12 Close-Knit Towns to Visit in New York
Many people throng to the state of New York mainly because of New York City. However, there are a number of close-knit towns to visit in New York State that are as grand and beautiful as the Big Apple. Travelers will find all manner of remarkable and memorable attractions around New York’s Finger Lakes and beyond, whether they admire Cooperstown’s many museums, Cold Spring’s artistic prominence, or Bethel’s historic and hippy atmosphere.
More importantly, you can begin to understand why these New York towns are so sociable and close-knit. There is no need to feel haunted in haunting towns like Saratoga Springs and Sleepy Hollow, and you do feel a sense of community and camaraderie when seeing all that there is to experience in the close-knit towns to visit in New York.
Cold Spring
Cold Spring is an hour and a half away from New York City, a rejuvenating haven and getaway from most of the metropolitan mayhem commonplace in most big cities. Amidst the arboreal landscapes and small-town charm of Cold Spring, one can travel down the Hudson River and arrive at regions like Breakneck Ridge, where nature is still vivacious and verdant. Over 7,400 acres of New York’s undisputed and unknown outdoors can be enjoyed when journeying through the Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve. Meanwhile, those who need a reminder of New York City’s aesthetic and international culture can admire the abstract artworks at the Magazzino Italian Art Museum. West Point Foundry is open to amateur historians who want to see how ammunition was produced during the American Civil War. Finally, establishments like the Fat Hudson House River Inn and Pig Hill Inn will provide you with all sorts of necessities for you to feel safe and sound in Cold Spring.
Sleepy Hollow
Have you ever heard of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow? Of a man named Ichabod Crane and his fatal encounter with the Headless Horseman? Although the myth and characters might be fictitious, the fact is that the bewitching town of Sleepy Hollow can be found halfway between Cold Spring and New York City. In this rather lively town, you can find an 18-foot-tall sculpture of the Headless Horseman and Ichabod Crane in the town square. Oddly enough, the estates on the hills of Kykuit happen to be the former home of David Rockefeller and his family, and there is also the Rockefeller State Park Preserve and the David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center for which you can appreciate the livelihood of David Rockefeller. If you ever feel spooked by the legends and fables surrounding Sleepy Hollow, you can always keep yourself tucked, nice, and cozy at the Hotel Nyack, Sheraton Tarrytown Hotel, or Sleepy Hollow Hotel & Conference Center.
Bethel
Welcome to Bethel, the true location where the Woodstock Festival took place. Specifically, the festival was held in Max Yasgur’s 600-acre dairy farm—now called the Bethel Woods Center for Arts—where artists like the Grateful Dead, the Who, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, and Janis Joplin sang to end the Vietnam War. You can learn more about the 30 or so other musicians who participated in the Woodstock Festival at the Museum at Bethel Woods. More importantly, you can watch the new version of the Woodstock Festival, known as the Mountain Jam, at the end of May. So if you are feeling like a hippy, then seek peace and freedom and love while staying in lovely lodgings like the Resorts World Catskills, The Gedney House, or Kenoza Hall.
Ithaca
There are two places called Ithaca—the one you know is from Homer’s epic The Odyssey, as realistically located in Greece, and the one you might not know is a small town in America beside Cayuga Lake, one of the eleven Finger Lakes in the state of New York. Although some people might be more invested in visiting a semi-mythological destination, the small American town sharing the name of Odysseus’ island home is nevertheless a romantic and magical destination in New York. Whether you are walking on the ancient stone walkways of the Cascadilla Gorge Trail or traipsing through the Robert Treman State Park, you will feel like an adventurer on your fulfilling trip to Ithaca. There are a number of scenic waterfalls in Ithaca for you to admire, among them Taughannock Falls, Lick Brook Falls, Buttermilk Falls, and Triphammer Falls. Most importantly, there are a few lodgings where you can spend your evenings, like the Canopy by Hilton Downtown or The Hotel Ithaca.
Saratoga Springs
Saratoga Springs has a deeply haunting connection to the bygone past. Aside from the pivotal Battle of Saratoga Springs in the American Revolutionary War—for which one can learn all about at the Saratoga Springs History Museum—the town happens to be home to the Canfield Casino, one of the most haunted locations in the state of New York. Originally a meeting place for the elites of the late 1800s, the Canfield Casino was featured in the paranormal TV docuseries Ghost Hunters. One need not fear the ghosts of the past when you are sightseeing at the Adirondack Mountains’ mineral springs at the Saratoga Spa State Park and the Adirondacks mineral springs, wading along Saratoga Lake or admiring the outside sceneries of the Saratoga Sand Plains Wildlife Management Area. When it comes to accommodations, you will not feel any spooky presence in places like the Saratoga Casino Hotel, the Adelphi Hotel, or the Embassy Suites.
Woodstock
About 46 miles away from the true site of the Woodstock Festival, the small town of Woodstock is nevertheless a peaceful town in the Catskill Mountains with its own sanctity for peace. Between the Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Tibetan Buddhist Monastery, for which you can find some enlightenment and panoramic views from the Catskill Park Trails and the Overlook Mountain, travelers will feel a sense of inner quietude and relaxation from all the sublime attractions Woodstock has to offer. More of nature’s delights can be cherished at the Kaaterskill, Platte Cove Preserve, Indian Head Wilderness, Ashokan Reservoir, and Kaaterskill Wild Forest. Fine lodgings like the Hotel Dylan, The Inn on the Millstream, and Woodstock Way are perfect establishments to feel at ease in Woodstock.
Skaneateles
From the Iroquois word for “long lake” because of the shape of the Skaneateles Lake—which, due to its 863-foot-high elevation above sea level, has been called “the Roof Garden of the Finger Lakes”—the small town of Skaneateles promotes the many attractions around the second cleanest lake of the Finger Lakes. Journey into the Bahar Nature Preserve to marvel at some of the most diverse creatures in the state of New York. Feel the watery sprays of Carpenter Falls or see the antebellum and Revolutionary Era architecture lining Genesee Street. Tour the Skaneateles Historical Society & Research Center to understand Skaneateles’ involvement in the American Revolutionary War. Last but not least, sleep a dreamful sleep at either the Finger Lakes Lodging, Hobbit Hollow House, or Sherwood Inn.
Canandaigua
Once a Seneca community known as Ganandogan, from a Tuscarora word meaning “The Chosen Spot,” the luxuriating town of Canandaigua is the right spot to choose if you wish to see over 100 antique carriages at the Granger Homestead and Carriage Museum. Additionally, you might be interested in the bucolic landscapes of the Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion or the Richard P. Outhouse Memorial Park. History buffs will certainly be intrigued by the history of New York’s indigenous communities at the Ontario County Historical Society Museum.
The lush waters at Canandaigua Lake are open to all sorts of visitors, while the High Tor Wildlife Management Area at the south of the lake provides innumerable woodlands for trekkers to go trekking. Finally, hostels such as the Bella Ella Bed and Breakfast, the Canandaigua Cobblestone Cottage Bed and Breakfast, and The Lake House on Canandaigua will provide all manner of accommodations to make your vacation in Canandaigua a memorable one.
Watkins Glen
Watkins Glen, located on the longest lake of the Finger Lakes, Seneca Lake, and only about 24 miles away from Ithaca, entertains newcomers with an assortment of activities and attractions. From the sublime routes of the Southern Rim Trail, Indian Trail, and Gorge Trail to the 20 or more waterfalls found all over the surrounding area, Watkins Glen will have you wanting more. In arboreal paradises like the Watkins Glen State Park, Connecticut Hill Wildlife Management Area, and Sugar Hill State Forest, travelers will feel satisfied and renewed by all the untamed wilderness of New York.
If you are a fan of racecars, you will absolutely adore the Watkins Glen International race track, known locally as "The Glen,” where the NASCAR Cup Series, the Formula One United States Grand Prix, the IndyCar Series, and the IMSA SportsCar Championship races were held. Should you wish to see more of Watkins Glen’s grand amenities, you can always book a room at either the Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel, Lakeside Resort, or The Hotel Laurel at Seneca.
Auburn
“The loveliest village in the plain, where health and plenty cheered the laboring swain,” said the poet Oliver Goldsmith in “The Deserted Village” as a homage to the small town of Auburn. Lounging lovingly on the banks of Owasco Lake, Auburn was once the hometown of Harriet Tubman, a woman who helped liberate over 700 slaves during the American Civil War. One can learn all about how she became the first recorded American woman to organize an armed force for the Combahee Ferry Raid at the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park.
On the other hand, destinations like the Seward House Museum focus on William Seward, the Secretary of State, during President Abraham Lincoln’s term, whereas the Case Research Lab contains the research of Theodore Case, whose creation of sound film helped create 20th-century Fox. Should you wish to spend a much longer vacation in the loveliest village in the plain, you can always feel healthy and plentiful in cheerful lodgings like the Holiday Inn Auburn-Finger Lakes Region, Inn at the Finger Lakes, or the Hilton Garden Inn Auburn.
Lake Placid
The town of Lake Placid is similar to Innsbruck, Austria, and Saint Moritz, Switzerland, in that all three of them played host to the Winter Olympics more than once. It was in Lake Placid that the American ice hockey team won the gold medal against the Soviet Union in 1980, dubbing the event the “Miracle on Ice,” which the Lake Placid Olympic Museum memorializes. Over 2,000 miles of hiking trails and routes crisscross the 46 high peaks of the Adirondack Mountains, which you can positively traverse for your own training for either the Winter or even Summer Olympics.
Those eager for exploration can ascend Wallface Mountain to gaze down from New York’s biggest cliff hovers or perhaps experience snowboarding and skiing from Whiteface Mountain. You might also be interested in seeing the Lake Tear of the Clouds, the highest source and tarn of the Hudson River. If you ever get exhausted from all the traveling, you can always refresh and recharge in establishments like Warner’s Camp, Haus on Mirror Lake, or Mirror Lake Inn.
Cooperstown
Cooperstown, renowned for being America’s Hometown, is home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. It is said that Abner Doubleday created baseball in Cooperstown in 1839, although one can certainly learn more pertinent facts at the Fenimore Art Museum, which houses exhibits of Native American and folk artworks. Additionally, since Cooperstown is known as the Village of Museums, you can find even more museums, like the Farmers Museum, one of the nation’s oldest living museums. You can also enjoy leisurely strolls along Otsego Lake, the source of the Susquehanna River, and through the Glimmerglass State Park. You might also fancy taking the Sleeping Lion trail that leads towards the Hyde Hall Mansion Museum. No need to worry about accommodations, especially when you are staying at either the Empire House Hotel & Restaurant, Lake Front Hotel, or the Otesaga Resort Hotel.
From era-defining destinations like Woodstock and Saratoga Springs to towns reminiscent of classic literature like Ithaca and Sleepy Hollow, New York’s small towns have an air of adorability that promotes much of New York’s rural outdoors. Feel active and curious in places like Watkins Glen and Woodstock, which preserve much of New York’s lush, vibrant, and soothing woodlands and pastures. Savor the microscopic festivities and celebrations in engaging towns like Auburn, Skaneateles, and Canandaigua. Finally, allow the other adorable small towns near the Finger Lakes to take your exhaustion and worries away and give you a tour of a kind of New York you never knew existed. So this year, make merry memories in New York’s most adorable small towns.
