Vacation in Upstate New York with Kids
Who should vacation in Upstate New York with kids? People who like small, quaint towns, lots of greenery, time outdoors, refreshing air, and swimming in fresh water.
Therefore, upstate New York checked all of our boxes!
First, we had relatively inexpensive direct flights to and from New York City. Then our friends were gracious enough to host us for two nights. The first afternoon, we got snacks at Whole Foods and walked to the Pier 25 Park in Tribeca. I try to always travel with a bed sheet that serves as a picnic blanket. Matt and I found a comfy spot and played cards while the boys made new friends on the playground. Finally, we enjoyed dinner (and dessert on a rooftop deck!) with our friends.
In the City
We had one day to fit it all in! Our day started (early) with a walk to the Staten Island Ferry. We stopped at the 9/11 Memorial on the way there. We rode the ferry for free so we could see the Statue of Liberty. In total, the trip was about one hour there and back. Then we trekked to the Brooklyn Bridge Park. We found a hidden outdoor library and read I Am Jazz. Then the boys played at the water’s edge while Matt and I played gin rummy.
Next we headed to the food trucks in Red Hook. The Central and South American food was so good! Papusas, mango on a stick, spiced corn—oh my! Once again, the picnic blanket and cards came in handy.
Next it was up to the Houdini Museum. It was difficult to find because it’s in a nondescript building. It’s a little magic shop with authentic Houdini paraphernalia all around. It was small but fun!
Then it was off to FAO Schwarz where the boys each had a $10 budget to spend. Tate bought a Transformer, and Henry spent it all on candy. 🙁
Finally, it was into Central Park for a picnic outside Billie Johnson Playground with a blog reader that I have “known” through the comments for years. She and her family were kind enough to pick up deliciousness from Trader Joe’s. It was so much fun to connect in person! I am so grateful to her and her family for their generosity.
Heading Upstate
The next morning we picked up our rental car and drove upstate. First, we randomly found and stopped at Milford Beach. So beautiful! Then it was into Narrowsburg. We grabbed food at the Tusten Cup, which was delicious. For the rest of the afternoon, we played in the forest around our rental house.
Things to Do in Narrowsburg, NY
- Lake Superior Park: The beach on the lake was closed, but we had fun at the little playground!
- Tusten Mountain Trail for Hiking: If you follow this trail, pay close attention. We got totally lost!
- Rafting on the Delaware River: We went through Lander’s River Trips.
- Eating at Launderette
- Carousal Water and Fun Park for go-karting and putt-putt. They also have waterslides, but they weren’t open for the season yet.
- Fort Delaware Museum: A replica of a colonial fort. Random but so much fun!
Vacation in Upstate New York with Kids: Barryville, NY
Next we headed to a little town called Barryville. Our second AirBnb wasn’t as nice as the first. However, the location was unbeatable. It backed up to the Delaware River. We could walk from our house into the little town along a quiet, residential street that flanked the river. I have such fond memories of spotting baby skunks with the boys.
One of my favorite memories (probably of all time!) was walking up the road to the Barryville Farmers’ Market. It was small but mighty! Fresh-squeezed juice, the tastiest croissant I have ever eaten (seriously better than Paris—in my opinion), live music, picnic blanket on the grass, a game of gin rummy on Adirondack chairs. Pure heaven!
Barryville was only about 15 minutes away from Narrowsburg. Therefore, we traveled back to Narrowsburg to check off some of the places above that were only open on weekends.
Although I planned most of our excursions in advance, I love that Matt randomly saw a flyer for an annual tractor parade in Callicoon, NY. Such a hoot!
Final Stop on our Vacation in Upstate New York with Kids: Red Hook
We drove two hours to the Hudson Valley and settled into our final AirBnb. We visited an old, dear friend in Newburgh on the way. Reconnecting with old friends is one of my favorite things to do on vacation.
Red Hook was an area where I found the least number of things to do before our trip. However, once we were there, I realized we couldn’t possibly fit it all in!
Things to Do Near Red Hook, NY
- Hawthorne Valley Farm Store: This grocery store is associated with a Waldorf school. There are outdoor tables for picnicking, and you can find a little farm and playground around the back!
- Taconic State Park (Bash Bish Falls): This hike is relatively easy and ends in a beautiful waterfall area with fun bouldering!
- Four Brothers Drive-In: Drive in with food, playground, and outdoor games!
- Mid Hudson Children’s Museum: A small but fun place, especially if it’s raining and you need an indoor activity.
- Walkway Over the Hudson: When the rain stops, this is a fun bridge to walk across!
- Random Harvest Market: Love this place. Get bread, the fig goat cheese, jam, and chocolate. Enjoy onsite and invite the staff to join you!
- Storm King Art Center: An outdoor sculpture garden that is fun and beautiful to walk around!
Our Schedule
You all know I’m a schedule person. Therefore, each night before bed, I would write up a rough outline for the following day. It usually went something like:
- 7am-9am = Wake up, breakfast, play at home
- 9am-12pm = Adventure
- 12pm-1:30pm = Make lunch, eat, do some home work
- 1:30pm-3:30pm = Screen time for the boys (a break for Matt and me!)
- 3:30pm-4:30pm = Play at home
- 4:30pm-6pm = Start getting ready to go out for dinner, drive to restaurant, eat
- 6:30pm = Bedtime for Tate
- 7pm = Bedtime for Henry
I would make adjustments to the basic schedule if our adventure didn’t fit in the 9am-12pm slot. But generally, this type of schedule gives us the right amount of adventure and rest. It’s exhausting being a parent!
Our Vacation Formula
This vacation confirmed that we really do have our own vacation formula. We love staying in comfortable AirBnBs that feel like home. We stayed for 3-4 nights in each place, which was enough time to unpack and settle in. Access to water is a plus. We prefer quiet to noise. Matt needs space to run. I need warm weather (this vacation was a little cold for me!). We like to be out in nature. We need at least a queen sized bed (preferably a king!). Two bedrooms is a must. Also, we ideally like to reconnect with old friends while traveling. Finally, we like going places where we can go on mini-adventures every day.
Looking for More about Our Vacation in Upstate New York with Kids?
If you want more details, you can read my daily vacation play-by-plays on my Instagram account. Our trip starts with the picture of the rock wall and goes through the picture of Tate at the beach. There are fourteen pictures total—one for each day of the trip!
In conclusion, we had a great time on our vacation in upstate New York with kids. It was not lost on me how it’s potentially easier for me (as a white, cis-gender, able-bodied person) to travel through rural New York. We found ourselves in some very conservative pockets.
This trip reiterated how spending time together on vacation is so meaningful to us. It’s definitely different for every family. For us, I am my best version of myself when I am farther away from the day-to-day stress of work and can experience something new every single day. It gives me such a zest for life!
Several times during the trip, Henry would ask, “What has been your favorite part, Mom?” When I would pause to consider my response, he would say, “My favorite part has been spending time with you.” It seriously melts my heart just thinking about it. Our trip wasn’t perfect. I go into more detail about some day-to-day frustrations in my Instagram posts. But that’s the thing about life with children. When you zoom out a little bit, it’s much happier and fun!
Now it’s time to start planning Fall Break! We are thinking of renting an RV and going on a trip to Big Bend. Honestly, that trip will violate most of the components of our preferred vacation! We’ll see what happens.
5 Comments
Alycia
Thanks for sharing your vacation. It looks beautiful! I live at the other end of the Delaware and it’s fun, but not as pretty! I love the mix of city and country on one trip.
I wanted to ask about two things. One is about Henry spending his FAO Schwartz money on candy and your sad emoticon. Does it really bother you and if so, would you ever tell the boys they can have money but put limitations, like “no candy at a toy store”? Or is it just one of things when a son takes after his dad, who seems to also love candy and you are all “AHHHHHH TOO MUCH CANDY!!”?
Second question is the boys’ bedtimes. Do they fight going to bed before the sun sets or that’s just how it always has been? Do they really sleep for 12+ hours a night or is some of the time just spent being quiet/reading/etc? I would love to hear more about that!
Sara Cotner
Thanks, Alycia! It was interesting to spend time in both the city and the country. So incredibly different!
In response to your candy question: It’s more the latter than the former. I feel like I control my children too much. I think this comes from the lack of control that I felt as a child, my perfectionism, and my career as a classroom teacher. One of my children seems fine with it, but the other one really rebels against it. So I’m working on saying yes as often as I can. That’s why I try not to put rules around how he can spend money that I give him.
Also, I’ve been reflecting a lot on my own childhood. I got to watch as much TV as I wanted. I was allowed to eat sugary, chocolate cereal every single day. And I like the way I turned out with regard to how little TV I watch and how I generally eat pretty healthy. So it makes me question, “Why am I being so restrictive with my children?” But that’s just how I think about it. I’m constantly second-guessing myself.
Re: Bed Times: They always have to go to bed before it’s dark out in the summer. It gets dark so late! And our children have never really been the type to sleep in if they go to bed later. They just wake up at the same time and then act crabby all day. I would say we aim for 6:30pm with Tate but then are usually running a little behind with books and wrestling and what not. He generally falls asleep easily and quickly–definitely by 7. He wakes up around 6:15am or 6:30am but generally knows to stay in his bed until his alarm goes off at 6:45am. He’s usually inclined to wake up much earlier on vacations, so we bribe him with a juice in the morning if he sleeps until the right time. We always bring the alarm and noice machines on our trips.
We try to put Henry in bed by 7:30pm at home, but we do it a littler earlier on vacation because they are so exhausted. Henry takes much longer to fall asleep, but he generally stays in his room while he’s trying to fall asleep. I would say he typically falls asleep by 8pm or 8:30pm and then sleeps until about 7am or 7:15am at home. On vacation he’s out of bed by 6:45am when he hears Tate.
I hope that makes sense! Let me know if you have more questions!
Alycia
Thanks for your thoughtful responses! I hear you about reflecting on your own childhood and how much TV we all watched and all the junk we ate. It is a relief to see we turned out fine, but I understand not doing the same thing for our children. I am amazed when I talk to people who didn’t spend as much time watching TV or movies as kids as my brother and I did,but relieved that we all grew up to be decent adults.
With the early bedtimes, do you feel a little trapped at home once the boys are in bed, or do you and Matt use this time to do your own things or sometimes get a babysitter? That would be my (selfish!) worry, that once the kids are in bed, the adults can’t go out!
Sara Cotner
Hi, Alycia! Matt and I are both homebodies, so we don’t really mind the early bedtimes. Selfishly, it means more free time for us to watch Netflix, play cards, blog (me), edit photos (Matt), read. If we’re on vacation, I also add “eat ice-cream” to that list.
When we do get babysitters, it’s usually from 3pm-6:30pm which is the time of night that we like to escape the most (dinner, bath, bedtime routine). I know we’re strange!
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