Along the Rondout Creek
an easy day trip near Kingston, NY
Tiyul טִיּוּל | a walk, journey, or as I like to define it—a day trip.
Welcome to Tiyul!
This section of On Holiday is dedicated to the day trips I love to take, especially on the weekends. In these issues I will share the stops I made and the journey I took.
This past autumn, Dan and I went for a hike at Mohonk Mountain. It was my first time there and I was excited to check out the grounds. We paid for a day pass and hiked a long trail to the top, making our way to the peak. We were rewarded at many a switch back with insane sweeping views of the colorful foliage and rolling hills, and at the very top was a grand lake with the Mohonk guest house perched on its shore. After our hike, we drove home and passed through a handful of towns that looked completely delightful. It was getting late, so we figured that most anything worth stopping for would be closed. I made a mental note to save these towns to visit on a future day trip.
In May, we finally made a plan to do a Saturday tiyul in this area. We live just west of the Catskills, so we made our way east with stops in Wurtsboro, Accord, High Falls, and Rosendale. This circuit made for such a fantastic little day. Filled with cute boutiques, vintage shops, restaurants, and a really good Middle Eastern deli, we were filled the brim with joy. The latter part of the trip takes you on a beautiful route that follows a babbling creek called the Rondout and upon doing some light research on this creek, I learned that it has one of the best swimming holes in the area, boasting crystal clear waters perfect for a hot summer day. (I should note that apparently it’s so popular that you may need to purchase a day pass!)
This day trip would also be great for someone who wants a little adventure leaving from Kingston, NY—just reverse the order of these stops so you’re going east to west.
Wurtsboro
When we first moved to PA from DC last summer, I stumbled upon Crystal Connection in a deep dive search for beads. I drove myself to this wacky shop, housed in an old church with much of the old glass and archetecture in place. We didn’t stop in this trip, but if you’re into crystals and metaphysical things, this place is worth a visit. They even have a Himalayan salt cave.
We made a stop into the newly opened Bashakill Bazaar which features several vendors spanning two floors of vintage, reclaimed and new goods. I really loved the selection and found many things I wanted to bring home, like these hand-painted loafers(!)
We wanted to get to our other stops so we made this visit short and sweet. There are lots more cute spots to discover in this town so I will be back to explore more.
Accord
Again, a quick stop, but so much cool is popping up here. This town is definitely high on my list of places to frequent. We swung into Inness and checked out the gift shop. I am dying to visit their spa and restaurant and will find a way to get there in the coming months.
Other places that I’ve noted on my maps to visit here are: Cherries for ice cream and their general store, Accord Market for groceries, Saunderskill Farms, Harana Market for Filipino food, Arrowood Farms for beer and snacks, and Westwind Orchard for Italian food and cider(!)
High Falls
Then it was off to High Falls where we met the creek and drove into a very vibey, wooded area. I was so excited to check out Fool for Love and was not disappointed. This store has a mix of vintage clothes and oddities, fun holographic post cards, tempting office supplies and cute accessories. I left with some of the post cards and a beautiful vintage scarf.
Around the corner from Fool for Love is Blue Heron Books where, of course, Dan and I spent an inordinate of time browsing. We love bookstores. (Support your local bookstores!) I picked up The Madonna Secret, which I learned was actually written by someone local to the area.
We didn’t get to eat here, but practically everyone we spoke with in High Falls recommended Ollie’s Pizza to us. The owners are also quite active in the local community and its happenings, and they also have a location in Kingston. I have it bookmarked!
Rosendale
Next up: Rosendale, a neighboring town to High Falls and just down the creek. I really fell in love with this town and its main street. And a fun note—The Six Bells is opening their new inn concept here next year!
Clubhouse Vintage is awesome and worth a stop. A ton of vintage denim and lots of fun graphic tees fill this store with fun opportunities!
Postmark Books was an obvious stop because again, we can’t help ourselves from buying books every time we see one we are curious about.
The Big Cheese might have been my favorite stop of the entire day—a deli in the front and consignment shop in the back (run by Canaltown Thriftique), this space has it all. I bought some Mediterranean staples including my favorite Morroccan black olives and baklava, and was tempted by an Eileen Fisher dress that I found in the back.
When we’d driven through in the fall, a warm glow and a Japanese sign above it caught my eye. Upon researching, I learned that it was a restaurant called Soy featuring traditional Japanese cooking. We still didn’t get to dine there, but it’s high on my list to try. Garden House is on my list as well for a summertime nosh. Santa Fe Burger Bar and The Alternative Baker also caught my eye.
On our way back to Honesdale, we stopped at Rough Cut Brewing Co. for dinner. We loved their cider and beer and the burgers were quite delicious :).
Another option for dinner in the area that we’ve yet to try (but is super gold starred on my maps) is Mountain Brauhaus. Open since 1955 and serving traditional German food, we can’t wait to visit in the fall for a cozy aprés ski feel.
Where are you going this weekend? Share in the comments!