What's the Fort Bragg/Mendocino of ... uh ... upstate New York?

June 17, 2019 10:56 PM

We're moving far away from our favorite low-key vacation spot. Where can we check some of the same boxes within 3-4 hours' drive from Binghamton, NY?

My partner and I like driving up to Fort Bragg, CA from the SF Bay Area. It takes about 3.5 hours plus a lunch or coffee stop, so it's short enough that we can make the most of a weekend. The drive is beautiful. Fort Bragg itself is low-key and not super touristy. Unfashionable, even. We usually stay at a laid-back B&B that's reasonable in high season and cheap in low season. It's not a SoCal or Florida beach--it's all cliffs, rocks, twisted cypress, and wind, and we never go swimming. There are several bookstores to browse and some good (and/or quirky) restaurants. There's also a great, cozy coffeehouse for writing in.

If we want to Do Stuff there are casual hikes to go on and overlooks to stroll to, a botanical garden, a couple of museums and historical sites, and a lighthouse, or the fancier environment of Mendocino proper. There's basically no substantial traffic ever.

I think I learned about this trip on AskMe in the first place, actually, and we've really enjoyed going there over the years. We were hoping to go one last time before we left the West Coast, but unsurprisingly, that's not going to happen. Too much packing to do. (Should've seen that one coming.)

Can you find us a replacement? We're not looking for the exact same thing, just somewhere that shares some of the same qualities: low-key, fairly inexpensive, a variety of things to do depending on our energy levels/whims/the weather, not too long of a drive, and some nice scenery. My partner has been putting a lot of effort into this move, and I'd love to be able to take him somewhere like this after we relocate--maybe in September or so.

posted by wintersweet to Travel & Transportation (18 answers total)

Okemo Mountain in Vermont offers much of the same (though obviously, different scenery!) in the off season. It's a 4 hour drive.
posted by DarlingBri at 1:14 AM on June 18, 2019 [1 favorite]

You don't have to go far. Drive to Ithaca, it will take an hour or less. Take a walk in the gorges, a dip in the waterfall. Go sailing on the lake. Wander around on the back roads. In the fall the leaves are magnificent. Taste some wine.

Or drive west to Lake Erie. The road meanders voluptuously. I don't have any recommendations for places on Lake Erie. Niagara Falls, Ontario, has a lovely botanical garden.
posted by mareli at 3:25 AM on June 18, 2019 [12 favorites]

Saratoga, Beacon, Ithaca, Corning, Bennington.
posted by metasarah at 3:52 AM on June 18, 2019 [2 favorites]

In addition to the Finger Lakes region, Williamstown/North Adams (MA) might be up your alley; it's particularly strong for the museums & hiking aspects that you want.
posted by Johnny Assay at 4:23 AM on June 18, 2019 [6 favorites]

I'm from the west, but I lived in Binghamton longer than anywhere else, I just realized, so I have a sense of what you are up against.

I now live in the Hudson valley, about 2.5 hours east, and I think it ticks your boxes.
Mohonk Preserve in the Gunks even has really breathtaking analogues of " cliffs, rocks, twisted cypress, and wind" where the trees are wind-stunted pitch pines. It is popular, but there's a lot of it that people miss, and those spots are quiet. PM if you want the skinny on that.

The St. Lawrence River, 2.5 hours north, offers dramatic rocks and water and is less fashionable. Certainly there will be fewer people making day trips from NYC. We've been there many times - my wife's grandparents had a modest place there - and it can be as peaceful or touristy as you like.

I'm also a booster of Worlds End State Park in PA.

There's more, but these are three to consider.

Feel free to message me about the Triple Cities experience.
posted by Glomar response at 4:25 AM on June 18, 2019 [4 favorites]

I live in Ithaca and would say even more specifically Trumansburg, a little north of Ithaca and quieter but with a charming little downtown area.

We ourselves usually go to the Adirondacks for this on the edges of the high season (late summer/early fall). Old Forge or Inlet both have more than trees but are still quiet compared to just about everywhere.
posted by tchemgrrl at 4:42 AM on June 18, 2019 [4 favorites]

Also try Skaneateles (pronounced Skinny Atlas) or Cazenovia.
posted by lyssabee at 5:46 AM on June 18, 2019 [1 favorite]

Don't forget to visit Auburn, NY Harriet Tubman national landmark & museum.
posted by RajahKing at 6:45 AM on June 18, 2019

A mere 2.5 hours away is Letchworth State Park, to my mind the finest state park in New York. The park features three large waterfalls on the Genesee River, which flows in a gorge that winds through the park. The rock walls of the gorge rise up to 550 feet in spots, so some call it the "Grand Canyon of the East". OK, you would never call the Grand Canyon the Letchworth of the West, but it's still beautiful.

That said, you're in a very convenient place to have a 3.5 hour driving limit. That will take you to the Finger Lakes, the Adirondacks, Saratoga and Alexandria Bay (and even Canada!). You will find cozy B&B's, quaint towns and beautiful hikes in all these locations.
posted by ubiquity at 6:47 AM on June 18, 2019 [5 favorites]

Saratoga, Beacon, Ithaca, Corning, Bennington.

A mere 2.5 hours away is Letchworth State Park, to my mind the finest state park in New York.

To these I would add Cooperstown, which has a lot beyond baseball, although that's obviously the focus. My god, is it a pretty town. And it has Ommegang Brewery on the outskirts, if that's your thing.

I would also suggest Canandaigua, and in particular, a visit to Sonnenberg Gardens.
posted by Capt. Renault at 7:45 AM on June 18, 2019 [5 favorites]

If you find yourself on route 20, where some of the above suggestions will take you, stop in Cazenovia to take a wander through the Stone Quarry Hill Art Park.

And if you are animal people, don't miss the Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen.

Seconding Letchworth, it's amazing! But I wouldn't go in August/Sept. unless it's a really rainy summer.
posted by headnsouth at 8:06 AM on June 18, 2019

Adding the Monadnock Region in SW New Hampshire. Peterborough, Keene, and (right across the border in Vermont) Brattleboro are all fantastic places to visit, and not too touristy at all.
posted by nosila at 9:05 AM on June 18, 2019

Don't forget to visit Auburn, NY Harriet Tubman national landmark & museum.

Also in Auburn:

• The William H. Seward House, the home of Lincoln's Secretary of State.
• The Willard Memorial Chapel, he only complete and unaltered Tiffany chapel known to exist.
• The Cayuga Museum of History and Art

The world's first electric chair was at the prison in Auburn, but I don't know if it survives, or if you can see it.
posted by ubiquity at 9:11 AM on June 18, 2019

Response by poster: (A quick note: one reason I'm asking for recs is that there's just so much within a 4 hour radius of Binghamton. I've never lived anywhere with the density of towns and cities that the northeast of the US has. So I really appreciate your help narrowing things down!)
posted by wintersweet at 9:44 AM on June 18, 2019

One of our go-to vacation spots is Lake Chautauqua. Apart from the lake itself, and Erie being really close as well, there are a ton of interesting small towns in the area. And Lily Dale is always a fascinating way to spend a day or an afternoon.
posted by clcapps at 9:52 AM on June 18, 2019 [1 favorite]

Phoenicia, NY
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 10:57 AM on June 18, 2019 [3 favorites]

Less than 3 hours away you'll find the Berkshires (Berkshire County, which is essentially the west end of Mass), extending from Williamstown in the north to Sheffield in the south. We vacation there at least twice a year.
posted by JimN2TAW at 11:29 AM on June 18, 2019

You could also head south to the Hudson Valley. There's loads of nice stuff in Kingston, Rhinebeck, New Paltz, Newburgh, Beacon - all within an hour of each other. You'll find a bunch of lovely cafes in each, breweries if you're into that, a lot of nice hiking, and many art institutions (Storm King, Dia:Beacon, Maggazzino, and more - these will be the most touristy, but are still worth a visit).
posted by taltalim at 6:01 AM on June 23, 2019