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

One of the easiest and most beautiful ways to be a conscientious citizen of the planet is to use native species in your garden and landscaping. As Hudson Valley and Catskills real estate experts, we at Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty know that this is a concern close to many buyers' hearts.

Never have we ever heard a homebuyer say they weren't keen on a plot of land because it was decorated with native plants - no one's shouting, "NOOOO, not a serviceberry tree!!!!" - and we have all worked with buyers who put a landscape of local plants on their wishlist in order to live "greenly".  As Local Experts, we're happy to give suggestions about everything from plumbers and interior decorators to electricians and gourmet shops (both solicited and un

(Oh, how the photo above warms our heart - handmade snowshoes, snow, pretty trees, silent woods. Don't worry - we're not going to send you to rent these kind of snowshoes tough; just look at those bindings! These are here for the ambiance. Read on for where to rent snowshoes that reliably stay ON your feet.)

Please raise your hand if you are so, so tired of being cooped up inside...I'm imagining hands going up from Southern New Jersey to Albany.

The state of our social lives has kept us inside this year and I'll be the first to admit that it's getting to be a real drag. Sometimes the ski resorts are booked and as a last-minute planner I'm left without a lift ticket and avoiding the lodge and large groups of people takes a commitment I don't

Whether you're in the Catskills/Mid-Hudson Valley region for the weekend, or live here year-round, if there's snow on the ground, it's likely that someone in your crew wants to go sledding. Here's our list of favorite hills in Kingston, Rhinebeck, Saugerties, Woodstock, and New Paltz that are open for everyone to join in the fun. Go ahead, indulge in some sledding in the Catskills and Hudson Valley.

Every time the snow falls and a blanket of fluffy white goodness coats the ground, in Ulster and Dutchess Counties, we're ready for fun! There’s a certain magic in the air that you have to take advantage of; sledding is a swell way to do it - it's safer than some other winter sports, easy to do, and substantially more convenient too! Don't have a

Updated Thursday, March 30th, 2023 at 1:47pm

When exploring the Hudson Valley and Catskills regions it's not a bad idea to have a goal, or a guide. How's this for a worthy quest? Eat as many tacos, in as many cool towns up and down the valley as you can. I mean, who doesn't love a taco - or six? Whether you like them soft shell, crisp shell, corn or flour, there's a taco, or twenty, for you! And tacos are THE perfect food-tour food! They're small, and they're usually served up fast, so you can sample a taco at each taco stop and it will be ages before you begin to feel like it's all a little too much. That is, as long as you don't wash each taco down with a Margarita. 

The Great Hudson Valley Taco Trail

I had no idea how much we at Coldwell

A Boutique Hotel For Sale in The Catskills

148 Tinker Street, Woodstock 

 Somewhere, inside everyone, is a piece – a piece that wants to be an innkeeper. Sometimes it’s a big piece and sometimes it’s just a little tiny piece, shoved in a small dark corner near the parts evolution has rendered unnecessary; but it’s in there somewhere! Search around a little if it hasn’t already tapped you on the shoulder. Find it? Hospitality may very well be part of our genetic code.


But, allowing that entrepreneurial part of you free reign to shape your life can be a scary proposition. You want your business to be cool and hip. You want it to have an aesthetic that’s distinct. There are lots of guest accommodations to choose from in the Catskills,

Hoping your Catskill Escape Will Have a Stream?

One of the most relaxing things you can do this time of year in the Catskills & Hudson Valley Region is to pack yourself a thermos of tea, find a rock by a stream, and watch beautifully colored leaves float down a stream. How lovely does that sound? Streams are equally entertaining in the winter, when their edges freeze up, providing endless opportunities for ice crunching; in summer, when the moving water can cool your feet and offer a chance to observe wildlife; and in spring when their power and size change daily.

Streams are calming, so calming that corporations build them into the lobbies of their headquarters, people incorporate them into their homes via small water fixtures, and the

The Kingston Design Showhouse will open on October 5th! On a day when designers were loading in furniture and taking deliveries Maryline Damour, the founder of The Kingston Design Connection was good enough to give me a tour, and talk with me about why she and the other members of The Kingston Design Connection launched this project. 

A Tour of 139 Downs Street -

The Kingston Design Showhouse

Me: Maryline, thanks so much for taking the time out to talk to me. I can tell it's a really busy day here, so let's just launch in. Where should we start? Should we start with why you embarked on this project in the first place before you give me the tour?

Maryline: Of course! The goal of Kingston Design Connection is to connect Hudson

Something really exciting is happening in Midtown Kingston - The Kingston Design Connection's Design Showhouse is nearly finished!

What's the Kingston Design Showhouse?

In the early spring I had the pleasure of meeting Maryline Damour of design/build firm Damour Drake, the founder of Kingston Design Connection. Maryline is developing a Kingston Design Connection, in her words, "...to connect Hudson Valley designers to each other; to potential clients; and to the growing Kingston design scene." Designers and artisans who become involved are connecting with one another, and with all of us, through several different venues. First they've developed the Kingston Design Directory which will serve as a resource. It's a curated list of

Catskills and Hudson Valley Real Estate - A Tour Via Fireplace

Fall has arrived and it's just about time for our first indoor fires of the year. Sometimes a client's search for a home in the Catskills and Hudson Valley revolves entirely around a single feature; the fireplace. It's that important! A fireplace in the right place, in the right style, and of the right size is integral to many people's vision of "home". So, in honor of the crisp air I've clicked and sorted and pulled together a pile of properties with fireplaces to suit every taste and budget. Just imagine spending an afternoon in front of each one of these.

P.S. most of these homes have a lot of other great features as well.

1. I love the neat