The Weekend: Rosendale’s Fairy Tale

Welcome to Rosendale, NY, a town that’s reputed for bridging the past and the present. With an abandoned cement mine that now hosts live music, a century-old movie theater, a world-renowned pickle festival and vintage merchants aplenty, our small town keeps us endlessly entertained. As a local writer who splits her time between Brooklyn and Rosendale, I let out a deep exhale every time I arrive at our second home. Let the perfect weekend commence. 

Saturday

8:00 a.m.  nature 

I find myself with a rare 24 hours of child-free time. I wake up and take a stroll to the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail right up our street and wander over the Rosendale Trestle overlooking the Rondout Creek. When the kids are with us, and we’re feeling adventurous, we’ll continue on to the Rail Trail Café, a spot literally in the middle of the woods, where we’ll grab fresh juice and pastries.

10:00 a.m.  coffee 

I drive down to Main Street to grab a cold brew and smoothie at Lift Café. Eyeing their delicious gluten-free pastries, I make note to come back after lunch.

For a heartier breakfast when the kids are there, we’ll head to the Truss and Trestle Diner on the other side of town for their fluffy chocolate chip pancakes (for the kids) and breakfast tacos (for me).

noon  shopping 

Our tiny but mighty town has become a hub for enchanting vintage shops. I set out to peruse the treasures and first head into Soiled Doves, which is like stepping into a 1980s dream closet. I pick up a ceramic sardine necklace and head into ClubHouse Vintage, where I love to browse the vintage T-shirt and jean racks. At Somewhere In Time, I pick up some classic Barbie dolls for my daughter and then admire the cottagecore knick-knacks at the new shop at the Six Bells Countryside Inn.

1:00 p.m.  lunch 

Time to pop into The Big Cheese for my favorite falafel wrap and grab some of their homemade hummus to go. Lunch serves as a sufficient break from shopping, so I’m ready
to head to the back of the shop, where the owner has set up a select vintage section of clothes and home goods.

3:00 p.m.  hike 

Feeling full from lunch, and taking advantage of being solo for the day, I decide to take a quick hike up Joppenbergh Mountain, a 500-foot mountain right in the town of Rosendale.

4:30 p.m.  swim 

Feeling the heat, it’s time to take a break and leave Main Street for a bit. I drive over to our neighboring town of Accord, NY, for a swim at the pool at INNESS, a retreat which has become our home away from home Upstate.

I take a dip in the pool, use the sauna and settle into an Adirondack chair overlooking the mountains with a crisp glass of white wine and my book. When my kids are around, they’ll often convince us to stop at Skate Time, a revitalized, neon-adorned roller-skating rink, for a few laps around the rink and games in their arcade.

7:00 p.m.  dinner 

I wrap up the evening at Darlings in Tilson, NY, our favorite local dining destination. I wait all week to indulge in their corn nachos and spring salad. For a more intimate date when my husband can join, we head over to Butterfield, the restaurant at the Hasbrouck House estate in Stone Ridge, NY.

Sunday

9:30 a.m.  morning 

I drive over to Black Dot café in Stone Ridge for my favorite cold brew coffee and parfait. In an hour, it’ll be time to make a stop at the Rosendale Farmers Market right in town to stock up on local eggs and fresh fruit to bring back to Brooklyn to continue my big city life.