MY FAVORITE PLACES: BEACON, NY // AUGUST 2017

When Adam and I were researching getaways close to New York City, we kept hearing great things about the town of Beacon, NY. So, we decided to take a visit to check it out for ourselves. We spent two days in Beacon and absolutely LOVED it! There was a great art scene, cute main street, beautiful nature, and a friendly, small-town feeling. We definitely want to go back to explore more! Check out our trip below.

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The Roundhouse Hotel

Adam and I decided to splurge on our accommodations in Beacon and stayed at the beautiful Roundhouse Hotel. It was well worth the price! The hotel was built inside old warehouse buildings and had a really cool, industrial look with exposed brick, large windows and high ceilings. 

The hotel has two properties onsite, the Roundhouse (which overlooks the river and a waterfall) and the slightly more affordable Mill building (where we stayed), which is just across the street from the river and a second waterfall. There is also a gorgeous eventspace where they host weddings and business events! 

​We stayed in a Mill Deluxe room and it was the perfect space for us. It was quiet and cozy, and just a 5 minute walk to Main Street. The price of our stay came with complimentary breakfast, coffee and Saratoga bottled spring water, and the room was stocked with comfy robes, quality toiletries, a large tv, and easy to control air conditioning. The bed was so comfortable - we slept like babies, especially after a long day of travel and walking through town. 

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Across the street from our hotel room was this gorgeous waterfall and a viewing area with tables and chairs. After our first day of exploring, we bought some beers at Beacon Craft Beer Shoppe on Main Street (awesome selection of beers there!), came back to the hotel and sat by the water for a few drinks before we headed out on a nighttime adventure. It was so peaceful and relaxing, and a great way to spend an evening. Having the waterfall right across the street was definitely a great perk to this hotel!   

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Food!

We ate A LOT of delicious food on this trip! Our first afternoon in Beacon we stopped for lunch at a Mexican restaurant called Tito Santana. The decor inside was bright and fun, with a whole wall covered in a colorful mural, and the menu was full of different Tex-Mex options. We both had chicken tacos, which weren't the best we ever had but were certainly tasty. I also had a side of black beans and rice that was huge, filling and delicious, and Adam had a piece of Mexican street corn that he messily devoured. Their chips and salsa were also pretty yummy! The food was good but it was definitely the fun atmosphere that made this place great. They also have a huge side yard full of picnic tables and umbrellas for some nice outdoor dining and drinks.

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After our Mexican lunch we were in the mood for something sweet so we stopped for dessert at Zora Dora Paleteria. They specialize in homemade, small batch artisan popsicles with real chunks of fruit inside. I had a delicious banana coconut popsicle and Adam had strawberry kiwi mint (he said it tasted like a mojito). They were the perfect cool treat to snack on as we walked down Main Street. 

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On our second day in Beacon, I stopped for a breakfast sandwich at The Beacon Bagel (since I was too tired to get up in time for the hotel's complimentary breakfast - oops!). Their menu was huuuuge and full of delicious breakfast sandwiches, bagels with cream cheese and coffee drinks. My breakfast sandwich was so good, I wolfed it down before I could even take a picture of it. But take my word for it, it was delicious and filled me up for hours. 

Later in the day, after spending more time walking through town, we stopped for a quick snack at Glazed Over Donuts, an artisan donut shop. This place was awesome! You could either try their donut of the day (which was Salted Caramel Pretzel) or create your own by choosing your glaze, topping and drizzle. Adam created his own donut and chose traditional glaze, cinnamon sugar topping and a vanilla drizzle. They made it fresh for us (you can even watch them work through a glass window) and as Adam said, "This was probably the best donut I've ever had. It was amazing!" 

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mAIN STREET SHOPPING

The Main Street in Beacon is full of interesting shops and businesses and is big enough to keep you busy for hours (much more to do than the Main Street in Cold Spring, NY - see my previous post). We had fun spending time visiting shops and chatting with their owners - everyone in Beacon was so friendly to us! 

The window of Flora Garden and Home caught my eye because it was full of beautiful, green plants. We went in just to take a peek and it literally felt like an oasis. The air smelled like plants and dirt, it was quiet, and sunlight filled the space. The shopkeeper was so sweet and friendly, and took time to show us plants that would do well in our dark apartment. This shop was gorgeous and worth a visit!

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Adam and I are both avid readers so we love exploring bookshops when we travel. We came across a cute little bookshop in Beacon called Binnacle Books that we spent an hour in, just browsing the shelves and searching for the perfect book to bring home. The shop was stocked with both new and used books, as well as some small, "mailable" books that were printed right in Beacon. I ended up getting a previously loved copy of Stephen King's "The Shining" while Adam picked out two books of speeches by Malcom X and the book "It" by Stephen King (scary!!). 

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​On our last day in Beacon we stopped into the cutest clothing store called Reservoir. They had clothing and gifts for men, women and baby as well as some home and beauty goods. Their items are also all sustainably or American made - which I am happy to support!! I ended up buying a gorgeous tie-dye maxi dress (Adam helped me pick it out) that is so comfy and cute, I've worn it three times already! The shop had a good assortment of items at different price points and Adam and I both enjoyed looking around. I wish this shop was in Brooklyn so we could visit more often!

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NIGHT LIFE

On Thursday night in Beacon, Adam and I visited Hudson Valley Brewery and it was so much fun! The brewery tasting room is right inside its warehouse, so you're actually tasting beer while surrounded by stacks of wooden barrels full of beer. It was a really cool atmosphere, and there was some outdoor seating as well! There were a decent amount of couples and groups of friends there, but it wasn't too crowded to enjoy the experience. We tasted every single beer on the menu and had so much fun comparing what we thought to the descriptions the brewery provided. I can't recommend this place enough!!

After our tasting at the brewery, we ventured down the road to a bar/restaurant called Dogwood. It was a super cozy bar full of locals, and one of the only places in Beacon with late night food. There was live folk music when we got there, which made the experience even better! The food was nothing special, but they did have a great selection of draft beers and cocktails. It was a nice place to end the night - just a two minute walk back to the hotel. 

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Dia:Beacon

​Before we jumped on the train back to Brooklyn on Friday, we stopped at Dia:Beacon, an art museum based in an old factory building and just a 10 minute walk from the train station. Dia was one of the most architecturally interesting museums I've ever been to. I loved how you could see remnants of the old factory while browsing the art. The space was huge with filtered light coming from the ceiling skylights and the old factory windows. We had so much fun exploring the different exhibits (although some were a little "out there"). Our favorite exhibit was a green, neon space in the building's basement - see the picture below!.

After we finished walking through the museum, we ate lunch at the museum's Homespun Foods Café - they had a great assortment of tasty sandwiches and drinks! It was a great way to end our trip. From there we walked to the train station and headed home to Brooklyn!

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I'm sure you can tell from all of these pictures - we had an amazing little getaway in Beacon, NY and are already thinking about when we can go back! The people are friendly, the town is beautiful, and there is so much to do and see. I really cannot recommend it enough! We got back to the city feeling relaxed and ready for the new school year craziness that's about to begin.

If anyone has any other day or weekend trip ideas, I'd love to hear them! I kind of love this whole travel blogging thing, and Adam and I would love to take another quick trip this fall. xoxo

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