Tannersville: The Catskills Fall Town Worth Revisiting

When the New York air turns crisp, one Catskills town keeps pulling the writer back, Condé Nast Traveler reports: Tannersville.

About a decade ago, the writer first visited the village while checking off Catskills and Hudson Valley towns. It had a colorful Main Street, independent shops, mountain views, and easy access to nature. At the time, there weren't many places to stay. When the writer returned in 2023, that had changed.

New inns, hotels, and Airbnbs had opened, along with fresh restaurants. The writer has been coming every fall and some winters since. The drive from Brooklyn takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes to 3 hours, depending on traffic.

Where to stay

Hotel Lilien is the pick for staying in the middle of the town's newer, design-forward section, the article says. The 22-room boutique sits in a restored historic property with a cocktail bar, wood-burning stove, library, pool table, and cozy corners.

Deer Mountain Inn offers true respite, perched on 168 acres of meadows and woods. It has six rooms in the main lodge plus four standalone cabins, with antique furnishings, William Morris textiles, fireplaces, firepits, trails, and mountain views.

Hotel Mountain Brook is a more traditional upstate getaway. The Adirondack-style lodge sits just above the village, offering mountain views, complimentary breakfast, and an easygoing vibe. In neighboring Hunter, Scribner's Catskill Lodge has 38 rooms, a restaurant and bar, seasonal pool, sauna, and firepits.

Where to eat

Start the day at The Pantry On Main, a breakfast and lunch spot, or Deja Brew for coffee and pastries. For a post-hike burger and ice cream, try Mama's Boy Burgers.

Pancho Villa serves tacos and tequila. Brave the Flames offers made-from-scratch comfort food with rotating specials. Lucky Catskills brings Asian flavors with dumplings, ramen, rice bowls, and steamed buns.

Last Chance Antiques and Cheese Café has been a Main Street institution since 1971, part restaurant, cheese shop, antique store, bar, and live-music venue. In winter, it serves famous après-ski fondue.

For a bigger night out, Deer Mountain Inn's restaurant serves seasonal, local cooking led by James Beard Award semifinalist Chef Cowin Kave, with a fireplace-centered dining room and a wine and cocktail program.

What to do

Tannersville Antiques and Artisan Center, housed in a 19th-century building with more than a dozen dealers, offers vintage furniture, artwork, jewelry, and random finds. Hotel Lilien hosts live music, DJs, and a social scene around its pool table and cocktail lounge.

Mountain Top Library, founded in 1900 and now in a former Catholic church, offers educational and musical programming. Space Brew Pub serves locally crafted beers and classic American food.

Hiking and outdoors

For big Catskills scenery, the Escarpment Trail to Kaaterskill Falls has dramatic overlooks and waterfalls, the article says. The Mountain Top Arboretum Loop is less strenuous, with tame meadows, ancient hemlock groves, and a hidden mountain-top marsh. The Scutt Road Loop offers a more rugged day with forest, rocky terrain, caves, overlooks, and lake views.

Rip Van Winkle Lake Park, a short walk from Main Street, has a bike path, playground, skate park, basketball and handball courts, volleyball, and disc golf. The park is named after the legendary character who woke from his 20-year sleep in the Catskills.

Seasonal highlights

Fall foliage makes the pastel storefronts pop. Early snowfall turns the village into a mountain-town snow globe. Winter means skiing at Hunter Mountain, a few miles away. Summer brings hiking, biking, swimming, fishing, and water activities. Airbnb data shows searches for fall weekend rentals in Tannersville are up more than 15% year-over-year.

• boutique hotels
• Catskills
• fall travel
• New York
• Tannersville
• weekend getaway