12 Quirkiest Upstate New York Towns You Didn't Know Existed
Several bizarre venues call the city of New York home, including the Ghostbusters’ Firehouse in Tribeca and Roosevelt Island Cat Sanctuary, between Manhattan and Queens. Yet, upstate New York, from the Great Lakes Region to the Catskills, has some weird attractions of its own. Whether it is an actual fork in the road or an abandoned Girl Scout camp, strange phenomena attract people from all over America to upstate New York. From the small town of Woodstock and its Artist Cemetery to the tiny town of Pine Bush and the UFO & Paranormal Museum, there are some quirky attributes to these twelve towns that you may not even know exist.
Woodstock
Hidden in the Catskill Mountains, the quaint town of Woodstock is recalled because of the music festival by the same name, though it actually occurred in Bethel, almost fifty miles away. Yet, Woodstock is known for a few bizarre attractions of its own, like the Overlook Mountain House and the Artists’ Cemetery.
The house, or rather, the ruins therein, were actually the third set of ruins at this site just below the peak of Overlook Mountain. The original house was built in 1871, and the current ruins are from 1923. The Artists’ Cemetery, located only a few minutes from the Village Green, began as a separation of the classes. It is now the final resting place of many prominent artists and musicians.
Saranac Lake
Fifty miles west of the southern end of Lake Champlain, the town of Saranac Lake is home to the Saranac Lake “Cure Cottages.” These open-porch New York houses, of which some say numbered over 700 in their day, were all designed between the late 1800s and the mid-1900s in order to battle Tuberculosis with ample amounts of fresh air and bed rest.
The town of Saranac Lake is also home to the Saranac Laboratory Museum. This phenomenal museum is also based on the disease, Tuberculosis, and how the town of Saranac Lake was one of the most popular Tuberculosis treatment destinations in all of the northeast. And, just down the road from the museum, the Waterhole Music Lounge has some great music daily.
Rhinebeck
Along the banks of the Hudson River, the picturesque town of Rhinebeck is home to the Wyndcliffe and the Wilderstein mansions. These two phenomenal mansions are great examples of what can happen over time. While the Wyndcliffe, built in 1853, is in ruins, too costly to repair and too costly to tear down, the Wilderstein, built in 1852, is not only in great condition but is also a premier wedding venue.
Rhinebeck is also home to the Fork in the Road. Located at the intersection of routes 308 and 199, this piece of cutlery, a thirty-one-foot-tall fork which was created by Steve Schreiber, refers to the saying ‘turn at the fork in the road’ in a substantial way. Several other strange objects are also at this location, including a million milligram Prozac Capsule and a rusty SpongeBob.
Sodus
Along the edge of Lake Ontario, the town of Sodus is home to a rather unusual attribute. Beechwood State Park, between Sodus and Sodus Point, is home to a Girl Scout camp that was abandoned in the nineties. Including several cabins, a mess hall, and even a swimming pool, this abandoned Girl Scout camp in the depths of Beechwood State Park might just shock you.
The quaint town of Sodus is home to another weird attraction. Six miles to the northeast of town, Sodus Point was burned to the ground during the War of 1812 when the British attacked New York from across the waters of Lake Ontario. This can be better experienced through the Sodus Bay Lighthouse Museum, which has several exhibits on the history of Lake Ontario and the surrounding area.
Little Falls
Picturesque Little Falls, hidden just below Adirondack Park, between the cities of Schenectady and Syracuse, is home to a rather famous castle. Named Beardslee Castle after the Beardslee family in 1860, Beardslee Castle survived several fires, including a devastating one in 1919, only to survive to this day in the guise of a popular restaurant and event venue.
Little Falls is also home to the Little Falls, a waterfall that had been concealed behind an artificial dam for decades. Revealed in 2013 through the removal of the dam, the Little Falls have been vastly re-examined. There are even several kayak races held on this small portion of the Cuyahoga River, including the class II rapids race and the class III waterfall race.
Ticonderoga
Along the southern banks of Lake Champlain, as well as the northern banks of Lake George, the small town of Ticonderoga is home to several phenomenal venues, like Fort Ticonderoga and Mt. Defiance, the latter providing a stupendous view of the former. During the American Revolutionary War, the historic town of Ticonderoga was instrumental in the Battle of Carillon.
Ticonderoga is also home to the King’s Garden, which is conveniently located inside Fort Ticonderoga. Considered by some to be the oldest garden in America, as well as the largest in the Adirondack-Lake Champlain region, this garden began in 1756 with the French. Today, it consists of five different garden sections, including a 3 Sisters Garden and a Children’s Discovery Garden.
Petersburg
Close to the Massachusetts border, the picturesque town of Petersburg is perhaps best known for the Snow Hole. The Snow Hole is a fifty-foot-deep hole, or rather, a fifty-foot-deep crevasse in the midst of the Taconic Mountains that maintains snow throughout most of the year, some say even during summer.
The town of Petersburg is also home to Cherry Plain State Park. The state park, situated south of town, offers amenities and attributes such as a boat launch, hiking, mountain-biking, and horseback riding trails, swimming, fishing, and even kayaking and boating. The Beaver Lodge Trail, allows for some serious photography opportunities. Cherry Plain also has camping options, in case you wish to stay overnight.
Rosendale
Less than a hundred miles north of the city of Manhattan, the small town of Rosendale is home to the Widow Jane Mine. This old cement mine, located in the Century House Historical District of Rosendale, opened as a cement mine in 1825 and closed as a cement mine in 1970, 145 years later. It covered 32 square miles of land.
Yet, after closing in 1970, instead of becoming abandoned, this cement mine became the site for several venues, including a recording studio, a mushroom farm, and a whiskey water source. The Widow Jane Mine in the town of Rosendale is also known, at least by the locals, for being haunted. Several locals have reported seeing a young woman in a long, white dress wandering around the mine from time to time.
Red Hook
Another awesome town in upstate New York, the town of Red Hook, located on the banks of the Hudson River, is home to many bizarre attractions. The Parliament of Reality, created by Olafur Eliasson in 2009, is a hand-crafted island, complete with steel bridge. Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome also calls Red Hook home. This phenomenal museum has multiple airplane exhibits, including an authentic replica of the Spirit of St. Louis.
Red Hook is also home to the Historic Village Diner. This particular establishment serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, like most restaurants. Yet, unlike most, the Historic Village Diner is shaped after a railroad dining car. Named Halfway Diner when it was opened in 1925, this vision from the 1920s is well worth stopping in and trying.
Fayetteville
Hidden just outside the outskirts of Syracuse, the town of Fayetteville is home to Green Lakes State Park. Situated to the northeast of town, this state park, with its two nearly 200-foot-deep glacial lakes, offers a plethora of outdoor activities, such as hiking, fishing, and kayaking. Green Lake and Round Lake are also meromictic lakes, which means the different layers of water do not mix too much, providing warm water at the surface and frigid water further down.
The town of Fayetteville is also home to the Stickley Museum and the Fayetteville Memory Garden. Located in the original Stickley Factory, the Stickley Museum features over a century of fine furniture making. A part of the Fayetteville Senior Center, the Memory Garden, situated in downtown Fayetteville, allows the community to connect with loved ones.
Romulus
Situated between Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake, the tiny town of Romulus is home to several great attractions, including some rather bizarre ones. The Seneca White Deer, considered to be the largest herd of white deer in the world, call what was once an army depot their home. Now named Deer Haven Park, the area also sports a partial Cold War museum, with over 500 ammunition storage facilities and a bomb shelter.
Romulus is also home to Sampson State Park, which offers a campground, a marina, a Revolutionary War battlefield site, and a scenic lake trail that is perfect for amateur photography. There are also several wineries and vineyards in the area of Romulus, like Varick, Lakeshore, and Swedish Hill. This allows for some great competition, like Swedish Hill taking the Governor Cup three times.
Pine Bush
The tiny town of Pine Bush is considered the UFO capital of New York, from aliens peeking out from behind curtains or from standing on porches, to a diner named Cups and Saucers, to the annual UFO parade, which occurs during the UFO fair in June with a speaker tent, a beauty contest, food & craft vendors, and much more.
The town of Pine Bush is also home to the UFO & Paranormal Museum, which is located downtown and has exhibits showcasing everything from the Gallery Macabre to tours of different locations where aliens have made contact. The UFO & Paranormal Museum is also responsible for the UFO Fair, as well as a Zombie Scavenger Challenge for kids every year in October.
Upstate New York has a plethora of excellent natural attributes, like the Great Lakes and Niagara Falls. Yet this fabulous land has an abundance of small towns that sometimes get misplaced as well. From the Widow Jane Mine in Rosendale to the White Deer of Romulus, some of these small towns have eccentric and bizarre venues and attractions. From the UFO & Paranormal Museum in Pine Bush to the “Cure Cottages” of Saranac Lake, these twelve small towns with quirky tendencies might just be worth a visit.
