7 Best Sights in The Catskills, New York

Bailiwick Ranch and Discovery Zoo

Bailiwick Ranch and Discovery Zoo has three attractions that will entertain children: horseback rides along scenic trails, a zoological park with exotic and farm animals (including a petting zoo and feeding area), and paintball. Educational programs and special events also take place throughout the year. The ranch is open year-round (weather permitting), but the zoo is closed November through March. Members of the military receive free admission.

Blenheim–Gilboa Power Project Visitors Center

Housed in a 1905 barn, the visitor center sits above the Blenheim-Gilboa pumped-storage project, which generates power by recycling water between two reservoirs. Hands-on exhibits explain the science of energy production; an enclosed porch overlooking the lower reservoir has exhibits of local fauna. Picnic tables are scattered between the historic outbuildings. Hiking trails lead to Mine Kill State Park.

Catskill Arts Society

In a handsome brick building that once served as the area's only movie theater, the Catskill Arts Society has a couple of huge galleries that show the works of local and national artists. There's also another slender gallery in the foyer, a small gift shop with lots of original pieces, and classes ranging from watercolors to pottery to creative writing.

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Center for Photography at Woodstock

You're entering hallowed ground, because this building was once the Espresso Café, where Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, and others entertained countercultural dreamers. Now a gallery space for photography, the center aims to provoke serious consideration of the medium, offering a dynamic series of exhibits, lectures, and workshops.

Fort Delaware Museum

This replica of a 1755 fort depicts the lives of European settlers who made their home in the Upper Delaware Valley. The settlement, called Cushetunk, was mostly farmers who had moved to the region in search of land. They formed the Delaware Company and purchased 10 miles of land along both sides of the river and built a fort for protection. This authentic reproduction of the wooden structure includes blockhouses, log cabins, an armory, herb gardens, and costumed guides who demonstrate what life was like here in the 18th century. Open weekends from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Livingston Manor Covered Bridge Park

Originally know as the Motts Flats Bridge, this beautifully restored covered bridge was built in 1860. More than 100 feet long, it spans Willowemoc Creek, and in season you're likely to spot anglers in the waters below.

Roebling's Delaware Aqueduct

Designed by and built under the supervision of John A. Roebling, the future engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Delaware Aqueduct dates back to 1847 and is the oldest existing wire suspension bridge in the country. It once carried canal boats high over the Delaware River on the Delaware and Hudson Canal. It was so solidly built that when the National Park Service took over maintenance of the bridge in 1980, most of the existing ironwork was still in great shape. The Tollhouse, on the Minisink Ford side of the bridge, has exhibits and historic photographs, along with a reconstructed canal boat cabin. The D&H Towpath Trail is a 1-mile stroll along the 1828 towpath.

The Catskills

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