The city is fast and oftentimes you may want a break from all the commotion or maybe you are visiting NY for the second time and want to experience a trip without the yellow cabs, here are 5 towns to visit in Upstate New York.

5. Kingston, NY

Kingston is nearly two hours North of the city and is bound to feed your need to galavant in cobblestone, heritage towns. Think settlers for beginners and getting a feel for what it might be like to milk a cow or, how about just sitting on a proverbial milking stool to mimic milking a cow.

Do folks still drink cow milk anymore or, have we collectively advanced as a people to only drinking milk alternatives? My favourite is oat milk.

I digress…Kingston is full of mom ‘n pop shops in the Uptown Historic District and farms where you could pet the animals in Forsyth Park.

4. Hudson, NY

Hudson, New York is a two-and-a-half-hour drive from the city and is soon to be a secret no more as Vogue dubbed the location the “Brooklyn of the Hudson Valley”.

And as fashion magazines turned cultural critics speaking on anything goes, it will likely be the hottest place in NY to visit soon enough.

This town has everything you might look for in an upstate location that guarantees you an atmosphere that looks nothing like the city.

In Hudson, you’ll enjoy antiques and unique architecture like at the Olana State Historic Site.

3. Red Hook, NY

There is a Red Hook in Brooklyn, so be sure not to confuse the two.

The Red Hook you are looking for is the quietest town and a great place for you to kick back and enjoy nature like the trees change colours in the fall.

You can visit darling boutiques in Vaux Village and take a peaceful stroll in an 1850’s park called Poets’ Walk Park with a series of outdoor rooms.

2. Beacon, NY

If you are an art buff, be sure to take a trip to Beacon, New York and visit one of the country’s premier museums for contemporary art, Dia:

Beacon. An hour and a half away by bus or train, which is basically like travelling from the Bronx to Brooklyn, you’ll be in a minimalistic hippie area filled with greenery.

It’s a great spot to hit up for a quick getaway, where you can likely plan a day trip, there and back within 12 to 24 hours.

Rolf Müller (User:Rolfmueller), Wikimedia Commons

1. New Paltz, NY

New Paltz is known as a get-away college town but, it truly serves as a historic landmark on the outskirts of New York State.

In the late 1600s, New Paltz was settled by the Huguenots and prior was inhabited by the Lenape Esopus tribe. An upstate get away from the busy city life and a history lesson–I know, sign you up? Thank us later.