Within a two-hour radius of the Big Apple, there are umpteen towns to visit, and with them are plenty of LGBTQ-owned businesses to support.
New Yorkers may know of some more stalwart businesses, like the sprawling Mohonkย Mountain House (mohonk.com), with itsย esteemed history and rustic grounds, but inย more recent years a number of LGBTQย owned restaurants, bars, and shops haveย popped up, pulling in day visitors or thoseย looking to stay a week and bop aroundย upstate, from the Catskills in the west to theย Hudson Valley in the east. While many areasย have downtowns just off the Metro North railย line, a car is the easiest way to navigateย up stateโs cute hamlets and villages.
Not only is there lots to see, but there isย plenty of community to advocate for, in largeย part thanks to the efforts of the Hudsonย Valley LGBTQ+ Community Center (lgbtqcenter.org), founded in 2005 when same-sexย marriages were being performed in New Paltz. Per Executive Director Richard Heyl de Ortiz, the Community Center โadvocates for dignity, respect, and support for all queer people. We provide a variety of programs, services and supports designed to strengthen, celebrate, support and connect LGBTQ+ individuals, family members and allies.โ
He also told Passport that โnot only is the area one of the most beautiful in our country, but there is a sense of inclusiveness and respect for LGBTQ+ people that is remarkableย โ it’s a great place to live and to spend time.โ On a recent trip, we spoke to some of the small business owners that operate with pride in upstate New York to help you and map out your own journey of the Empire State.
STAY
Red Parlor Kettleboro (Photo by Red Parlor Kettleboro)
New Paltz is a charming college town centrally located less than 90 minutes from the George Washington Bridge. New Paltz is also far enough from the city and its suburbs to feel like a new, more open territory, but close enough to other towns that visiting more than one is feasible for a day trip. And when you get back to New Paltz, stay at the Inn at Kettleboro (kettleboro.com). Ulster County natives Robert and Michael renovated the 19th century home a dozen years ago, and it endures as a proper inn with four guest suites complete with modern amenities. Whether you want a quiet getaway or an intimate wedding, the Inn at Kettleboro is a quaint but refined destination.
Located just a half-hour drive north, the Herwood Inn (theherwoodinn.com) is just as colorful as its town, Woodstock. The boutique, award-winning hotel features splashy but tasteful decor along with someย ly available to make it easy to head into town, where queer bookstores, candle shops, and art galleries abound.
SIP
Head to Unicorn Bar (unicornkingston.com), which is filling a niche that has long been a key part to Kingston culture: the LGBTQ+ community. The town, which before Albany was New Yorkโs first capital, now has a queer bar of its own. Featuring a range of drinks, from craftย cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages, Unicorn Bar strives to be a watering hole with something for everyone. โI’m really proud of how different generations of our community gather and interact with each other at Unicorn Bar,โ founder Francesca Hoffman told Passport. โThe Hudson Valley is already a multi-generational community, but to see it flourish specifically within queer community at the bar has been really special.โ Check out Unicorn Barโs calendar for upcoming events, including queeraoke, Robyn dance parties, and โpro-slut events.โ
Unicorn Bar (Photo by Unicorn Bar)
A little farther north, Shaina Lowe Banayan is also fostering queer inclusivity after hours at Hudsonโs Cafe Mutton (cafemutton.com), which turns into a makeshift lesbian bar on Monday nights. The restaurant has hosted events dubbed Spooky Lesbian Bar and Lesbian Bar Cookie Swap. โItโs low key. itโs like going to someoneโs house and hanging out,โ Lowe-Banayan said. โI wanted to offer something to our queer and our local community. In the Hudson area, a lot of restaurants are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so those days are when industry people have nowhere to go, so part of the reason to open on Monday is to be a space people can go to if they want to have some fun.โ
Cafe Mutton (Photo by Cafe Mutton)
And if you head to the restaurant to eat first before the mingling begins, you wonโt be disappointed: Lowe-Banayan is nominated this year, for the third time, for the James Beard Foundationโs Award for Best Chef: New York State.
When out and about exploring the area, if you work up an appetite you can grab a coffee and a sammy at Cafe Euphoria (cafeeuphoria.org), a gender non-conforming worker-owned and operated cafe and restaurant located in downtown Troy. How queer is this cafe? Just look at the menu: LGBTQ is a favorite. Cafe Euphoriaโs take on a BLT, this version has lettuce, guac, bacon, tomato, and queso.
SHOP
No trip to the Hudson Valley is complete without some antiquing, thrifting, or shopping, and downtown Nyack is abuzz with LGBTQ-owned and inclusive businesses. With a Pride flag in the window, Main Street Beat (mainstreetbeat.com) is a go-to, female owned business and a destination for records, books, clothing, and more. Last year, the business celebrated ten years on Main Street.
Just a few doors down, youโll find Sniff A Pickle (sniffapickle.com), a niche businessย Scott & Joeย with a briny sense of humor. Pickle flavors include Sweet & Sassy Granny Pickle, One Night Stand Pickles, and the larger varietal, Size Matters. Youโll also find Nyack, Pride, and small business apparel and drinkware.
Scott & Joe (Photo by Ken Goodman)
Need some meat to go with those pickles? Keep shopping in Nyack and visit Scott & Joe (scottandjoe.co), an event space and cheese and charcuterie bistro named for the storeโs owners. Shoppers will get to explore custom cheese boards and also participate in wine tastings. Co-owner Scott Young shared with Passport, โWe opened Scott & Joe three years ago, and besides getting married itโs the gayest thing weโve ever done. Our community has entirely embraced who we are and what we are here to do: taste, learn, shop, and most importantly, gather. Being entrepreneurs in the Hudson Valley and getting to curate lives fullย of indulgence and freedom and decadence, all in our tiny town, this is the dream.โ With so many great places for LGBTQ+ visitors to enjoy and experience, itโs easy to understand why The Hudson Valley is a very welcoming destination any time of year.
