November 23, 2004 -- Virginia is for lovers. California has all the girls. Beyond the City that Never Sleeps, what goes on in the rest of the state? A heck of a lot. Upstate New York is broken up into nine regions, each with a distinct flavor and history. The Catskills have their big hotels, popularized in Dirty Dancing. The Hudson Valley is where George Washington made his mark; Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame live there. And who could forget those great Niagara Falls and honeymoon tubs in the shape of a heart.
A decent jumping off place for a trip upstate is Round the Bend (www.roundthebend.com). The no frills travel guide website offers a complete listing of hotel and restaurants as well as chamber of commerce phone numbers, campground listings and offbeat attractions like maple syrup huts and the former farm of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon church.
The Mohonk Mountain House (tel. 800/772-6646; www.mohonk.com) is ideally set in the pastoral Hudson Valley. Looking like a grand castle out of a Harry Potter film, the old building is one of the largest family-owned resorts in the United States. Offering a full-range of outdoor and indoor amenities and activities, the Mohonk is good for weekend getaways or a family ice skating weekend frolic. This December, the hotel is offering mid-week specials for $229 with breakfast and dinner in the hotels huge dining room. If you take up on this deal during December 3 to 5, not only will you watch a luxurious ballroom dancing competition, you'll see the hotel in full Christmas splendor as they light their gigantic Christmas tree and illuminate their lobby. Check out the hotel's site for other "Special Offers" and important information.
If natural wonders are what you're seeking, then hightail it up toward Canada and hit Niagara Falls. The Falls are truly magnificent in their power and awesome in sight. Once thought of as a cheesy destination by honeymooners because of a popularity that grew from run-down hotels with wedding specials and big red tubs with round rotating beds, the Falls have experienced a comeback as new generations enjoy the kitsch of the past. Once in Niagara, take a Maid of the Mist Boat Tour (tel. 716/284-8897; www.maidofthemist.com). They give you raincoats and go under and around the great falls, a must-do experience for any first-time visitor. See their image-heavy website for an excellent take on what you'll see.
As for hotels, the area around Niagara is full of old chains who hurdled themselves towards Niagara when the tourist boom hit in the 1950s. From Holiday Inn to Best Western, Niagara has them all. For the real Niagara experience complete with heart-shaped tub, try the Fallsview Travel Lodge (tel. 716/285-9321; www.niagarafallstravelodge.com). Just one block from the Falls, the hotel invokes an old Niagara with its decorative bar and large rooms. Weekend rates average around $149. A mid-week room in December through February should run around $49. Call the hotel for year-round Falls Packages or upcoming Valentines Day Specials and to ensure you get a Jacuzzi suite with one of those tubs.
For baseball buffs or literary lovers, Cooperstown has a lot of both. Full of small inns and quaint shops, the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame and Last of the Mohicans author James Fennimore Cooper is a relaxing and educational escape. A stay at The Inn at Hickory Grove (tel. 866/444-6681; www.hickorygroveinn.com) will make you think Civil War soldiers are marching by as you close your eyes and sit on the wrap-around porch of the old white 1830s Victorian house. The site's weird music will make you think so, too. Fall and winter rates at this bona fide family-owned country inn on Otsego Lake where locals ice fish are as low as $59 from Sunday to Thursday and $79 on Friday and Saturday with a full country breakfast thrown in through December 31, 2004. Decorated in 1830s fashion, rooms are sparse, clean and full of frilly lace. Six miles from the heart of Cooperstown, the Inn provides an starting point for walks in the woods and long hikes where it's not uncommon to find Indian arrowheads.
