OutHouse Orchards: Fall is by far my favorite season and it’s truly a magical time in New York City. I love the changing of the leaves in Central Park, crisp air and going out to watch football. This fall we looked into some great seasonal activities that don’t require having a car.
We spent this past weekend in Westchester picking apples, pumpkins and taking hayrides. We were looking for a farm with a real country feel but not crazy far away. So, we settled on Outhouse Orchards in North Salem, New York. It takes about an hour and ten minutes by train from Grand Central to get there. Once you get to the train station there, call and Uber and it’s about another ten minutes by car. (There is also another orchard just down the block from it called Harvest Moon if you want to hit up two orchards in one day).
Outhouse was sprawling and had so many different activities to do. We settled on a hayride, a walk through a corn maze (this was a must since neither of us had ever done it) and apple picking. There were still a ton of apples on the trees, so the timing was perfect.
We liked that Outhouse was really lax about allowing us to bring food and alcohol. Before we headed out in the morning we visited our local market and picked up sandwiches, snacks and a bottle of wine. If you prefer to eat there, they have pizza, barbecue and other food for purchase. It was a seriously perfect day and we were back in the city by 6:30pm. Pro tip: arrange in advance for an Uber to pick you up to take you to the train station because that was the one hiccup.
After, I used my favorite apple crumble recipe here to cook the fruits of our labor.
Storm King: In the upstate town of Cornwall, there is a world-class outdoor sculpture garden called Storm King Art Center that is truly breathtaking. Founded in 1960, Storm King is situated on 500 acres of land near the Hudson Valley, and it is home to massive sculptures from artists such as Alexander Calder, George Cutts and Mark di Suvero. The entire place is extremely peaceful (and very Instagrammable). You can read more about our trip to Storm King here.
Beacon, New York: 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 after taking an hour and a half train out of Grand Central. This artsy town has a wonderful museum called Dia: Beacon, whiskey distilleries, great hiking at Mount Beacon and so much more to explore within a short distance of Manhattan. You can read our full itinerary to Beacon here.
Fall Fun Without Leaving The City
Standard Hotel East Village: Want to have a fall experience without leaving the city? Head to the Standard Hotel in the East Village. I adore the Standard East Village for fully embracing every holiday and season, and Halloween does not disappoint. They have decorated their beautiful outdoor courtyard with a pumpkin patch and hay and other amazing touches that makes it a delight to sit out back amid the green and orange hues while sipping on fall cocktails such as cider, apple schnapps and hot toddies. We stopped in this past weekend for a drink and stayed longer than we anticipated because the ambiance was so spot on. Added bonus: it’s just a quick subway ride away and their food is spot on if you’re hungry.
Blood Manor: Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and while I’m pretty much afraid of my own shadow, I also love being scared. I guess I’m a glutton for punishment. So, on Friday night we went to Blood Manor haunted house.
It was super fun and each room in this warehouse has a different theme, like a scary meat market, a 3D maze, a doctor’s office etc. It clowns abound as do men with chainsaws and other characters that pop out at each and every turn.