Upstae New York

If you are visiting Upstae New York here is a recommendation if you are traveling with kids. Albany is a nice city to visit, very quiet and there are a few spots that are good especially in the Spring and summer when the flowers are in bloom. Kids over the age of 8 will love the USS Slater. Go aboard a real destroyer ship. there are lots of ladders so if you are afraid of heights or have difficulty climbing up or down a steep ladder dont go on this. We all had a great time and the guide was fantastic and made the trip all worthwhile. You get to see how over 200 men lived on board this ship. Very educational and makes you appreciate things more.

Less than an hour away from Albany in a town called Cobbleskills, is Howe Caverns and Secret Caverns. I would suggest you visit both to see from different perspective of a wonderful area of caverns under the earth! Howe Caverns is more commercialized and had easier walking area that has been cleared and paved. There is also a boat ride on the underground lake. No Bats! The tour is about 1 1/2 hours and the guide we had was really great made it a lot of fun. Lots of walking so make sure you get your sneakers. Secret Caverns is smaller and there are not too many people who visit there. There are over 150 steps to go up and down into the tighter caverns and the ground is wet and slippery. At the end you will see a huge underground waterfall, beautiful site. Fantastic as well but I would not recommend it for anyone with young kids as well as those who have trouble walking. The tour guide was very knowledgeable but the price was a bit too high I think, I understand why since they are trying to make money and to compete with the more advertised Howe Ceverns. Outside of the Secret Cavern is a an area that you can see a partial ice in the ground that the tour guide stated never melts !

We stayed at a nice place, Cobbleskills Best Western Inn. Nice price, good room. There is an indoor pool that is good for our young kids and the hotel really does cater more to families with younger kids. there are rooms that face the pool which is convenient to just run in and jump in the pool rather than walk all wet through the lobby to get to your room. There is a restaurant in hotel which was ok. Vey hard to find places to eat in the area, no franchise restaurants only small local eateries and a diner.

Along the way we stopped off Saugerties which is near Woodstock. There is the Saugerties Lighthouse that has a nice trail that ends up in the lighthouse. Beautiful view and a great walk through the woods, bridges and beautiful flowers, walk on the beach with the fantastic view of the Hundson River. As you get closer to NYC there is Bear Mountain that has a nature trail with museums and animal conservation. Great place to visit with kids, a lake on the way takes you through native american artifacts, animals, revolutionary war era artifacts and more.

Check it out, New York State has some nice budget getways for the weekend !