Flee New York: Weekend Getaways, Day Trips, Vacations and More (Beta)

Ready to Getaway From NYC This Winter?

Though autumn in New York City is a delectable time of year to enjoy the charms of the Manhattan metropolis, the pristine season is over all too soon. Once old man winter descends on NYC, any longterm resident knows that the key to sanity is a regular schedule of forays out of town.

A great place to start looking for cozy escapes within a day's drive of the big apple or warm beaches in reach of a medium-length flight is New York Magazine's winter travel getaways guide. They break down winter escapes from NYC for families, couples, foodies, adventurers and several other categories. All, of course, in the well-written, urbanely-sophisticated style of the birthplace of New Journalism.

Another excellent resource for fleeing New York City in the winter is the New York Times 12 winter weekend getaways guide.Whether its Hudson or New Palz in NY state or Merion or New Hope in Pennsylvania, the grey lady offers some solid suggestion for enjoyinig small town charm within a few hours drive of NYC. 

Flee New York itself has an excellent guide to Montauk in winter - for some offbeat Long Island fun it's worth checking out.

Finally, you'd do well to check vrbo.com for a newly-revamped cabin, b&b and rental property search and booking engine. Another great spot is Travelocity's last minute getaways section. Though the engine is incredibly well know, you're usually hard-pressed to find better deals to warm-weather climates like Miami or Las Vegas.

Check back soon for additional nyc weekend getaway suggestions!

NYC Spring Getaways, Vacations & Daytrips Near New York City

Spring has sprung in New York City, and a New Yorker's thoughts naturally turn towards day trips out of the city and weekend getaways away from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan and the five boroughs.  Flee New York can recommend some excellent resources for planning Spring escapes - whether it's a daytrip or an extended Spring vacation.  Start with some Spring Weekend Travel Ideas.

A drive out to Long Island can yield great, pre-Memorial Day hotel rates, while a trip to Atlantic City offers special pricing as well.  It's also a good time to explore upstate NY - with prime hiking season in effect in the Catskills and Adirondacks. 

A good place to start your Spring getaway research is the official New York State tourism board.  They have a ton of hotel and lodging specials and side trip suggestions to destinations all around NY State. [Official NY Tourism Board]

The New York Daily News has a rundown of solid Spring destinations. [NYDN Travel]

The New York Times travel section has good suggestions and resources as well -- especially on the day trip front. [NYT Travel]

Summer Getaways From NYC: Escaping the New York Heat

The humidity (really, we can't stand it) is spiking, the days have grown long, and the L.I.E. between New York and the Hamptons is a freaking zoo from Thursday to Monday.  You've got to get away, and where else but the Internet can you turn for leads and suggestions on how best to escape your own personal music video hell of "Hot Town: Summer in the City."  Flee New York is here for you: Check back all summer long for a regularly updated list of where, when, and how to find the best summer getaways, escapes, and other weekend summer travel suggestions from NYC. 

LISTS

Flee New York to a beach within two hours commute time:The Weekend Travel Ideas site has some suggestions.
[Weekend Beach Getaways Close to NYC] 

The L Magazine's list includes six great suggestions ranging from Hudson River Tubing to Kate's Lazy Meadow Motel in the Catskills. 
[Summer Weekend Getaways: Escape NYC]

New York Magazine's 52 Weekends page is an absolute gold mine.
[52 Weekends out of NYC]

All Getaways has a list of 77 straightforward suggestions...
[New York Weekend Getaways]

Gridskipper has lots of slightly off-center Hamptons coverage and tips.
[Gridskipper Hamptons page]

NYC Pulse has a list of 10 top beaches in the NYC area.
[NYC Summer Beaches]

UTILITY

Airfare Watchdog keeps a close eye on flights out of town.  Some of their discounts are astonishing.
[Airfare Watchdog NYC list]

Travelocity's last-minute packages can sometimes be a good option for getting you up to Maine or Canada.
[Last Minute Packages]

VRBO is a great place to start looking for house and cabin rentals upstate and everywhere else.
[Vacation Rentals By Owner Online]

NYC Getaway and Weekend Trip List

Here at Flee New York, our philosophy is strictly utilitarian.  Never mind the editorializing, we mean to put useful information straight in front of you.  (Then you can take it or leave it!)  Here is our ongoing list of great web resources to plan getaways and weekend trips out of New York City.  If we're missing a great resource, please leave a comment!

NY Mag: A weekend trip for every week in the year... [52 Weekends]
Trip Advisor: Page devoted to NYC Getaways [Weekend Getaways From New York]
L Magazine: Save gas, stay put in the city, enjoy... [Great Piece on Getting Away Locally]
NY Mag: Turn up the romance [Romantic Weekend Getaways]
Long Island.com: Official L.I. travel site. [Long Island Vacation Site]
Flee NY: Garden State getaway options... [New Jersey Getaways]

Vacationing Along The Canals of New York State

Though it may seem like an ancient relic of elementary school songs and a bygone era of manufacturing, the Erie Canal and many waterways like it still exist and even thrive.  And, lately, the canals of New York State have been attempting to reinvent themselves as vacation destinations.

We just discovered a very interesting travel website - NyCanals.com.  It's dedicated to promoting vacations, daytrips, and recreation along the Erie Canal and several other New York State canals. 

According to the site:

Canal cruising, a European-style holiday, is truly a vacation filled with adventure. ... From new canal harbors and waterfronts, to more than 220 miles of Canalway Trails along its waterline, no matter how you float it, boaters enjoy 524 miles of surprise after surprise.



“Most people still do not realize that the New York Canal System offers boaters an alternative to cruising the ocean or lakes,” said Matthew Behrmann, Director of the New York Canal Corporation. “Traveling along one of the Canals is a wonderful boating trip because each mile is filled with new adventures.”

Owned and operated by the New York State Canal Corporation, the 524-mile New York State Canal System is a network of navigable, inland waterways that take travelers to nearly every major city in New York State – a necklace of more than 40 communities.

The site has a ton of history relating to the canals, as well as tips on plum sections of the system that have been converted to recreational or entertainment use.  You'll also find tips for chartering a canal cruise or renting your own houseboat and seeing the state under your own power.

LINK: [Vacationing on The Canals of New York State] 

Winter Getaways From NYC

Tourist hoards invading midtown got you down?  Ice rinks and giant Christmas trees strike loathing in your heart?  Us too.  Below find some suggestions for getting out of town during the holiday season and beyond. 

1. Though you might not think of the tip of Long Island as a particularly desirable destination, Montauk in Winter can actually be quite nice.


2. Keep an eye on Airfare Watchdog's New York flights, as you can generally cop very cheap flights to place like Fort Lauderdale (Currently $159), Miami ($139) and Palm Springs ($265) if some hotter weather is what you're after.


3. The New York State Tourism board has a searchable database of winter fun. 


4. NYCSki and board offers ski and board daytrips out of the city. 


5. The nearest-to-NYC cross-country skiing site with groomed trails is Fahnestock Winter Park.


6. New Jersey has some nice outdoor activities for winter as well. 

Fall Getaways From NYC: Helpful Links

Looking to flee the city for a weekend of relaxation in the crisp weather and crunching leaves?  Here are some helpful starting points to plan your escape from the city.

First, you may want to start with these 10 Travel Ideas for Fall 2011. Or else you may want to check out this list of tips for autumn weekend getaways from NYC and beyond.

 

1. The NY Daily news just came out with a short, but informative guide. [NYDN]


2. Various specials are available from the New York State tourism council. [Discover New York's True Colors]


3. 5 Fall Getaways for Under $500 is never a bad idea. [SmarterTravel]

Fall Foliage Drives Out of New York City

Looking to get out of the city and enjoy the emergence of autumn and the brilliant fall foliage display in upstate New York and New England?  We can't blame you.  The country is gorgeous this time of year.  Below, find some resources for planning your fall foliage day trip or weekend getaway:

Guide: Fall Foliage in Upstate New York [Round the Bend]

Fall Foliage on the Eastern Seaboard: [About.com]

Fall Travel in the Catskills [Travel & Leisure]

Collection of fall foliage links for photographers [PhotoTravel]

Fall Foliage Getways and Travel Ideas [Escapemaker]

Weekend Getaways From NYC Heat Up For Summer

With sumer officially upon us, it's time to make plans for fleeing the city and beating the heat and humidity.  You'll find tons of suggestions here at Flee New York -- take a look at our left sidebars and click around.  We've got information about hiking, biking, camping, rail travel, and a whole lot more.  In the meantime, here are five of the great places to start if you're looking to leave Manhattan in the steam and pop out of town for a day, for a weekend, or even longer.  Need some suggestions? Try these ideas from the folks at Weekend Travel Ideas:  [Weekend Getways From NYC]

And here are some additional suggestions for beating the NYC heat in the month's of July and August...

• Head for the tip of Long Island at Montauk.


• Go on an upstate or Canadian lark and visit Niagara Falls.


• Take a day trip on Metro North.


• Drive a short distance and then go hiking near NYC.


• Abandon yourself to air conditioning, slot machines, and beach access and visit Atlantic City.
• Or if you want to flee New York City in style, invest in upscale Elliman Long Island Real Estate Properties.

Happy summer!  And check back with us regularly for more suggestions and updates on day trips, weekend getaways, and vacations from the New York City vicinity.

Labor Day Last Minute Getaways From NYC? There's Still Time to Flee New York City.

If you're combing the web this week frantically searching for someplace outside of NYC to spend this Labor Day weekend, you're probably not a very good planner.  It's one of the New York region's biggest tourist weekends and you haven't had the foresight to book a room somewhere? 

Yet, good deals are still available if you know where to look. For some timely suggestions, you might try Weekend Travel Ideas - Labor Day Getaways From NYC.

Strategy 1:  If you haven't heard of it, surf over to VRBO's New York page.  You can search for still-available rental properties and they're usually pretty good about letting you know if a cabin or guest house remains up for grabs for the current weekend. 

Strategy 2: Try Travelocity's last-minute weekend page. Right now, it looks like there are flight/hotel deals for about $250 or so to Greensboro, SC, Memphis, TN and Fort Lauderdale.   Hey -- beggars can't be choosers if they've left Labor Day weekend planning to the last minute!

Strategy 3: Pick someplace you've been and enjoyed before and get in touch with the proprietor of the bed and breakfast or hotel you stayed in.  If they don't have vacancy, chances are they'll be able to refer you to one of their colleagues.  We once had good luck with this when planning a last-minute labor day trip to Shelter Island.   (Actually a wonderful place to spend the  long weekend.)