plan, I also love spontaneous trips. I haven’t had a big itch to travel since becoming a mom, but recently, I’ve been feeling the pull. Maybe it’s because we were so grounded during Covid and while pregnant and with little babies, but I’ve had major wanderlust. And honestly, we are at that point in summer when camp is out and the kids are getting bored and everyone’s fighting and being crazy and we all just needed to get the hell out of dodge (where does that saying even come from?) and get a change of scenery. So long story short, I decided to do something crazy and take the three kids on my own. In retrospect, I could have Brooks behind — he’s at such a hard age to travel with — but I felt bad leaving him behind and idk, I like the three of them getting to be together and bond. Or maybe I’m codependent, but the three of us went and had a great time. It wasn’t without its struggles and I can totally do a blog post on traveling with kids solo (tbh I won’t be making it a regular thing) but we really enjoyed our Catskills family vacaiton, so I thought I’d share all my recs from our short trip.
Where to Stay
We stayed at Scribner’s Lodge, which I had been wanting to visit for awhile. It’s a popular place for photoshoots, and I can see why. It’s got a cool vibe and it’s very scenic, as it’s right in the mountains (it’s very close to Hunter Mountain and not far from Wyndham, which are popular ski resorts). Obviously, we went in the summer, but it’d be a great place to stay if you’re up there to ski at Hunter. In terms of location, it’s near Tannersville and beautiful waterfalls and hiking trails and of course, Hunter Mountain but it’s also a 20-40 minute drive to some of the other spots in the Catskills, so just keep that in mind if you’re looking to do anything specific while you’re up there. It has a pool and gorgeous meadow and garden and outdoor area for games. There’s also a library and deck where you can roast s’mores and hang out, so there are cool spaces to hang out. They had kids books and toys in the library, which was nice. They also do nightly movie screenings, but the movie wasn’t playing one of the nights and the other night it was PG-13 so didn’t quite work for us. The rooms have balconies with mountain views and have this cool, Catskills aesthetic to them, which I’d describe as rustic, lake house minimalism meets Brooklyn cool if that’s a thing. It’s a very low-key chill spot but might be better for a couple’s getaway or as I said, older kids as it felt really peaceful and great setting for photoshoots and not necessarily built for toddlers and preschoolers. It is super dog friendly. In fact, I think we were the only ones without a dog.
Where to Eat
It was a bit rainy when we were up there, so food took center stage in our Catskills family vacation.
Phonecia Diner: This place is pretty well-known and with good reason. One of the best breakfasts I’ve had. Get the pancakes. We went super early on a weekday, but I hear it gets busy on weekends, so keep that in mind. There is an outdoor air stream food truck though that you can also order from but wasn’t open when we were there. Definitely worth the drive for brunch (it’s about 20 minutes from Scribner’s).
Mama’s Boy Burgers: We went here for lunch one day, and it was really fun. You can order at the window and eat outside or go in. They have burgers and fries and sandwiches, but the highlight for our fam was the ice cream. They have lots of flavors and sundaes and milkshakes. We actually ended up going back for a second helping.
Prospect: This is the on site restaurant at Scribner’s. It’s got the same cool vibe as the rest of the property and really good food. They were extremely gracious to my kids even when they were screaming and running around, and we all enjoyed our food. The kids even ate some of mine, which is a testament because they usually don’t like anything with sauces etc. Get the cornbread, smoked chicken and burger. We didn’t get a chance to have brunch there, but I’ve heard the breakfast is really good too.
The Ice Cream Station in Phonecia: Okay, we didn’t get a chance to go here, but it’s my one regret. It looked really cool and the kids were dying to go but doesn’t open until 3pm.
Hunter Mountain Brewery: We went here for a quick dinner after our drive into town and it was super family friendly and has a brewery on site for any big beer drinkers. It would be fun for apres ski but is great for a super casual dinner with the kids where no one cares if they’re screaming and throwing food, and it’s three minutes from Scribner’s.
Deer Mountain Inn: We didn’t get a chance to eat here, but it came recommended so would be a good option to consider if you’re staying. at Scribner’s.
Circle W General Store: This is a fun spot to check out. Feels authentic and great to pick up a quick bite.
Fred’s: Go here for donuts. It’s a drive-through so perfect for grabbing on your way to an adventure or out of town.
What to Do
Okay, honestly, we didn’t do a ton on our Catskills family vacation because the weather wasn’t great and we weren’t there that long, but here are some things I recommend doing.
Kaaterskill Falls in Hunter: There’s a pretty hike to them and it’s beautiful. Apparently, there are trolleys you can take to hike down to them but we didn’t do that.
Esopus Creel: We didn’t fly fish, but had Andrew been with us, this would have been on the itinerary.
Opus 40: A cool work of art to check out while you’re there.
Shopping: There are a bunch of little towns to explore throughout. the Catskills with stores and places to eat. Visit Hudson, Phonecia, and Tannersville.
Fix Bros Fruit Farm: Great for fruit picking – just call to make sure they’re open. We drove all the way there only to find out they were closed.
Rose Hill Farm: Another great spot to visit for fruit picking.
Hunter Mountain: Ski mountain that is beautiful year round though not a ton going on there during the off season.
As I said, our Catskills family vacation was pretty low-key and we didn’t get to see all the things or do all the things, but it was definitely a nice change of scenery and fairly easy drive. We stopped at Fishkill Farm on the way home to pick apples and get some food and I highly recommend that.
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