The air is getting crisper and smells like apples and pumpkin spice! Yes - Mel's favorite season is here and we decided to have a little road trip adventure to kick off autumn in upstate NY.
We knew we needed to find a place that had some kid-friendly activities on the premises so we weren't going stir crazy with a toddler whose favorite words all summer were "outside" and "walk." (So grateful he enjoys the outdoors, but that definitely means the confines of a hotel room could drive us all nuts within minutes of unpacking.) DJ did some great sleuthing and found Buttermilk Falls Inn and Spa - a beautiful bed & breakfast with views of the Hudson River, a spa, and a functioning farm on the property! You can stay in the main house, but they also have cottages with living rooms and kitchens for families and/or large groups. We were able to feel right at home in a private cottage, and spent most hours of each day just wandering around looking at the water and the animals - geese, chickens (definitely a kid-favorite), goats, llamas, donkeys, and alpacas.
Beyond the amazing outdoor experience, Buttermilk Falls Inn was a perfect place to stay because of Henry's at the Farm - the awesome restaurant on the property. Henry's uses a lot of locally sourced ingredients, and those fresh farm-to-table flavors made every meal memorable. Bonus - we could bring the food back to our cottage so we could eat at our leisure. We actually forgot to take pictures of our meals (shocking! we must have been really hungry every time we finally sat down), but suffice it to say we tried almost everything on the menu and it never disappointed. We also LOVED the variety of cocktails they offered. Trying a new concoction each night was a real treat!
When we weren't exploring the grounds, we took time for a couple of foodie adventures nearby. First stop: Hurds Family Farm, known as one of the best in the area for apple-picking and fun activities. After walking around and hanging at the playground, we could smell fresh donuts being made. They told us technically the batch wasn't for sale yet and was being packaged for the weekend. But since it was such a quiet day, they let us sample two - WOO! Seriously, there's nothing better than warm, fresh apple cider donuts washed down with cider. Autumn bliss!
There are also a bunch of cool wineries in the area. We were trying to find one with a restaurant so we could make it a lunch outing but a lot of them had later hours or weren't kid-friendly. So rather than worrying about a sit-down meal, we grabbed some sandwiches and headed to Whitecliff Vineyard and Winery to enjoy their amazing view while drinking and noshing. And how was the wine? We wound up bringing home two bottles of the riesling along with one of their award-winning reds.
So glad we were able to spend a bit of time with nature as summer comes to a close. Definitely looking forward to our next road trip adventure!
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