Pick your choice from these two amazing newly-renovated houses! Do you prefer thoroughly modern (if so, click here) or modernized traditional (click here)? Yes, pets are welcome!

The best part: top 12 Our Favorite Things to do while you are in Spruceton Valley and the vicinity:

• 12. Emerson complex on 28 is something we started to appreciate just recently. It includes the World's largest kaleidoscope and an awesome kids' toy shop. Also, their restaurant, Woodnotes, serves a very nice breakfast (white tablecloths) with very reasonably prices. Their spa is also quite an attraction.
• 11. Swimming: There are several great options. If you choose to drive, you may want to look into CD Lane Park, Belleayre Beach, North/South Lake, all of which offer lifeguards, which is great if you have kids and want to relax. Minekill State Park offers swimming lessons for kids. Of course, right across the street behind the big white church is the West Kill creek -- a pristine source of NYC drinking water, about 100 ft wide. It is perfect for wading and safe for even the littlest kids under the parents' supervision. There are also "swimming holes" along the creek that are deep enough for grown-ups.
• 10. Horseriding: Mountain Brook Farm and Dancing Horse Farm in Windham are the closest stables where you can practice your equestrian skills and commune with these gorgeous animals.
• 9. If you like history, there is plenty to be found in the Catskills. Several amazing mansions and extreme hotels have been built here by the NY High Society, with many mansions constructed by the famous NYC and Hamptons architects like Delano & Aldrich. One famous example, a former Colgate mansion, is now a Deer Mountain Inn, and is open to the public as a restaurant.
• 8. Windham movie theater is an experience in its own right -- you sit on plush couches, enjoying food, while watching a big-screen performance.
• 7. Local brew: Try a seasonal IPA at West Kill brewing at the end of Spruceton Road. With outdoor seating and a taco truck, (weekends 12PM-7PM), the brewery offers seasonal draft beers, often with live music.
• 6. Hangout: Spruceton Inn was once a haunt of Arnold Swartzenegger -- he still has family in West Kill and it's a nice place to have a refreshment and chat with other weekenders around a fire. The Inn hosts an artist-in-residence program to have someone on hand to strike up interesting conversations.
• 5. Culture: Tannersville offers a number of options, including art galleries and music venues. Tannersville also has the best fun lunch: Mama's Boy in Tannersville is a pure joy: in a tasteful ice cream shack in psychedelic colors, they serve soft-serve ice cream, hot dogs, burgers and much more. 6067 Main Street, Tannersville.
• 4. Hiking: We are within 5-15 minutes from the best hiking trails Catskills has to offer. Trails lead up Hunter Mountain to the fire tower from the end of the Spruceton road, there's also excellent fishing all along the road and past the trail head. There is a bushwhack to Sherrill Mountain right behind the barnhouse, a nearby parking for Halcott, and, of course, West Kill mountain. Other popular trails include Devil's Path and more. I am not allowed to post outside links in this email, but if you google Catskills 3500+, you will find plenty of information on the peaks in the area. The nature is spectacular and hikes can be as short or as long as you'd like to make them. We often go for a family picnic in the woods across the field behind the barnhouse.
• 3. Dining: Peek-a-Moose in Pine Hill is a tasteful dinner conglomerate run by ex-Gramercy Tavern chef that includes a formal dining room, great bar with local beer, and, best of all, an outdoor fire pit with cocktail service and s'mores. Phoenicia has some nice restaurants, too, (Phoenicia Diner is cool and Phoenician Steakhouse makes great steak). For best ribs ever and great kid-friendly food, head out to Chicken Run in Windham. Our French friends' favorite Shandaken Inn offers tasteful and civilized contemporary take on haute French food. If you long for a hip Williamsburg vibe, head over to Chappies in Roxbury: yes, they serve a Moroccan Tagine, too, and it's one of the favorites of the international artsy crowd.
• 2. Skiing: You will be only 10 minutes door-to-door to Hunter, 15 minutes to Windham and 18 minutes to Belleayre! Pick one or ski all three!
• 1. Breathtaking endless mountain views from the back garden! The best place to enjoy the cleanest air and watch the clouds go by as you kick back with a local beer or a glass of wine!

Van Duisen is a new gourmet food shop just a 5-minute drive away next to the Town of Lexington's post office. We have not tried it yet, but we will be very excited to do so soon. Please note that the hours of operation are about 12 pm to 7 pm.

Questions? Please reach out: irene@sprucetonvistas.com