Manhattan's energy is intoxicating until it's exhausting. Smart New Yorkers know the antidote lies just hours away—lakeside wine tastings, summit hikes revealing views of three states, secret swimming holes, and farm-to-table dinners. Your perfect weekend awaits beyond the Hudson River, no passport required.
Consider this your escape hatch from the city’s concrete jungle.
Featured vacation rental: SkyBarn Vermont
Vermont's family playground delivers with Mount Snow's Adventure Park, where kids zoom on ziplines while parents tackle mountain biking trails. Downtown Dover's quaint shops offer ice cream breaks between outdoor adventures, and family-friendly hiking paths mean nobody gets left behind.
Featured vacation rental: Cozy Greenport Cottage
Kids collect shells along protected bay beaches, parents breathe easy on vineyard patios with massive playgrounds, and everyone enjoys ice cream from century-old parlors between lighthouse explorations and maritime museum visits.
Featured vacation rental: Straitsmouth Station
Boston’s best-kept family secret, Rockport, combines pirate-worthy harbor adventures with sandy beaches safe enough for toddlers. Kids eat seafood fresh off boats while investigating tidal pools, and parents sneak art gallery visits between ice cream cone breaks.
Featured vacation rental: Overlook Chalet
Lake George's 32-mile crystal playground offers couples intimate sunset cruises where champagne tastes better against Adirondack mountain backdrops. Paddle secluded coves only accessible by kayak, dine at waterfront bistros, and cozy up in your private lakefront cabin.
Featured vacation rental: The Bear Den
This Poconos paradise guarantees shared adventures—morning kayak explorations, afternoon wine tastings at nearby vineyards, evening sunset cruises. Hike to secret waterfalls for private picnics, dine at lakefront farm-to-table restaurants, and end the night stargazing from the hot tub.
Featured vacation rental: Whistling Peak
Vermont's romantic hideaway where couples kayak pristine Lake Whitingham at sunrise, picnic beside cascading waterfalls, and savor farm-to-table cuisine under twinkling bistro lights. Wilmington offers guided wine tours, antique hunting, and outdoor activities that reconnect busy New York couples.
Featured vacation rental: Eagles Landing
Six million acres of wilderness playground awaits just hours from Midtown. Hike America's oldest trails to summit views that make Manhattan's skyline seem trivial, paddle crystal lakes reflecting perfect mountain silhouettes, then stargaze beneath skies untouched by light pollution.
Featured vacation rental: Modern Mountain
The Poconos deliver accessible wilderness where you'll raft whitewater rapids, hike to vista points overlooking three states, and discover hidden swimming holes perfect for cooling off. Evening brings farm-to-table dining featuring ingredients sourced from valleys visible from your table.
Featured vacation rental: Rock Stream Sanctuary
Waterfalls and wine—the Finger Lakes' perfect pairing. Hike trails revealing over 1,000 cascades, including the 215-foot Taughannock Falls, paddle lakes stretching like blue highways between forested hills, then reward yourself at wineries perched on hillsides where Rieslings thrive thanks to the microclimate these massive lakes create.
Featured vacation rental: Sky Zen-Tranquility Retreat
Discover covered bridges framing your best travel moments, swim in natural marble-bottomed swimming holes locals protect from guidebooks, and dine at America's original farm-to-table restaurants where reservations are gold but worth every planning effort.
Featured vacation rental: Owls Unit #6
Vermont's highest peak creates a dramatic backdrop for swimming holes where water runs emerald green over marble beds, cycling the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail connecting charming villages, and sampling spirits at distilleries housed in historic barns.
Featured vacation rental: Cottage on the Lake
New England's second-largest lake creates perfect escapes for those willing to venture beyond New York’s skyscrapers for a long weekend. Discover sand beaches rivaling oceanfront without salt or sharks, paddle to uninhabited islands for private picnics, then feast on freshwater catches at lakeside shacks.
