9 Prettiest Main Streetscapes In Upstate New York

Upstate New York's prettiest main streets are set against such photogenic backdrops as the Hudson and St. Lawrence Rivers, Lake Champlain, and the Adirondacks. As fall colors prepare to peak, these natural settings almost steal the show. But no matter the season, Cazenovia's Albany Street appeals to history buffs with 68 contributing buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. In Clayton, you'll catch glimpses of the river through gaps in the storefronts along Riverside Drive. Lake Placid's Main Street follows the shore of Mirror Lake in a town that has twice hosted the Winter Olympics. In Cooperstown, a wax museum of baseball heroes sits a few doors from a shop selling caps for every team in the league. Read on for nine of the prettiest main streetscapes in Upstate New York.

Catskill

Farmers in the 18th century described the trip down from the hills toward the Hudson River as going "downstreet" as they entered Catskill. Today, the historic Main Street is lined with cafes, bars, and small shops, including Catskill Collectibles, an antiques shop focused on memorabilia from the Catskill Mountain region, and Cat on the Corner, a cat-themed gift shop.

A few doors down, Chemistry Wine Bar pours wines from low-intervention wineries alongside a rotating menu of small plates. Each month, First Fridays Catskill keeps participating shops and galleries open until 8 pm, including the gallery at Citiot, a combination cafe, shop, and art space. Just off Main Street on Church Street, the Avalon Lounge hosts live music and serves Korean-inspired dishes.

Chatham

An 1869 fire destroyed much of Main Street in Chatham. Today, the downtown is lined with local businesses like Chatham Brewing, founded nearly 20 years ago in a garage in an alley off Main Street. The brewery, whose beers won TAP New York awards soon after its launch, now pours them at its downtown taproom and restaurant.

Across the street, the century-old Crandell Theatre screens films and hosts the annual FilmColumbia festival each October. Just down the street, the Shaker Museum runs a pop-up gallery on Depot Square while its new space is under construction, and the Olde 1811 Antique Shoppe sells antique furniture and vintage collectibles.

Ballston Spa

The first Iron Spring in Ballston Spa was discovered in 1771, earning the village the nickname "America's first watering place." That spring failed in 1835, and its replacement, drilled in 1874, is the Old Iron Spring on the edge of Front Street. The eight-sided pavilion around it is regarded as the oldest in the area.

Water from springs across the region was shipped worldwide in glass bottles, and just down the street, the National Bottle Museum displays thousands of them on its main floor. Front Street is lined on either side by small shops and restaurants, such as Upstate Retro Clothing and Next Door Kitchen & Bar, a farm-to-table restaurant that sources from its own downtown garden.

Glens Falls

Glen Street runs through downtown Glens Falls toward the Hudson River, and its red-brick streetscape still looks much as it did in the last century. Three historic districts cover portions of the city, preserving architecture dating back to the 19th century. At the center of town, the Charles R. Wood Theater opened in 2004 in the renovated former Woolworth's Department Store, and its 294-seat auditorium hosts theater, musicals, concerts, dance, and film. Up the street, the Chapman Museum focuses on the history of the Glens Falls-Queensbury region, including Adirondack Park.

Lake Placid

In the Adirondack Mountains, Lake Placid is home to the first winter resort in the United States, after Melvil Dewey, inventor of the Dewey Decimal System, insisted on keeping the Lake Placid Club open through the winter. The town has since hosted the Winter Olympics twice, and the Lake Placid Olympic Center Museum on Main Street displays memorabilia, uniforms, and equipment.

Main Street runs along the shore of Mirror Lake, where ski shops are as common as ice cream stands. Lake Placid Ski and Board rents skis and snowboards, while up the street, Emma's Lake Placid Creamery serves 16 hard ice cream flavors and a variety of soft serve. Raquette River Brewing, a small-batch brewery, overlooks the lake.

Plattsburgh

The Plattsburgh Murals Trail showcases public street art around downtown. On Margaret Street, the main street, the mosaic Clinton History Through The Eyes of Its Children was created with students from Clinton County, and Woods and Wild Things by Tory and Norman Taber depicts woodland creatures in a birch forest. In all, more than 20 murals decorate downtown Plattsburgh.

Plattsburgh is also known for "Michigans," hot dogs topped with a meaty tomato sauce. The Town of Plattsburgh issues a passport that can be stamped at Gus' Red Hots, Ronnie's Michigan Stand, Clare & Carl's, McSweeney's Red Hots, and Michigans Plus, and on Margaret Street, Hobie's Sports Den serves the classic dog, though it is better known for pizza.

Clayton

Clayton's main street, Riverside Drive, curves along the bank of the St. Lawrence River, and gaps in its storefronts open onto the water. The paved Clayton River Walk hugs the riverbank and wraps around the Clayton Memorial Lighthouse, which honors the town's veterans. Just off Riverside Drive, the Antique Boat Museum overlooks the marina with a collection of wooden paddle, sail, and power boats. Small shops line the downtown blocks, including the Little Book Store, stocked with fiction and children's books, the gift and home decor shop The Mason Jar, and the Sweet Bar Candy Shoppe. Further down Riverside Drive, the Clayton Opera House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, hosts orchestral performances, jazz, and other concerts.

Cazenovia

On the shore of Cazenovia Lake, Cazenovia began attracting tourists in the 19th century, many arriving by train and riding a horse-drawn omnibus the last mile to Albany Street. Today, the main street is lined with buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, with 68 contributing buildings. Small shops along Albany Street include Cazenovia Abroad, featuring sterling silver holiday ornaments and charms, and Amanda Bury Antiques. The gallery of the Cazenovia Artisans Cooperative overlooks Memorial Park, a narrow green that hosts a Saturday farmers' market through October. At the other end of the street, the Cazenovia Museum in the public library displays a cabinet of curiosities, from fossils to artifacts from Ancient Egypt.

Cooperstown

A widely circulating myth claims Cooperstown as the birthplace of baseball. Historians have since debunked it, but the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum still sits at the center of town on Main Street. Nearby, the Heroes of Baseball Wax Museum features life-like figures of Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, and even Marilyn Monroe, and a few doors down, Baseballism Cooperstown sells caps from every team in the league.

The 50-foot Cooperstown Flagpole stands in the middle of Main Street at the intersection with Pioneer Street, and the current pole was dedicated on Pearl Harbor Day in 2017. Just off Main Street, the Cooperstown Art Association Galleries host juried exhibits, the annual Made in New York Fine Craft Invitational, and a holiday show and sale.

Pretty Main Streets Are Filled With Life

These nine main streets in Upstate New York showcase many different kinds of beauty. More importantly, these streets are filled with opportunities. View local artists' work in Cazenovia. Find a unique cat-themed gift in Catskill. Appreciate weird local history at the National Bottle Museum in Ballston Spa or the curiosity cabinets at the Cazenovia Museum. Attend a show at the Clayton Opera House or Wood Theater in Glens Falls. These small towns offer many types of fun, but what they all have in common is that they are found on their pretty downtown main streets.