The weather has turned (cold), and while we imagine many of you are considering whether you need a new set of throw pillows to make sure your couch is cozy enough for you to bear it, we, your friendly neighborhood Upstate real estate experts, are going to suggest you stop your West Elm browsing, go outside, and do something different.

We've motivated people to do everything from sledding and snow shoeing to ice sailing on the Hudson. At the inception of this winter season, we want to encourage you to visit one of the many ice skating rinks in the Catskills and Hudson Valley. There's plenty of reasons to go. First, there's something romantic about skating - both watching it and doing it. It's great exercise, and if you bring friends, it's just as

Oh, how I love the holiday season. This is when the events and happenings in the Hudson Valley and Catskills Region get both grand and granular. There’s everything from world-class performances to delightful community craft fairs on offer. Here’s a list of events that I think might appeal to you from light shows to ornament making.

Holiday Lights In Bloom At The Orange County Arboretum

Where: Montgomery, NY

Is there anything like meandering through beautiful gardens twinkling with lights? Nope! Admission is open between 5 and 7:30 PM nightly, what a great way to light up the dark night!

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At Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty we're realtors, and as such, we’re basically required to dig home décor – and we do - and DIYs are our favorite type; they’re fun, inexpensive, empowering, and a great departure from our devices. Here are a few of my favorite DIY ideas made with supplies you can find on the ground in the Hudson Valley and Catskills. Make one? Send us a pic!

Autumn is for apple-picking, finding the perfect pumpkin at a local patch, hiking through the veils of red, orange, yellow, and sienna… but sometimes it rains – or, in the case of this November – it snows! Whatcha gonna to do? Get crafty, of course! I always feel ready to do a few DIY crafts in the fall – this year, I’ve gathered quite a collection of treasures from my hikes,

Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty’s Red Hook NY Real Estate office is proud to present the art of Valerie Hoffmann in an exhibition titled Earth, Sky, & Beyond as part of our "Gallery At Work" series.

Valerie Hoffmann attended the Pratt Institute in NYC. Following a career in Architectural Design, she continued her studies at The Art Students League, where she renewed her love of drawing and painting. 

Her work embodies various techniques, often in mixed mediums, transforming realism into abstract forms by manipulating paint to create "accidents" while still respecting and maintaining the relationship with her subject. Her subjects often explore form and texture in organic shapes and elements found in nature. 

The pieces exhibited at

So...it's mushroom month! And why not? Mushrooms are delicious, a great excuse to go into the woods, and a way to experience the thrill of a hunt with zero carnage. Let's celebrate that! In the quiet places of the Catskills and Hudson Valley we have a wide range of "fungus among-us". I always get a special thrill when I find a grouping of mushrooms on a log that's seen better days or in the amidst a field of moss; but even I was surprised by the beautiful variety one forager found in a mere 24 hour period last (you guessed it!) September. Check these lovelies out!

Now, if you want to eat what you find in the forest, you obviously have to take care; sometimes nature makes the most beautiful things dangerous! Luckily Mycologists (they study

Albert Einstein said, “I know that the most joy in my life has come to me from my violin.” September is Classical Music Month, and if the arguably greatest mind of the last century found his greatest joy in making music, even with all his storied accomplishments, who are we to not take advantage of this month with the goal of discerning if it will bring us equal joy, either through listening or playing.

Maverick Concerts

Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty’s first office was in the Catskills town of Woodstock – famous, even before the 1969 festival that bore its name, for rock music. But Woodstock was a home for music long before Elvis brought rock and roll to most people’s attention (argue among yourselves about that if you must),

September is a notoriously busy month everywhere–not just in the Hudson Valley and Catskills! If you’re someone involved in teaching or going to school it can be hard to squeeze in fun. Here are some very low commitment events to attend throughout the Catskills and Hudson Valley. In October we’ll hit you with all the big stuff!

Cat’s Meow Gala and Auction

Where: Catskill, New York

Sunday, September 18th. The coveted Catskills Cats are going up for auction this month. The auction is an event near and dear to our hearts at Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty. Every year we sponsor one of the Catskill Cats - the creations of local artists which line the streets of Catskill all summer long making tourists

Things To Do In Upstate New York! Being in the Real Estate biz, we're plugged into the event scene across the many counties of the Hudson Valley and Catskills region. We love all the creativity we're seeing! It seems that our neighbors spent the quiet pandemic time coming up with new and different ways for us to have fun together (without discarding the best of the old ways). We shout, "hooray" for Painting With Ponies, a no-phone music and camping festival, and a nighttime market featuring "exotic oddities". We've culled together a list of concerts, festivals, fairs, farmer's markets, and other happening events in the Hudson Valley and Catskills for summer 2022 that we're excited for. We hope to see you at some of them! Look for the Coldwell Banker

Oh my! It has happened! The calendars of Upstate New York arts centers, outdoor organizations and community groups are full again and there are choices friends! We've culled together a list of concerts, arts events and events centered around personal growth to go with the season that are happening in the Catskills and Hudson Valley in Spring of 2022. If you find that any of these are exactly what you want to be doing let us know, perhaps we'll see you there!
 

Young at HeArt: Sketching Your Vision through Fashion Illustration:

Hudson, NY

If you sketch couture while you binge Netflix this is your chance to get out of your house, grow your skills and meet some kindred spirits. Wait, that's not even the best part! This workshop

It's true, there are fewer events on the calendars in the Hudson Valley and Catskills this winter than in past years. BUT, it's an opportunity! An opportunity to see a concert, or an art show, or visit a historic spot that you normally wouldn't - scarcity breeds creativity, trying new things is a good thing. Check out these wonderful local events and experience something new!

Events In Columbia County, NY

Pascal Rambert: "The Art Of Theater" and "With My Own Hands," Chatham, NY Following their residency at PS21 in December 2021, celebrated French playwright and director Pascal Rambert, actors Jim Fletchers and Ismail ibn Conner, and translator Nicholas Elliott return to PS21’s Black Box Theater for public