the tourist places to add to your next New York trip

If you were in a hurry, you might well drive through Callicoon, New York, without stopping. At first glance there’s not much to this hamlet – just a couple of period wooden buildings scattered along a railway line.

If you do stop long enough to stretch your legs, however, you will find plenty to discover inside those pastel-painted buildings, from the Callicoon Brewing Company to Catskill Provisions, where the shelves are laden with artisanal products, including an intriguing range of honey-based spirits.

Callicoon, a local tells me, exemplifies why the Catskills have become a favourite getaway for New Yorkers. Just two hours from the city, this lush landscape of woods, rivers and farmland gives city-dwellers the opportunity to exhale without giving up creature comforts like good coffee and great shopping. A few days in the Catskills, it turns out, are the perfect antidote to the non-stop hustle of the Big Apple.

Take the town of Narrowsburg, for instance, 20 minutes south of Callicoon, where the picturesque Main Street is lined with antiques shops and boutiques stocking ethical fashion and art books. Chat with the owners and more often than not you’ll find they are refugees from the city who opted for a tree change and inadvertently helped revive an area that, not that long ago, was considered tired and out of fashion. “The Catskills are so different now!” is a phrase I hear over and over.

To get a sense for how it used to be, several people recommend I rewatch the movie Dirty Dancingset in the sort of old-school summer resort for which this area was once famous.

A few elements of the old Catskills remain, including a penchant for live performance. (The Eldred Preserve near Narrowsburg is known for its classy cabarets). But the area’s new accommodations have a very different style, offering distinctive takes on laidback luxe.

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One relatively new property that has captured New Yorkers’ imagination is the Urban Cowboy mountain lodge, where rooms come with custom print wallpaper and oversized clawfoot tubs-with-a-view overlooking the Big Indian wilderness. The vibe here is “big kids having fun” – don’t be surprised if you get drawn into a game of backgammon. (While you’re here, be sure to book a table at one of the area’s most acclaimed restaurants, Peekamoose, just a short drive away.)

If that’s not your style, you might prefer Hasbrouck House in Stone Ridge, which has become a local landmark. Centred around an 18th century stone-built colonial mansion and surrounded by 16 hectares of woods and orchards, it’s a cosy stay where you will find plenty to do, including outdoor movie screenings and nightly bonfires in summer.