New York State for Visitors
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and The Adirondacks National Park
To most people New York means the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Macey's Bloomingdale's and Broadway. But there's a lot more to New York than the Big Apple
Visitors to New York City will find that it’s well worth while hiring a car and taking to the hills in New York State.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van WInkle
An hour’s drive from the Bronx on Highway 9 is the quiet country town of Tarrytown, where author Washington Irving created Rip Van Winkle, the man who slept for a hundred years. Irving’s house is an old fashioned stone mansion with lots of gable ends, furnished as it was when he lived there. Irving’s other great tale The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was based on Sleepy Hollow cemetery where the fawning schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane, was chased for his life by the Headless Horseman, his love rival Bram Bones in disguise. The oily Ichabod fled and was never seen again and Bram Bones got married to the lovely Katrina Van Tassel and lived happily ever after.
Mother Natures Backyard
Another hours drive away is the Catskill mountains called ‘ Mother nature’s Backyard’ by the locals. This is the American dram of villages, hamlets and farms. The sounds of nature are broken only by the chug-chug-chug and the shrill whistle of an ancient steam locomotive. The vintage trains of the Ulster and Delaware Railway offer a winding trip in an open carriage with the added thrill of the odd staged train robbery.
Adirondacks National Park
North of the Catskills is the Adirondacks National Park encompassing nearly 2500 lakes and ponds and more than 30,000 miles of rivers and streams. It’s ideal country for walking, backpacking and mountain biking. The Adirondack Museum covering over thirty acres of ground and every aspect of the life and history of the region is a good place to start. Watch out for bears in the woods. They’re timid creatures though and will probably remain hidden. The best place to see one is in the lounge of the Saranac Lake Hotel. A huge black, stuffed bear plays the piano there and is a great hit with children.
John Brown's Body
Saranac Lake was once a great centre for TB sufferers and Robert Louis Stevenson spent a year here in 1888. His cottage has been preserved as a museum. Nearby at Lake Placid is the farm where John Brown the legendary anti- slavery campaigner lived. He was captured during an abortive raid on the government arsenal at Harper’s Ferry in Virginia and Hanged. A large tombstone is evidence that here is where his body lies mouldering in the grave.
Stony Creek Dude Ranch
Lake Placid was also the site of the Winter Olympics in 1980 and visitors can take a chairlift to the top of the 26 storey jumping tower for a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains and valleys or ride on a bobsled on wheels, or a mountain bike along the 1980 Olympic cross country ski trails.
Another great attraction in the Adirondacks is the 1000 acres Dude Ranch at Stony Creek on the edge of the Park. There guests can dress like cowboys and girls and spend all day horse riding and trekking. Or they can watch a rodeo, go sailing or swimming or even enjoy a round of golf on a course surrounded by rivers.
