Above photo: Eve's Cidery 2020 has sure been a wild ride. The holiday season is looking a little different this year, as we all know. But long after Small Business Saturday has passed, as we close out the new year and embark upon a new 2021 chapter, we encourage you to continue supporting the small local businesses, farmers, producers, and craft beverage makers who have kept you fed, happy, and well all year long. They need your support! Perfect for last minute gift ideas, holiday meal planning, new year indulging and simply treating yourself, check out some special ways you can support the folks surrounding NYC as we say goodbye to 2020. Catskill Brewery: Support this Sullivan Catskills gem when you snag the seasonal Spiced Winter Ale from Catskill Brewery! This beer is a winter warmer brewed with English malts, co-fermented with a Kviek yeast and house Freak Tractor yeast, and spiced with allspice, clove, star anise, vanilla, and orange peel. Stop by the Brewery before it is gone! Finger Lakes Cider: Pour yourself a glass of the Finger Lakes in person or at home! With 10 craft cideries within a 30 miles radio (the highest density of craft ciderines in NY state), visit Ithaca for the cider goods! All 10 cideries have their products online - check them out here. Diamond Mills Hotel & Tavern: Ring in 2021 with a 3-night weekend stay in quaint Saugerties at Diamond Mills Hotel & Tavern. Indulge in a festive all-inclusive package including 3 nights in a King Deluxe rooms, dinner for two on New Years Eve with champagne toast, Brunch on New Years Day & a special 3 Course dinner on New Years Day all for just $975! Dogwood Farms: This farm (new location in Liberty Corner) in Central New Jersey, has
Above photo: Eve’s Cidery 2020 has sure been a wild ride. The holiday season is looking a little different this year, as we all know. But long after Small Business Saturday has passed, as we close out the new year and embark upon a new 2021 chapter, we encourage you to continue supporting the small local businesses, farmers, producers, and craft beverage makers who have kept you fed, happy, and well all year long. They
When the weather heats up, nothing cools us down quite like a crisp, chilled, local beer. With a surplus of brewery options these days in and around New York, it's impossible to pick just one hoppin' spot to visit. Check out a list of some of our favorite breweries - new and old - below and plan your weekend getaway to hit one, two or ALL of these delicious spots this summer! The Hudson Valley is brimming with beer. For decades, craft beverage makers have taken a locally-focused, earth-to-bottle approach in creating award-winning liquid gold. They take advantage of the regional climate, perfect for growing hops. Check out Westchester County gems Broken Bow Brewery, Peekskill Brewery and Yonkers Brewing Co. Take a tour, chat with brewmasters and quench that summer thirst! A few of our faves in Dutchess County are 2 Way Brewing Co., Hudson Valley Brewery, and Hyde Park Brewing Co. Want to enjoy a little history alongside your brew? Book our Dutchess Pints & Political Figures Tour on July 21 or 22 for a trip to some historic homes of famous political figures, all washed down with local brews from Hyde Park Brewing Co. Get up to the Hudson Valley via Metro-North Railroad and stay for the weekend -- lodging options here and here. Drive up to the gorgeous Catskills region in Sullivan County for a brew-filled weekend. Head over to Roscoe, NY - aka Trout Town, USA - for a little fly fishing along with your cold ones. Check out the new 1,600 sq foot store front, self-serve tap wall, tasting bar and lounge at Roscoe Beer Co. Make your own beer trail (with a designated driver, of course) and stop by Catskill Brewery and Callicoon Brewing Co. Make a weekend getaway out of it with one of these gorgeous luxury
When the weather heats up, nothing cools us down quite like a crisp, chilled, local beer. With a surplus of brewery options these days in and around New York, it’s impossible to pick just one hoppin’ spot to visit. Check out a list of some of our favorite breweries – new and old – below and plan your weekend getaway to hit one, two or ALL of these delicious spots this summer! The Hudson Valley
If there's one thing we can all agree on, it's that by the time we've endured the long and frigid month of January, we NEED A VACATION! Even if we're still shivering into February across the Northeast, there are so many warm and cozy getaways just a short train ride or road trip away. If you're anything like us, you might agree that Valentine's Day in and around NYC is (ahem) overrated. The crowds, the costs, the Mission Impossible-level reservation making...it certainly doesn't always lay the groundwork for happy-go-lucky-love, am I right? Flip the holiday on its head, and rather than fight the crowds to make mid-week, balloon-covered plans this Valentine's Day, set up an escape later this month or even later this season! A weekend getaway beats an overpriced, overcrowded meal any time of year! We've got big ideas for a snuggly and romantic trip, whether it's with your boo, your fam or your bff! Nothing says cozy, romantic weekend getaway like winery-hopping! Spend a weekend in Ithaca where you can visit the oldest and longest running wine trail in America, the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail. You can hop around to over 25 wineries, with tours departing from various locations throughout Ithaca. Make your road trip upstate via ReachNow and meander around the breathtaking Finger Lakes region! Who says you need lots of activities for a weekend getaway? Simply curling up by the fire in a charming B&B, tucked away in a small town is sometimes better than making any plans at all. Plan a romantic escape to Central New York, which is chock full of villages, quaint inns, elegant local restaurants and more. If you haven't already, download the ReachNow app, book your BMW or MINI, and drive up to The Colgate Inn, an overnight favorite in Madison County. Book a romantic
If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that by the time we’ve endured the long and frigid month of January, we NEED A VACATION! Even if we’re still shivering into February across the Northeast, there are so many warm and cozy getaways just a short train ride or road trip away. If you’re anything like us, you might agree that Valentine’s Day in and around NYC is (ahem) overrated. The crowds, the
EscapeMaker is hosting a series of local food and craft beverage tasting showcases inside Fulton Stall Market as a fundraiser to benefit the shop and invite the South Street Seaport community to discover the market open daily (11am-6:00pm), and its CSA. To celebrate their Plate & Escape blog series, which launched in the fall of 2017, the EscapeMaker team is bringing together local farmers and producers, along with their artisanal sips and bites, to inspire guests to visit these hard-working and impressive artisans in action at their farms and destinations upstate and around the Northeast region. The 3 events in the series are: Thursday, February 8th (6:00pm - 9:00pm): Local Food & Wine Tasting Evening Showcase - $49 Thursday, February 27th (6:00pm - 9:00pm): Local Food & Craft Beer Tasting Evening Showcase -$39 Thursday, March 15th (6:00pm - 9:00pm): Local Food, Cider & Spirits Tasting Evening Showcase - $39 Cozy up to the bar and enjoy a wintry night filled with new tastes and live music! Each event will feature 6-8 food and beverage tastes from local producers, information on local vacations, like where to go apple picking and how to visit a farm! Attendees will have the opportunity to shop the market, network and start planning their spring escapes. Live folk and jazz music by Amos Rose. 70% of the ticket price includes a donation to Fulton Market Association, a non-profit 501c3 supporting local farms and producers. Admission includes drink and food samples from each of the stations, free local travel info and a goodie bag of locally produced artisanal samples. Local agritourism destinations within a few hours of NYC represented include Dutchess County in the Hudson Valley, Sullivan County and Delaware County in the Catskills, Ithaca/Thompkins County in the Finger Lakes, and more! Showcase vendors include Prohibition Distillery, Union Grove Distillery, Black Duck Cidery, Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider, Riss' Knishes, Mama Lam and more! Tickets are non-refundable but transferable. Your donation is tax
EscapeMaker is hosting a series of local food and craft beverage tasting showcases inside Fulton Stall Market as a fundraiser to benefit the shop and invite the South Street Seaport community to discover the market open daily (11am-6:00pm), and its CSA. To celebrate their Plate & Escape blog series, which launched in the fall of 2017, the EscapeMaker team is bringing together local farmers and producers, along with their artisanal sips and bites, to inspire guests to visit
EscapeMaker is hosting a series of local food and craft beverage tasting showcases inside Fulton Stall Market as a fundraiser to benefit the shop and invite the South Street Seaport community to discover the market open daily (11am-6:00pm), and its CSA. To celebrate their Plate & Escape blog series, which launched in the fall of 2017, the EscapeMaker team is bringing together local farmers and producers, along with their artisanal sips and bites, to inspire guests to visit these hard-working and impressive artisans in action at their farms and destinations upstate and around the Northeast region. The 3 EVENTS in the series include: Thursday, February 8th (6:00pm - 9:00pm): Local Food & Wine Tasting Evening Showcase - $49 Thursday, February 27th (6:00pm - 9:00pm): Local Food & Craft Beer Tasting Evening Showcase -$39 Thursday, March 15th (6:00pm - 9:00pm): Local Food, Cider & Spirits Tasting Evening Showcase - $39 Cozy up to the bar and enjoy a wintry night filled with new tastes and live music! Each event will feature 6-8 food and beverage tastes from local producers, information on local vacations, like where to go apple picking and how to visit a farm! Attendees will have the opportunity to shop the market, network and start planning their spring escapes. Live folk and jazz music by Amos Rose. 70% of the ticket price includes a donation to Fulton Market Association, a non-profit 501c3 supporting local farms and producers. Admission includes drink and food samples from each of the stations, free local travel info and a goodie bag of locally produced artisanal samples. Local agritourism destinations within a few hours of NYC represented include Dutchess County in the Hudson Valley, Sullivan County and Delaware County in the Catskills, Ithaca/Thompkins County in the Finger Lakes, and more! Showcase vendors include Champagne Tea, Granola Lab, Cascade Mountain Winery & Restaurant, Millbrook Vineyards & Winery, Mysto Mead, Brittle & Beyond and more! Tickets are non-refundable but transferable. Your donation
EscapeMaker is hosting a series of local food and craft beverage tasting showcases inside Fulton Stall Market as a fundraiser to benefit the shop and invite the South Street Seaport community to discover the market open daily (11am-6:00pm), and its CSA. To celebrate their Plate & Escape blog series, which launched in the fall of 2017, the EscapeMaker team is bringing together local farmers and producers, along with their artisanal sips and bites, to inspire guests to visit
EscapeMaker is hosting a series of local food and craft beverage tasting showcases inside Fulton Stall Market as a fundraiser to benefit the shop and invite the South Street Seaport community to discover the market open daily (11am-6:00pm), and its CSA. To celebrate their Plate & Escape blog series, which launched in the fall of 2017, the EscapeMaker team is bringing together local farmers and producers, along with their artisanal sips and bites, to inspire guests to visit these hard-working and impressive artisans in action at their farms and destinations upstate and around the Northeast region. Thursday, February 8th (6:00pm - 9:00pm): Local Food & Wine Tasting Evening Showcase - $49 Thursday, February 27th (6:00pm - 9:00pm): Local Food & Craft Beer Tasting Evening Showcase -$39 Thursday, March 15th (6:00pm - 9:00pm): Local Food, Cider & Spirits Tasting Evening Showcase - $39 Cozy up to the bar and enjoy a wintry night filled with new tastes and live music! Each event will feature 6-8 food and beverage tastes from local producers, information on local vacations, like where to go apple picking and how to visit a farm! Attendees will have the opportunity to shop the market, network and start planning their spring escapes. Live folk and jazz music by Amos Rose. 70% of the ticket price includes a donation to Fulton Market Association, a non-profit 501c3 supporting local farms and producers. Admission includes drink and food samples from each of the stations, free local travel info and a goodie bag of locally produced artisanal samples. Local agritourism destinations within a few hours of NYC represented include Dutchess County in the Hudson Valley, Sullivan County and Delaware County in the Catskills, Ithaca/Thompkins County in the Finger Lakes, and more. Showcase vendors will feature local breweries from across the region! Tickets are non-refundable but transferable. Your donation is tax deductible and we will provide you with a receipt. Buy the
EscapeMaker is hosting a series of local food and craft beverage tasting showcases inside Fulton Stall Market as a fundraiser to benefit the shop and invite the South Street Seaport community to discover the market open daily (11am-6:00pm), and its CSA. To celebrate their Plate & Escape blog series, which launched in the fall of 2017, the EscapeMaker team is bringing together local farmers and producers, along with their artisanal sips and bites, to inspire guests to visit
This time of year, I run into two cooking woes. 1) What to make when I'm too tired and lazy to chop and prep and use every one of my pots and pants, and 2) what's a quick and easy bite to make/bring to one of the many holiday parties popping up on my calendar? This quick, easy, farm-fresh dish is the perfect solution to both! It takes 10 minutes, makes very little mess, and is an absolute crowd-pleaser! Enter: The Pawlet & Honey Crostini. During my Saturday shopping excursion at McCarren Park in Brooklyn for my Honey Roasted Carrots, I picked up a few additional items for my crostini. From Vermont's Consider Bardwell Farm, I perused a variety of delicious cow and goat cheeses. I was specifically searching for something that was soft and easy to melt, so I was directed to the "Meltlet" cheese, which is a version of their Pawlet. It was nutty and mild and perfect for a sweet and savory recipe. I bought 1/4lb ($5). I picked up a fresh baguette ($3) from New Jersey's Baker's Bounty. The outside felt nice and crusty, but the inside was soft and pillowy. The perfect type of bread for a crostini! The honey, which I picked up for my Honey Roasted Carrots last week, came from Nature's Way ($6.25/honeybear). There's something about fresh cheese that brings on an unstoppable craving for wine, am I right? Luckily, Borghese Vineyard was set up just across from the cheese stand, so I made my way over to pick my poison :). They had so many delicious bottles straight from their Long Island vineyard, but I settled on an easy-drinking red wine, the Petit Chateau ($17). Time to head home and assemble my delicious and festive treats! Here's how
This time of year, I run into two cooking woes. 1) What to make when I’m too tired and lazy to chop and prep and use every one of my pots and pants, and 2) what’s a quick and easy bite to make/bring to one of the many holiday parties popping up on my calendar? This quick, easy, farm-fresh dish is the perfect solution to both! It takes 10 minutes, makes very little mess, and
There's no better time than summer to get out there and plan an outdoor adventure! Did you know that exciting treasure hunts await just outside your door? One amazing way to get out there and explore your surrounding areas -- the Hudson Valley, Catskill Mountains, Finger Lakes and more -- is geocaching. Haven't tried geocaching before? Geocaching.com, guide to all things geocache, defines the game as a "real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location." It's simple! Sign up at Geocaching.com -- even simpler, download the Geocaching App -- and you can follow virtual treasure maps wherever you are to uncover clues and items planted in plain sight all around you. You can even make a day trip or weekend getaway out of it! Need inspiration? We've got you covered... Take Metro-North Railroad up to Westchester County and explore the number of hidden geocaches in the area. Maybe even leave your own! Rent a car near the Croton Harmon train station and explore the area, which is rich with agriculture, sweeping landscapes and farms to visit. While enjoying your treasure hunt, stop by and visit Hilltop Hanover Farm & Environmental Center -- bucolic, 187-acre farm with pastures, crop gardens, historic buildings and forests dating to the 1600s. Pick vegetables, have a picnic, and hike the woodland trails! After that, head a couple miles down the road to out Meadows Farm and load up on sweet corn, fresh vegetables and herbs at their farm stand to take home with you. Finish up your adventure at Faraway Farm Alpacas -- located on a beautiful hilltop farm. You can schedule a visit to meet the alpacas and friendly Icelandic horses. Learn about
There’s no better time than summer to get out there and plan an outdoor adventure! Did you know that exciting treasure hunts await just outside your door? One amazing way to get out there and explore your surrounding areas — the Hudson Valley, Catskill Mountains, Finger Lakes and more — is geocaching. Haven’t tried geocaching before? Geocaching.com, guide to all things geocache, defines the game as a “real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices.
Women's History Month may be coming to a close, but the celebration of women cannot and should not be limited to one month out of the year. This evergreen celebration is as important now as it has ever been, and for those of you looking for special ways to remember and honor strong females past and present, we've got a few ideas for you...day trips, weekend getaways and the perfect spring escapes! Plan a getaway to the Finger Lakes to visit the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, NY. The Hall of Fame is the nation's oldest membership organization dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the achievements of great American women, including inspirations like Maya Angelou, Julia Child, Hilary Rodham Clinton, Betty Ford, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Helen Keller, Coretta Scott King, Annie Oakley, Rosa Parks, Janet Reno, Eleanor Roosevelt, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Harriet Tubman, Edith Wharton, Oprah Winfrey and so many more. Make a whole weekend out of it by booking EscapeMaker's Craft Beverage Package in the Finger Lakes! Discover New York State's Women's Heritage Trail, filled with historic sites and museums that celebrate the achievements and history of women in NY. Visit the Hudson Valley's Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site in Dutchess County; the Matilda Joslyn Gage Home just outside of Syracuse, celebrating Gage who was a noted speaker and writer on woman’s suffrage, and an abolitionist; the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Museum in Chautauqua County; or visit the national historic landmark, the Susan B. Anthony House, in Rochester. Or, celebrate women in agriculture by visiting some of the female-led farms and producers across the state and in New York's citywide Greenmarkets. Meet two of the Hudson Valley's finest: Elizabeth Ryan of Breezy Hill Orchard in Dutchess County and Beth Linskey of Beth's Farm Kitchen in Columbia County;
Women’s History Month may be coming to a close, but the celebration of women cannot and should not be limited to one month out of the year. This evergreen celebration is as important now as it has ever been, and for those of you looking for special ways to remember and honor strong females past and present, we’ve got a few ideas for you…day trips, weekend getaways and the perfect spring escapes! Plan a getaway
EscapeMaker.com will partner with Dutchess Tourism Inc. to run popular Farm Fresh Tours program with Metro-North Railroad through 2017. EscapeMaker.com, NYC’s guide to local getaways since 2000, announced today that it has secured a contract with Dutchess Tourism, Inc. to administer the development and operation of their successful Dutchess County Farm Fresh Tours program through 2017. For 10 years, Dutchess Tourism, Inc. has operated the Farm Fresh Tours program, which offers guided day trips to local farms and producers in and around Dutchess County by providing bus shuttle service to train passengers arriving at Metro-North stations in Poughkeepsie and Beacon, among others. The objective has long been to encourage car-less travelers to hop on a train from New York City and spend a day exploring local agriculture, a driving economic force and way of life in the Hudson Valley. Many Dutchess farms are family-owned and welcome visitors to “pick-your-own” produce, make purchases from their farm stands, or join them during family-oriented festivals. Apple picking, wine making, visiting breweries or learning about cheese making are all examples of agritourism, which supports local farmers and producers. “One of our major focuses for the past several years has been to seamlessly connect the dots between customers eager to learn about where their food comes from and the local farmers who work tirelessly to produce goods to the region,” says Caylin Sanders, founder and CEO of EscapeMaker.com. “Having worked with the amazing team at Dutchess Tourism for 12 years and with our expertise for bringing New Yorkers out of the city to experience the endless offerings of the Hudson Valley, jumping at the opportunity to take over the program was an obvious and organic choice for us. Our missions are aligned.” EscapeMaker.com will continue to offer many of the existing farm and destination itineraries,
EscapeMaker.com will partner with Dutchess Tourism Inc. to run popular Farm Fresh Tours program with Metro-North Railroad through 2017. EscapeMaker.com, NYC’s guide to local getaways since 2000, announced today that it has secured a contract with Dutchess Tourism, Inc. to administer the development and operation of their successful Dutchess County Farm Fresh Tours program through 2017. For 10 years, Dutchess Tourism, Inc. has operated the Farm Fresh Tours program, which offers guided day trips to
