The Northern Catskill Communities! 
* Blenheim, Gilboa, Grand Gorge and Stamford are located 40 miles SW of Albany on the Schoharie Creek in the northern Catskills. Home of the Mine Kill State Park, a 650 acre park, complete with 3 swimming pools, athletic facilities, picnic grounds, 8 miles of hiking trails and the amazing 80' waterfall that cascades through a deep gorge! Fish for trout, bass, walleye, or carp in the reservoirs or go canoeing, kayaking or boating. Cross country skiing is a popular winter activity in the park. Abundant wildlife, cool and crystal clear streams and lakes are everywhere! Bald eagles are a common sight! * Grand Gorge at the crossroads of State Routes 23 and 30 boasts a vibrant service oriented community. A place where someone will still pump your gas, wash your windshield and point out their favorite place to eat. Under its friendly, unassuming character is a beehive of activity. These are communities where the townspeople converge at the local coffee shop in the morning and can be seen chatting with the local Mayor or the highway crew. Social hour continues at the local corner grocery store or ice cream parlor. Crime is practically unheard of and is usually nothing more than the high schools senior class prank! It's a Norman Rockwell community, not Norman Bates. Evening strolls are as common place as the Farmers Markets held every Saturday in nearly every community in the region; where fresh produce and handmade baked goods and crafts are displayed with pride. The Grand Gorge Community Action Group, partnering with the Town of Roxbury has initiated a huge community improvement project to recreate Main St to the look and feel of decades ago when it was a vital and active resort community! * From the "what-ya-call-its" to the widgi-digits" your local hardware store probably has it. Stuff you can't find in the nearby Lowe's or Home Depot. * Grand Gorge, Gilboa, Blenheim and Stamford were all part of the same land patent years ago. Located in the heart of the Catskills, blessed with the impressive mountains, lakes, rivers and farmland, the region was a popular tourist attraction for city visitors coming to the Catskills on weekend get-a-ways! Stamford, NY earned the name of "Queen of the Catskills" in the 1900's when grand and glorious spa's. hotels and recreational facilities for the rich and famous sprouted up in the area with the railroad delivering the ladies and gents to their "secret summer getaway". Stamford's Mt Utsayantha overlooks the village, filled with coffee shops, ice cream parlors, galleries, theatres, antique stores, boutiques, spa's, fine dining and outdoor adventures of all kinds From simple pleasures to big-city life. * Enjoy hiking, biking, cross country skiing on the Catskill Scenic Trail, offering some of the most stunning rolling mountain vistas anywhere! Or go skiing or snowboarding at nearby Bellayre Mountain with 47 trails, parks and glades; 8 lifts and a new high speed quad. With community events all year long! Don't forget the well known Bellayre Music Festival hosting musicians and artists of all genres! * In December, Windham Mountain Ski Resort will be holding their annual Christmas Tree Lighting Festival, complete with caroling and the best decorated tree contests. And the always popular night skiing and slalom races on Windham Mountain is a beautiful sight! * On New Years Eve, join the festivities at Ski Windham and rock the night with live music, cheers, and wassail while you watch the fireworks display on the snow covered mountain - absolutely beautiful! * This year Hunter Mountain Ski Resort celebrated their 50th Anniversary. Dinner, drinks, music and a luxury spa at the Mountain Club Spa Resort might be the ticket for you! Relax and enjoy! Or perhaps the TAP New York Craft Beer and Fine Food Festival in April is your thing? Craft breweries and pubs from across the state participate. Taste test over 100 fine ales and gourmet foods! Springtime brings the Hunter Mt. Jam Fest - 3 days of music. August brings the annual Celtic Festival and annual German Alps Festival . Sept. is the Wine Festival and Oct. brings the Oktoberfest Harvest Festival. Always something to do! * And speaking of craft fairs, the ultimate in crafts can be found at nearby Woodstock, NY, located just 25 miles south of Gilboa in the Catskills brings you to the legendary Artists haven. The most beautiful and unique crafts, art and gifts can be found in one of the many shops on Woodstock's Main St. Or enjoy a summer night at Levon Helms (The Band) private studio in a private and intimate setting, Helm hosts concerts during the summer for a handful of lucky ticket holders. Levon and any one of his special and legendary 60's musician guests put on a fabulous show! SO many of the 60's era icons have made footprints through this unique community. Some have stayed and some return for a visit. There's theatre, concerts, drum circles, artists guilds, galleries, fine dining, coffee shops, pubs, you name it, its here! * Nearby Roxbury is similar to Woodstock in that it is a mini artists haven. It is home to Plattekill Mountain and Ski Resort. Big mountain terrain, small mountain charm and family fun atmosphere! Dotted with grand homes, country estates, weekend get-a-ways and big red or white barns, the stunning vistas are numerous in this little bucolic corner of Delaware County! Don't miss the Red Barn, a tavern, restaurant and dance hall, complete with live bands, dinner theatre or book a family reunion! There's plenty of golfing, hiking, fishing, gallery hopping and culinary treats to keep you going all day! * This Saturday (12th) don't miss "Yule Be Sorry"; the hilarious duo of Mikhail Horowitz and Gilles Malkine as they return to RAG76 MAIN for an all-out comic assault on Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, pagan solstice rituals and other unavoidable celebrations of the seasons! Drive Rte. 30 south of Roxbury and turn left on Scudder Hill Rd. (Co. Rte. 8), drive up hill for a mile or so to the crest and STOP! Whatever the season, you will have your breath taken away at the splendid panorama of the Denver Vega Valley. The Batavia Kill winds its way down the valley gurgling in the summer and roiling noisily when the snow melts in spring. High up in the valley is the solemn and austere landmark, the First Old School Baptist Church, which hosts intimate performance events and Chamber Music concerts. * The Gilboa Historical Society is very active in the community. Check out the Gilboa Fossil Exhibit featuring the 360 million year old tree fossils that were discovered in a stone quarry. These fossilized remains from a fern-like tree called "Wattieza" were pronounced the "Oldest known trees on earth"! * Visit the Blenheim Bridge, one of the oldest and the world's largest single span covered bridge built in 1855, spanning the Schoharie Creek is a National Historic Landmark,. Nearby Hobart is known as "Booktown". It is the only US book town east of the Mississippi, drawing national and international visitors throughout the year with a quarter million books, prints and maps to browse through. * Hobart is also home to Covidien, an industry leader in pharmaceuticals. South Kortright Central School was recognized by US News and World Report as one of the best high schools in the US! * Kortright was a Scottish Settlers community, founded in 1793 along the Delaware River. and speaking of the Scots, don't miss East Durham! The "Irish Catskills"! You will smile as you enter the "green village". The Irish experience is strong, from the small shops and pubs to the annual Irish Celtic Festivals and the largest summer school in North America devoted to Irish Traditional Arts and Dance. Take classes, listen to daily lectures, learn Irish dance and enjoy nightly Irish outdoor concerts, fireside sing-alongs and more! Taught by distinguished faculty from both sides of the ocean. Year-round traditional Irish culture graces this community! * 25 miles to the west is the City and Town of Oneonta, with the National Soccer Hall of Fame, 2 fine colleges, Hartwick and Oneonta State College and all the culture, arts and entertainment that they offer. There are several small industries and the "shopping mecca" for upstate New York, complete with a super-sized Wal Mart, Lowe's, Home Depot, Southside Mall and more along NYS Rte. 23, the commercial district of Oneonta. Stroll Main St and visit the quaint shops, coffee shops, the Green Toad Bookstore, Artisians Guild, dine at the Autumn Cafe or the true Italian restaurant Stella Luna's., There's everything from fine dining to pizza parlors and night clubs! Just north of Oneonta is Cooperstown, NY - home to the world renowned National Baseball Hall of Fame, Glimmerglass Opera House, Fenimore Art Museum and the complete historic village - the "Farmers Museum". For some of the worlds finest food, dine at the famous Otesaga Hotel and Restaurant that overlooks Cooperstown's beautiful and crystal clear Otsego "Glimmerglass" Lake.Cooperstown, home to James Fenimore Cooper, author of the series of novels known as the "Leatherstocking Tales'; "The Deerslayer", "The Last of the Mohicans" , etc. Join us for a Candlelight evening at the Farmers Museum on Dec. 21st. There's caroling, horse drawn sleigh rides through the historic famers village and enjoy hot wassail and warm fresh donuts at the Farmer Museum Inn. * While in Cooperstown, swing over to historic Fly Creek NY and tour the 18th century water-powered cider mill and enjoy some of the best fresh cider and warm donuts ever! Stop in the gift store/bakery for cheese, maple syrup, mustards, jellies, jams and baked goods of all kinds as well as unique gifts and kitchen gadgets! * Gilboa is located a mere 40 miles from Albany, 25 miles to Oneonta, 25 miles to Woodstock and 25 miles to Cobleskill. Easy commutes in all directions.
* Speaking of Cobleskill, a large town, small city with a Cobleskill State College in the center, you must visit Howe Caverns, just outside of Cobleskill! GO UNDERGROUND! Travel 156' in an elevator BELOW the earths surface and enter a prehistoric underground cavern, six million years in them making. You don't have to be a speklunker to enjoy the geology of the magnificent limestone formations; the stalactitites, stalagmites, flowstone and the calcite crystal formations. Open year round! * No matter what your tastes are, you are certain to find enjoyment in the heart of the Catskills! These lovely bedroom communities offer a relaxing, simple lifestyle with loads of culture, arts, recreation, wildlife habitats, mountains, lakes, streams. From golfing to horseback riding, skiing, swimming, fishing, hiking or an evening stroll to ice cream parlors, coffee shops to fine dining, art galleries, museums large and small, historic villages, and commercial shopping districts. Minutes to the State Capital and all that Albany has to offer to the small City of Oneonta and the unique artists have at Woodstock, NY. * While you enjoy your private mountain retreat in these Rockwellian bedroom communities, full scale entertainment, shopping and recreation is but a short drive away! The Catskills has 4 seasons of Mother Nature's best! Just 3 hrs. from NYC.
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