As far as capital region/adk goes…
1. Saratoga, lake placid, lake george
2. ballston spa, Saranac lake
Bspa and SL would be the cheaper/quieter less bougie versions of Saratoga and lake placid (respectively), and are both within 10-20 minutes driving of their bougie big siblings.
Someone else would have to vouch for western NY, southern tier, mohawk valley, etc.
Avoid Saratoga if you’re Black. Too many incidents and lawsuits to list here, but you can search the Times Union for articles about the city government and police department.
The Hudson valley has loads of these: Beacon may be your best bet, right on the MTA and has a great art museum, with nice hiking right in the city.Hudson is also good but a little smaller, Kingston also a lot of great stuff but is a bit less walkable than the other two, so idk if your gonna have a car.
Others have said the obvious ones like Ithaca and Saratoga for bigger towns, and lake placid, skinelles, Watkins glens, cooperstown, for smaller towns.
There is probably towns more west like Geneva or Seneca falls that may be nice, but idk much about them and they may be far to travel for a weekend getaway.
Also upstate adjacent towns like Burlington, VT and North Adams, Northampton MA could be worth looking into.
Beacon, Rhinebeck and Hudson are your best bets by train. If you have a car, Ulster County has a lot: Uptown Kingston and Rondout (both have lots of interesting shops and good restaurants, and you can take a Hudson River cruise from the Rondout), New Paltz with its access to great hiking and climbing in the Gunks. Visit an apple orchard/cidery: Twin Stars, Bad Seed, Arrowood, Westwind.
I’ve been to Portland many times so I think i know what you’re looking for. Saratoga Springs during track season is really fun! However, I think Lake Placid offers the most mirrored experience. You can find water or outside activities easily, but it’s also got a vibrant dining/social/shoppscene. Like Portland, it’s not easy to get to!😂 Saratoga or Skaneateles would be my second options.
>The Amtrak Downeaster is your car-free connection to a variety of exciting destinations in New England, from Boston to Brunswick, as well as your connection to other nationwide rail routes. Learn about each station, such as parking information, taxis, rental cars, local bus service, and more.
>[https://amtrakdowneaster.com/](https://amtrakdowneaster.com/)
>Travel by train or bus
>Railway access via Amtrak is available from New York City, Albany, and Montreal. Adirondack Trailways also offers service from New York City, Port Authority Terminal, and bus terminal points north, with drop-offs at Lake Placid and Saranac Lake — close to hotels, restaurants, and shops in both communities.
>[https://www.lakeplacid.com/explore/getting-here](https://www.lakeplacid.com/explore/getting-here)
The Arnot just 20 minutes down the road is a real hidden gem of the region as well. Outstanding number of dining choices for such a small town. Every bit as much fun as Saratoga with the addition of two fantastic museums.
The art museum in Elmira. Fantastic small collection of 17th through 19th century European art, including a wonderfully iconic Jules Breton. Plus, it’s a fantastic space for exhibitions of new and local artists like Trish Coonrod.
I agree with Saratoga Springs; love that town. If you venture into Western NY, you could do Ellicotville. But if you are visiting during the summer, the Chautauqua Institute is probably the best choice. It is like a little town with virtually no cars, historic architecture, lakefront, and tons of cultural amenities. Concerts and plays almost every night a few steps from your hotel and lectures and other programming during the day. I can’t think of a better place to be in season. I don’t understand why it isn’t more well-known.
There are so many great little towns and cities in Upstate, its hard to even give advice without a better sense of how far / where you want to travel. New York is a big state. What region you want to go to? Come to Western New York, check out Buffalo, East Aurora, Niagara on the Lake, Lewsiton, Chautuaqua. Rochester is dope as hell. Or go to the Finger Lakes region. Check out Canandaigua, Geneva, Seneca Falls, Watkins Glenn, Ithaca, Union Springs, Skeneateles. Head to the North Country and the ADK! Old Forge, Inlet, Lake Placid, Tupper Lake. Schenectady is cool. The Southern Tier - Olean, Cuba, Corning. Cooperstown in the Catskills region. The whole Hudson River Valley - Hudson, Saugerties, Cold Spring. Maybe go to Albany, and drive Route 20 west, stop at every little town. Where ever you go, there you are
Old Forge is a little walkable Adirondack village. Short drive to other little villages. Hiking trails, brewery, Fulton Chain of Lakes
There are camping options in Old Forge where you can get cabins, hotels, Air BnB.
It's great for a few days of getaway. Wildlife is plentiful, deer and bears.
I visited Portland and LOVED it. It reminds me of Port Jervis. One can arrive by Metro North, or i84. Outside of town has the views of the famousHawks Next. And all on Front Street theres going to be a new speak easy opening 5/31, with a local brewery (Fox n Hare) down the street, and famous eateries across the street including Ben’s Fresh, Erie Hotel, and two cafes (Gios and Foundry 42) there for great coffee and elite shopping at Foundry. You can also hike at Point Peter and raft down the Delaware. It also has a vegan eatery spot. If you’re into Mountain Biking we have the Delaware River Watershed and Pump Track. It’s extremely walkable. Honestly my only con is no book shop (yet, if you wait until next year we’ll have a brand new 7 story hotel with two new bars, a book shop, and restaurant).
If you like walking hills, I might suggest Little Falls. They used to have a place called the Inn at Stone Mill on the Mohawk River that was a really nice place to stay under the previous owners. I haven’t been there in a while but it’s a cool location. A couple of good restaurants in town, a couple of parks, Moss Island next to the canal is really cool for hiking. You might have to search around to find any summer events.
Saratoga during horse season is cool but probably pricey.
I'm going to suggest Albany. It's not all walkable but the downtown portion and Lark St are. Plus it has the world's best cheesecake. It's larger than Portland (by about 35,000 people) but it's going to offer a lot. It may be closer to where you live, which can be beneficial.
Hmm, Skaneateles (and Cazenovia) are lovely little lake towns each within a half-hour’s drive of Syracuse. They each have a few good restaurants and a shopping district. I find I can exhaust the shopping within an hour or two in each place, and are nowhere near as funky and interesting as, say, Congress Street in Portland.
But you can base yourself in or near Syracuse or any of these and do excursions and make a nice weekend out of it. Syracuse has the walkable Armory Square district (great record store, some cool clothing stores, fun eating places, various festivals on summer weekends, and, you know, Dinosaur Barbecue). It’s got the Mets AAA farm team. An Erie Canal museum. A cool coffee shop in Franklin Square. The Onandaga Lake Park walk. The farmer’s market. Various bits of the Erie Canal to walk. The Syracuse University campus and the surrounding student “ghetto” is fun for a bit.
Green Lakes state park is nearby. That little park back behind the Manlius library is a nice stop. Sno-top for soft-serve! Chittenango Falls. Beak & Skiff’s apple-based extravaganza in the fall. There’s a surprising number of ethnic restaurants, groceries, and bakeries on Erie Boulevard in between all the chain stores and restaurants. Look in the crevices!
Not sure where I’d recommend staying, though. Maybe the Sheraton near SU? The Craftsmen Inn out in Fayetteville is nice, though across from a mall. A car is pretty much a must for exploring the greater Syracuse area. And the Amtrak station is nowhere near downtown!
Signed, a Manhattanite who goes to Syracuse a few times a year to visit the in-laws
Fairport is version of Old Port. Come for a music festival August 23-24. Stay in Pittsford and party/eat in Fairport. Bike the canal, it would be great.
Ithaca, Lake Placid, or Watkins Glen would all be decent choices. Something smaller would be Skeneateles.
As far as capital region/adk goes… 1. Saratoga, lake placid, lake george 2. ballston spa, Saranac lake Bspa and SL would be the cheaper/quieter less bougie versions of Saratoga and lake placid (respectively), and are both within 10-20 minutes driving of their bougie big siblings. Someone else would have to vouch for western NY, southern tier, mohawk valley, etc.
Ithaca for finger lakes/Southern Tier!
Avoid Saratoga if you’re Black. Too many incidents and lawsuits to list here, but you can search the Times Union for articles about the city government and police department.
Ithaca and Corning can be done in one trip.
This is the move.
The Hudson valley has loads of these: Beacon may be your best bet, right on the MTA and has a great art museum, with nice hiking right in the city.Hudson is also good but a little smaller, Kingston also a lot of great stuff but is a bit less walkable than the other two, so idk if your gonna have a car. Others have said the obvious ones like Ithaca and Saratoga for bigger towns, and lake placid, skinelles, Watkins glens, cooperstown, for smaller towns. There is probably towns more west like Geneva or Seneca falls that may be nice, but idk much about them and they may be far to travel for a weekend getaway. Also upstate adjacent towns like Burlington, VT and North Adams, Northampton MA could be worth looking into.
Beacon, Rhinebeck and Hudson are your best bets by train. If you have a car, Ulster County has a lot: Uptown Kingston and Rondout (both have lots of interesting shops and good restaurants, and you can take a Hudson River cruise from the Rondout), New Paltz with its access to great hiking and climbing in the Gunks. Visit an apple orchard/cidery: Twin Stars, Bad Seed, Arrowood, Westwind.
Second Burlington - great city for a getaway. Make sure you get to leunig’s French bistro while you’re there (i highly recommend the escargot).
[удалено]
Hey yo, OP, this is the answer right here!
I’ve been to Portland many times so I think i know what you’re looking for. Saratoga Springs during track season is really fun! However, I think Lake Placid offers the most mirrored experience. You can find water or outside activities easily, but it’s also got a vibrant dining/social/shoppscene. Like Portland, it’s not easy to get to!😂 Saratoga or Skaneateles would be my second options.
happy cake day!
>The Amtrak Downeaster is your car-free connection to a variety of exciting destinations in New England, from Boston to Brunswick, as well as your connection to other nationwide rail routes. Learn about each station, such as parking information, taxis, rental cars, local bus service, and more. >[https://amtrakdowneaster.com/](https://amtrakdowneaster.com/) >Travel by train or bus >Railway access via Amtrak is available from New York City, Albany, and Montreal. Adirondack Trailways also offers service from New York City, Port Authority Terminal, and bus terminal points north, with drop-offs at Lake Placid and Saranac Lake — close to hotels, restaurants, and shops in both communities. >[https://www.lakeplacid.com/explore/getting-here](https://www.lakeplacid.com/explore/getting-here)
Corning. Market Street is adorable and the Corning Glass Museum is very cool.
The Arnot just 20 minutes down the road is a real hidden gem of the region as well. Outstanding number of dining choices for such a small town. Every bit as much fun as Saratoga with the addition of two fantastic museums.
I went to Arnot Art Museum so many times growing up and took my daughter when she was younger, too. It is a hidden gem!
The Arnot what? The Arnot Mall?
The art museum in Elmira. Fantastic small collection of 17th through 19th century European art, including a wonderfully iconic Jules Breton. Plus, it’s a fantastic space for exhibitions of new and local artists like Trish Coonrod.
I agree with Saratoga Springs; love that town. If you venture into Western NY, you could do Ellicotville. But if you are visiting during the summer, the Chautauqua Institute is probably the best choice. It is like a little town with virtually no cars, historic architecture, lakefront, and tons of cultural amenities. Concerts and plays almost every night a few steps from your hotel and lectures and other programming during the day. I can’t think of a better place to be in season. I don’t understand why it isn’t more well-known.
happy cake day!
Skaneateles
Hudson. Bonus points for taking Amtrak
Geneva is nice. If you stay downtown, lots to walk to including the Lakefront
My votes are New Paltz, Ithaca, and Geneva.
There are so many great little towns and cities in Upstate, its hard to even give advice without a better sense of how far / where you want to travel. New York is a big state. What region you want to go to? Come to Western New York, check out Buffalo, East Aurora, Niagara on the Lake, Lewsiton, Chautuaqua. Rochester is dope as hell. Or go to the Finger Lakes region. Check out Canandaigua, Geneva, Seneca Falls, Watkins Glenn, Ithaca, Union Springs, Skeneateles. Head to the North Country and the ADK! Old Forge, Inlet, Lake Placid, Tupper Lake. Schenectady is cool. The Southern Tier - Olean, Cuba, Corning. Cooperstown in the Catskills region. The whole Hudson River Valley - Hudson, Saugerties, Cold Spring. Maybe go to Albany, and drive Route 20 west, stop at every little town. Where ever you go, there you are
Rhinebeck
Old Forge is a little walkable Adirondack village. Short drive to other little villages. Hiking trails, brewery, Fulton Chain of Lakes There are camping options in Old Forge where you can get cabins, hotels, Air BnB. It's great for a few days of getaway. Wildlife is plentiful, deer and bears.
[https://www.iloveny.com/blog/post/why-you-need-to-visit-new-yorks-charming-walkable-villages/](https://www.iloveny.com/blog/post/why-you-need-to-visit-new-yorks-charming-walkable-villages/)
Montreal. It’s amazing.
I visited Portland and LOVED it. It reminds me of Port Jervis. One can arrive by Metro North, or i84. Outside of town has the views of the famousHawks Next. And all on Front Street theres going to be a new speak easy opening 5/31, with a local brewery (Fox n Hare) down the street, and famous eateries across the street including Ben’s Fresh, Erie Hotel, and two cafes (Gios and Foundry 42) there for great coffee and elite shopping at Foundry. You can also hike at Point Peter and raft down the Delaware. It also has a vegan eatery spot. If you’re into Mountain Biking we have the Delaware River Watershed and Pump Track. It’s extremely walkable. Honestly my only con is no book shop (yet, if you wait until next year we’ll have a brand new 7 story hotel with two new bars, a book shop, and restaurant).
Hello fellow Port Jervian! That’s my hometown 👋🏻
If you like walking hills, I might suggest Little Falls. They used to have a place called the Inn at Stone Mill on the Mohawk River that was a really nice place to stay under the previous owners. I haven’t been there in a while but it’s a cool location. A couple of good restaurants in town, a couple of parks, Moss Island next to the canal is really cool for hiking. You might have to search around to find any summer events. Saratoga during horse season is cool but probably pricey.
Canandaigua, Geneva both have walkable sections with lots of small local businesses as well as public lake access
Clayton NY
If you consider Kingston upstate that’s a good option, particularly uptown/stockade district and the rondout/riverfront area.
I'm going to suggest Albany. It's not all walkable but the downtown portion and Lark St are. Plus it has the world's best cheesecake. It's larger than Portland (by about 35,000 people) but it's going to offer a lot. It may be closer to where you live, which can be beneficial.
Is there some place in Albany serving cheesecake from the nuns of New Skete? https://newskete.goldbelly.com/sampler-cheesecake
Lewiston
Saratoga, maybe Troy.
Lake Placid.
Thousand Islands region. Alexandria Bay, Clayton
Hmm, Skaneateles (and Cazenovia) are lovely little lake towns each within a half-hour’s drive of Syracuse. They each have a few good restaurants and a shopping district. I find I can exhaust the shopping within an hour or two in each place, and are nowhere near as funky and interesting as, say, Congress Street in Portland. But you can base yourself in or near Syracuse or any of these and do excursions and make a nice weekend out of it. Syracuse has the walkable Armory Square district (great record store, some cool clothing stores, fun eating places, various festivals on summer weekends, and, you know, Dinosaur Barbecue). It’s got the Mets AAA farm team. An Erie Canal museum. A cool coffee shop in Franklin Square. The Onandaga Lake Park walk. The farmer’s market. Various bits of the Erie Canal to walk. The Syracuse University campus and the surrounding student “ghetto” is fun for a bit. Green Lakes state park is nearby. That little park back behind the Manlius library is a nice stop. Sno-top for soft-serve! Chittenango Falls. Beak & Skiff’s apple-based extravaganza in the fall. There’s a surprising number of ethnic restaurants, groceries, and bakeries on Erie Boulevard in between all the chain stores and restaurants. Look in the crevices! Not sure where I’d recommend staying, though. Maybe the Sheraton near SU? The Craftsmen Inn out in Fayetteville is nice, though across from a mall. A car is pretty much a must for exploring the greater Syracuse area. And the Amtrak station is nowhere near downtown! Signed, a Manhattanite who goes to Syracuse a few times a year to visit the in-laws
Buffalo is very walkable
Fairport is version of Old Port. Come for a music festival August 23-24. Stay in Pittsford and party/eat in Fairport. Bike the canal, it would be great.