Brownstoner Upstate: A Few Favorite Local Parks in the Hudson Valley and Catskills
Seamon Park, Saugerties Let’s cut right to the chase: A good public park says a lot about the community in which it’s located. If you can find a clean, well-kept park with plenty of vegetation, shady places to sit, and some engaging features, move to that town immediately. Okay, we know it’s not quite that…
Seamon Park, Saugerties
Let’s cut right to the chase: A good public park says a lot about the community in which it’s located. If you can find a clean, well-kept park with plenty of vegetation, shady places to sit, and some engaging features, move to that town immediately.
Okay, we know it’s not quite that simple, but up here in the Hudson Valley and Catskills, we’ve got oodles of attractive public spaces where you can sit peacefully watching Nature TV as the kids blow off steam outdoors — kinda like they used to back in the old days.
And, most of the region’s parks have pretty great towns attached to them. In fact, the connection between the three public parks we’ll be featuring today and their respective hometowns is as strong as the summer sun.
Seamon Park
Seamon Park, Saugerties (Ulster County): While we briefly mentioned this small village park in our recent insider’s guide to Saugerties, it bears a closer look. Almost never crowded (unless there’s a Chrysanthemum Festival or a tree lighting), Seamon Park (GMAP) is perched on a grassy incline in center of the village, 1.5 miles from the Saugerties Lighthouse.
The park is lush and shady at the bottom of the hill with fountains, a lilypad koi pond, and ruins of the old grist mill that operated there in the 19th century. A quick ascent and you’re at the top of the park, surrounded by Catskill Mountain views, another fountain, flower gardens, stone benches, gazebo, trellis, and large pavilion.
The playground that used to be at Seamon Park has been taken down, but the old brick fireplaces built for the Girl Scouts in 1929 remain. Seamon Park has little hidden surprises everywhere, and no, we’re not going to give them away. You’ll just have to find them for yourself.
Seamon Park and the Saugerties Lighthouse trail are close enough to each other that you can explore both at a leisurely pace for part of an afternoon. Plenty of time left over for dinner in Saugerties.
Kirkside Park, Roxbury
Kirkside Park, Roxbury (Delaware County): Roxbury village has a lot going for it. The setting is just about as mountain-bucolic as it gets, bolstered by the fact that there’s no cell service there. However, you can still get a strong martini, stay at super-classy digs, and explore one of our favorite town parks/historical districts in the area.
Kirkside Park (GMAP) is situated right in the middle of the village alongside Jay Gould Memorial Reformed Church (“kirk” is a Scottish word for “church,” hence the name Kirkside) and was once the summer residence of Helen Gould Shepard at the turn-of-the-century. Along with a meandering brook, rustic bridges, and paths are the restored buildings that made up the estate.
Take the full walking tour of Roxbury to check out the village’s historic architecture.
Helen Gould Shepard Estate, now Kirkside Park. Via Roxburyny.com
Dutchman’s Landing Park, Catskill
Dutchman’s Landing Park, Catskill (Greene County): Dutchman’s Landing (GMAP) sits right on the shores of the Hudson River in the village of Catskills. Visitors can expect views of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, concession stands, live music events, and a walking trail that takes you from the park and into Catskill’s historic district.
As you pass through the forest between the park and Prospect Street in the village, you’ll encounter a tiny, almost enchanted-looking chapel situated behind St. Anthony’s Friary. Once you get into the residential neighborhood, take some time to explore the antique, historic properties that adorn the village.
Stop at Beattie-Powers Place to enjoy the gardens or the sweeping views of the Hudson River on its rolling, green swathe of riverside land. After taking the walking tour, have dinner at Maybelle’s (GMAP) for classic comfort food with a sophisticated twist.
St. Anthony’s Friary chapel, Catskill
A dramatic Victorian in Catskill
View of the Hudson River from Beattie-Powers Place
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4 Hommelville Road, Saugerties: $159,900
This red Saugerties cottage was originally built in the mid-18th century, and is located just a couple of miles from the village proper. It’s also a 1 bed/1 bath (the bedroom appears to be a roomy loft space on the second floor), so it may be more suited for a couple or an upstate part time getaway. Zip up north on Route 32, and boom, you’re in the Catskills. Love the living room fireplace, wood floors, and that it comes with nearly an acre of land. Beds: 1. Baths: 1. Square Feet: 997. Lot Size: .78 acres. Est. Taxes: $4607. 4 Hommelville Road, Saugerties (Win Morrison) GMAP.
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1061 Dimmick Mountain Road, Roxbury: $55,000
A fixer-upper? Yes indeed, but it also sits on over 12 acres of land. You can’t get land that cheap in many places around the Catskills, so might as well buy some with the makings of a house on it. Listing says it needs “serious work” but the location is gorgeous. Beds: 2. Baths: 1. Square Feet: 1008. Lot Size: 12.54 acres. Est. Taxes: $2840. 1061 Dimmick Mt. Road, Roxbury (Keller Williams) GMAP.
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29 First Street, Catskill: $212,500
Now this is what we’re dreaming of when we imagine a Hudson Valley hideaway. Simple, relatively inexpensive, private, but not on so much land that it’s a pain to maintain. Includes a screened-in porch, back patio, living room wood stove, and laundry room, all situated just west of the village of Catskill, Greene County. Beds: 3. Baths: 1.5. Square Feet: 1876. Lot Size: 1 acre. Est. Taxes: $7676. 29 First Street, Catskill (Coldwell Banker) GMAP.
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