Summer Excursion-TWIN STAR ORCHARDS in the Hudson Valley

Editor’s Note:  We had the opportunity to visit Twin Star Orchards, the home of Brooklyn Cider House and recommend it highly for food, fun, and fabulous ciders.

For a summer or fall getaway with plenty of activities for the whole family head up to New Paltz in the Hudson Valley, just 90 minutes from New York City. Known for its natural beauty, historic sites and cider culture, New Paltz attracts visitors for everything from antiquing and exploring American history to hiking along the river, horseback riding and enjoying ciders, BBQ, pizza and live music at Twin Star Orchards. The orchard also hosts events on weekends from pig roasts to local craft beverage festivals highlighting local spirits and brews, including one on Aug. 5th, more on it below, as well as seasonal strawberry and apple picking, and more.

The food and beverage scene is eclectic in this college town home to SUNY New Paltz that even has its own cidery - Twin Star Orchards, home to Brooklyn Cider House, a family owned cidery where father and daughter Peter Yi and Olivia Yi makeaward-winning natural hard ciders, including Raw, Half Sour, Bone Dry, Kinda Dry, Rose, as well as limited releases like Three of Life, a complex pet-nat cider. Visitors can enjoy artisanal wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas, burgers and Texas-style BBQalong with natural ciders by the scenic pond on weekends, taking in the views and live music, while they explore the 210-acre family and dog-friendly orchards and partake in cider tastings (21+). Upcoming events include the Hudson Valley Craft Beverage Festival on 8/5 highlighting more than 25 makers of local cider, beer, mead, wines and spirits as the Hudson Valley is fast becoming a world-class destination for artisanal beverages with over 100 producers in the region making hard cider, beer, mead, wine and spirits.

Twin Star Orchards is open to the public on weekends April till November and features an array of activities and eventsthroughout the season including live music on Saturdays, events like pig roasts or paella night, plus strawberry picking June to August and apple picking from September to November. Their fruit is never sprayed. During apple picking season guests can grab armfuls of different sustainably farmed apples including McIntosh, Gala, Fuji, Macoun, Cortland, Red Delicious, Jonagold, and Empire. 
 

Natural beauty is a major draw with the Shawangunk Ridge renowned for its world class rock climbing and the 22,000 acre Minnewaska State Park Preserve just west of the town. Nearby Mohonk Preserve is home to another 8,000 acres of lush forest and the iconic lakeside resort Mohonk House. Visitors can also explore America’s colonial history on Huguenot Street in New Paltz, a National Historic Landmark District with seven well-preserved stone houses from the 17th century. Part of the Water Street Market complex of shops and restaurants in downtown, the innovative 70-seat Denizen Theatre showcases new works of emerging playwrights.

Photo Credit: by KK Chote