The Last Days of Summer: Getaway in the Mountains

11 minutes ago
2 min read

Aerial view of forest cabins and winding paths with overlaid text: Make the Most of the Long Weekend.

Summer is starting to wind down. The days are a little shorter, the nights are cooler, and there are only a few good weekends left before the season is over. That makes the last days of summer getaway the perfect getaway, the kind where you get out of the city, head north, and land somewhere that actually feels like a break. A fire going, a book in hand, nowhere you need to be. We have three places for it, and the only real question is what kind of days you're after.

Eastwind Oliverea Valley

If You Want to Slow Right Down

Modern outdoor pool with a yellow umbrella, white lounge chairs, and green sofas beside a wooden building and forest.

Some trips are for doing less on purpose. At Eastwind Oliverea Valley, the cabins and hotel rooms are tucked into the mountainside and breakfast arrives at your door in a basket, which sets the tone for everything that follows.

Give an afternoon to a scenic train ride through the Catskills, which runs out of nearby Arkville and does the sightseeing so you don't have to. Come back to something that asks nothing of you. We run hands-on craft workshops on property, and there's usually a morning yoga session for anyone who wants to start the day gently. When evening comes, dinner is at Dandelion, and then back out into the cool mountain air.

The next day can unfold however it likes. An unhurried breakfast, a spot in the hammock grove, a late-summer swim in the heated pool. That's a full itinerary as far as we're concerned.

Explore Eastwind Oliverea Valley

Eastwind Windham

If You Want Mountain Views and Everyone Together

Small A-frame cabin and wooden huts in a lush green forest, with tall trees and a quiet, secluded mood.

Windham is the kind of place where a few days somehow feel like more. There's room to spread out, room to slow down, and enough going on that nobody has to agree on a plan.

Start the morning on the Nature Walk, which is right there on the property, then borrow a bike and ride into town. Come back for barbecue off the smoker and a good drink in the biergarten at DANDIES, which is where most of the afternoon tends to go.

Evenings are the easy part. Movie Night at sunset, complimentary popcorn included, then everyone drifting toward the fire as it cools off. It's a good way to send summer off with the people you like.

Plan your Windham escape

Eastwind Lake Placid

If You Want to Be Near the Water

Woman with long hair sits in the bow of a boat on a calm lake, facing trees and cloudy sky, in a peaceful mood.

Or head farther north and catch the Adirondacks at the tail end of summer. The state park begins just behind the property and the village is a short way down the road, which means there isn't much need for an itinerary here either.

Get out on the water in the morning. Wander into town in the afternoon. Make it back to the campfire for s'mores when the temperature drops at night. That's the whole trip, and it's plenty.

Book Lake Placid