Sullivan: Nature, History, and Unique Family Experiences

Sullivan combines expansive natural landscapes with engaging history and unique experiences for a variety of travel days. Between lakes, river landscapes, wetlands, historic bridges, and regional markets, you can create a varied itinerary. When choosing your vacation rental, it is worth first deciding on your preferred focus: Should the accommodation serve as a base for nature experiences, are culture and regional history your main priorities, or are you looking for a mix of activities and relaxed discoveries?

Nature Between Lake, River, and Wetland

Lake Superior State Park covers 1,409 acres and includes Lake Superior and Chestnut Ridge Pond. The beach area has a swimming area and rentals for kayaks, canoes, rowboats, and pedal boats. Hiking, fishing, and sledding are also permitted there. This makes it possible to adapt your daily plans to different interests without every activity having to follow the same rhythm.

Another distinctive natural area is the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area. It covers 3,107 acres, is designated as a Bird Conservation Area by the state, and includes the largest freshwater wetland in southeastern New York. The Neversink River Unique Area extends over 6,580 acres and features a gorge as well as Denton Falls, Mullet Brook Falls, and High Falls. More than 14 miles of designated trails are available for exploration. The Neversink River also offers whitewater paddling through its gorge; the Neversink River Unique Area provides opportunities for trout fishing.

Canal History and Historic Places

The Delaware & Hudson Canal Linear Park combines outdoor activity with regional industrial history. The towpath is approximately 3½ miles long. Original locks, a dry dock, and spillways can be seen along the route. The park is suitable for hiking, cycling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and wildlife observation. At the Delaware & Hudson Canal Interpretive Center, you can learn more about the canal’s construction phases and its 70-year operating period. Photographs also illustrate its social impact on many workers and its contribution to the region’s industrial development.

The historic bridges also give Sullivan a distinctive character. The Livingston Manor Covered Bridge was built in 1860 and spans Willowemoc Creek. Stone Arch Bridge Park is defined by a three-arch stone bridge built in 1882 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. At Minisink Battleground Park, the listing on the National Register of Historic Places commemorates the Battle of Minisink, the only major engagement of the Revolutionary War in the Upper Delaware.

Markets, Harvests, and Family Activities

The Callicoon Farmers' Market offers a regional perspective. It is a producer-only market and sources its products exclusively from within a 75-mile radius. During the growing season, farmers' markets in Sullivan County offer locally grown seasonal fruits, vegetables, herbs, bedding plants, perennials, and cut flowers. In Callicoon, Seminary Hill has a 12-acre orchard with 60 varieties of apples and pears; the resulting ciders are offered in the tasting room overlooking the Delaware River Valley.

Families traveling with children can combine a variety of activities: Cunningham Family Farms offers a corn maze, a pick-your-own pumpkin patch, and hayrides. Bethel Woods also has a nine-hole disc golf course on the historic site of the 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair. Every autumn, Bethel Woods hosts a Harvest Festival featuring locally farmed products, handcrafted goods, specialty items, live music, and hands-on activities.

Practical Guidance for Choosing Your Accommodation

For days focused on history, the Fort Delaware Museum offers guided tours with demonstrations of the lifestyle of early settlers and the production of handicrafts. The museum depicts the lives of the pioneers of the Delaware Company, who settled in the Upper Delaware Valley in 1754. The Sullivan County Cultural Center complements this focus with educational tours and support for archival and genealogical research.

When planning your arrival, you can take the approximate location of your destination into account: Sullivan County is accessible from Newark Liberty International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and JFK International Airport by an approximately two-hour drive. Sullivan County Transportation also operates a round trip from the Highland Township area to Monticello. The Delaware & Hudson Canal Linear Park is located along the Route 209 corridor in the Town of Mamakating; the towpath can be accessed at several points between the Village of Wurtsboro and the Hamlet of Phillipsport. The route through the Town of Delaware is open to the public.

As additional places to include in your travel planning, you can explore Livingston Manor, Roscoe, Monticello, Wurtsboro, Callicoon, Liberty, Claryville, Barryville, Kenoza Lake, and Cochecton.

For the broader travel overview: New York.