As we head into Autumn, it’s one of my favorite times of year to take day trips outside of New York City to the country for some great fall experiences, hiking and foliage. So, we’ve decided to present you with a series on easy fall outings outside of New York City that take just a few hours and provide such a different scenery, feel and surroundings. Beacon, New York, a charming town in the Hudson Valley has long been on my list of spots to visit. We went for a recent few days. Here were the highlights of our visit. (You can read other great fall day trips here: Storm King, Fun Fall Outings Outside of NYC
Day 1:
Train to Beacon: One of the nice things about Beacon is that you don’t have to rent a car to get there. A simple train from Grand Central will drop you off at Beacon’s train station about an hour and a half later. From the station, it’s a 10-minute cab ride into town.
Brunch at Homespun: Drop off your bags at your hotel or Airbnb and head into town to Main Street for brunch at the cozy and delicious Homespun. This casual cafe has a beautiful terrace out the back in the sun. Pick a few dishes off of their chalkboard menu to share and eat it outside. We couldn’t believe how flavorful each dish we tried at Homespun was. Our favorite dish was something we’ve never had anything like before. It was called a Runsas, and was scrambled eggs and veggies inside a warm, fresh-baked roll/pastry combo that was perfectly buttery. We also split a delicious salad called the Goat Gouda Pecan, which had gouda cheese, dried cherries, grapes, pecans and nuts. We also loved their iced coffee. We left content and fueled for a day of sightseeing in Beacon.
People’s Bicycles: A great way to get around Beacon is by bike. We picked up some great rental bikes at People’s Bicycles on Main Street to get us around and do some exploring. We took the bike on a great path called Madama Bret which gave us excellent views of the river, forest and beautiful country roads. It also got us to our next destination, the Dia Museum.
Dia Museum: Our next stop was the Beacon Museum, which is just 10 minutes from the train station. Dia Beacon is a gem of a museum. This contemporary art museum has frequent traveling art exhibitions as well as an amazing permanent exhibit, much of it populated by artists Walter De Maria. Much of the art is sculpture and can be a bit eccentric. It also has a lot of fun light installations that make for great Instagram backdrops.
Denning’s Point Distillery: Next, we headed over to Denning’s Point Distillery for some locally made booze. Beacon and the surrounding areas have become a hotbed for craft alcohol and beer brewers. At Denning’s we headed to the tasting room to do a flight of three of their drinks. I picked their bourbon, a blueberry-infused gin and their vodka to sip. All were really strong, but we enjoyed them. After the tasting, we went into the main area where you can order cocktails made with their spirits. I loved having this option, because I’m not one to really sip alcohol straight. It was a really fun time and we liked hearing her history of the distillery.
Beacon Farmer’s Market: Every Sunday, there’s a great open-air farmer’s market and flea market just next door to each other. We didn’t end up buying anything because we were stuffed from Homespun, but they had lots of fresh produce from the Hudson Valley area, which is known for farm to table.
Drinks at Roundhouse: For one of the best and most iconic view of Beacon, head to the back patio at the Roundhouse Hotel. The back patio is on the lake right where Beacon’s famous waterfall comes rushing in, giving you the best views of the falls.
We went there for one drink, but the atmosphere was so perfect that one drink turned into two drinks and then dinner. In total, we spent about four hours at Roundhouse, eating some delicious food, sipping cocktails and having a great time. We highly recommend it, even just for a drink.
Drinks and Music at Town Crier: One of the most famous bars in Beacon is the Town Crier, which has live music nightly. We went here after dinner for a few drinks and to catch the local acts and it was so pleasant. The perfect way to end the day in Beacon.
Day 2:
Hike Mount Beacon: On the next morning, we got up at 7am and took a cab to the trailhead of Mount Beacon to get a workout in and some views. There are three different trails you can take from the trailhead, and they all differ in difficulty. We (accidentally) did the Railway Ruins hike, which ranks a 10 or out 10 in difficulty.
The hike is very steep and challenging, but the views at the top make it worth it. Once you get to the very top, you are at the center of an old, abandoned incline railway.
Brunch at Beacon Pantry: By the end of our hike we had worked up an appetite. From he trailhead, we walked into town for some brunch before our train home. The day before, we had passed by Beacon Pantry on Main Street a few times, so we decided to try it out.
We rested our legs at a table out front on their patio in the sun and ordered their egg bake of the day and a sandwich. They bake all of their breads in house, so they are super tasty. My egg bake had spinach, tomato and cheese in it and was just delicious. My fiancé got the prosciutto sandwich, which was also great. The prices were very reasonable as well.
From there we headed home to Manhattan refreshed from some greenery, country air and a change of scenery. Looking for some fall adventures? Check out our other fall travel guides below!
Read Our Other Fall NYC Getaway Guides: