NEW PALTZ + GARDINER

New Paltz is a vibrant college town chock full of farm-to-table eateries, bistros, cafes and boutiques, beautiful 17th-century homes, live music and a first-rate SUNY campus. It’s home to the historic and extraordinary Mohonk Preserve with its fabulous views of the Shawangunk Mountains and miles of carriage roads and trails for hiking, biking, running, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and horseback riding.

Take a stroll through Water Street Market, an open-air collection of boutiques, galleries, and eateries, take in historic Huguenot Street, visit the massive Testimonial Gateway, a beautiful stone archway that once served as the formal entrance to the Mohonk Mountain House. And don’t forget Minnewaska State Park, with its 50 miles of bike trails, footpaths, sky lakes, sheer cliffs and waterfalls.