Consider these ideas for a fun staycation; a kayak trip to a wild offshore island chain, a train trip back to the time of the Great Depression, world class modern art alongside a scenic river and family fun at a dude ranch. What do they all have in common? Each are easily accessible to residents of the New York metropolitan area seeking staycations without using automobiles.
“This is a real winner,” said Catherine Sidor, executive director of the Fairfield County Convention and Visitor”™s Bureau, describing the Norwalk Islands Kayak Trail, wherein outdoorsy folk looking for a quick adventurous escape from the ordinary can take the New Haven line to the Norwalk train station, walk to the nearby kayak outfitter, who will provide rental kayaks and a van ride to Long Island Sound. From there, a mile or so of paddling brings kayakers to the 23 islands of the Norwalk Island chain, a half dozen of which are open to the public, three of which allow overnight camping.
The train to the kayak is accessible from Greenwich, Fairfield and Westport, as well, with kayak outfitter connections available in all those locales. Information is available at visitfairfieldcountyct.com
The Hudson Valley also offers car-free vacation and staycation opportunities for families. The 500-acre Rocking Horse Ranch in Highland, N.Y., (across the river from Poughkeepsie) will meet your family at the train or at Stewart International Airport and when the fun of water slides, pools, fireworks, campfires and horseback riding is done, will take you back to the station or airport.
The ranch is even negotiating with Metro-North to arrange to pay train fare for visitors if they book at the facility, with an agreement likely in time for the railroad”™s next promotional package, said ranch general manager Stan Ackerman. Â
The free ride-to-the-ranch program is about six months old, said Ackerman, who said it is too soon to tell whether the idea will catch on, but said he expects it will. “There are a lot of people in New York City who do not have cars,” he said, so the idea of using mass transit to access attractions north of the big city is a natural growth opportunity for area tourism-related businesses. Â
The staycation appears to be here to stay, as signaled not only by the problematic economic outlook, but by the decision by editors of the Merriam-Webster”™s Collegiate Dictionary to include staycation as one of about 100 new words added to its latest edition. The dictionary defines a staycation as “a vacation spent at home or nearby.” As the word gains traction, it”™s too early to tell if three laps around Tod”™s Point in Old Greenwich qualify or if the kids will continue to pine for Orlando, Fla. (Tod”™s Point is available only to town of Greenwich residents; many town beaches around the horn of the Sound share such restrictions, whether you arrive by car or not.)
Another staycation without a car could be the FDR national historic site in Hyde Park, a two-hour train ride up the Hudson River from Grand Central Terminal to Poughkeepsie. Arriving at about 10:30 a.m., the train is met by a shuttle van from the FDR site. The Roosevelt Ride is a new service for 2009. While rangers talk about the legacy of FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt, the van takes visitors directly to the Wallace Center at the FDR site, on the grounds where sits Springfield, Roosevelt”™s home and presidential library. From there, vans can take a visitor to Val-Kill, Eleanor Roosevelt”™s home, as well as the Top Cottage, located above Val-Kill, which FDR used as a getaway.
“Basically we”™ve got the whole day covered for you, where you don”™t have to drive at all,” said Scott Rector, chief of interpretation for the FDR historic site. “People love it, they absolutely love it. They”™re not driving anywhere, don”™t have to worry bout getting lost and they have a great time.”
Another train-to-the-attraction staycation involves visiting the Dia: Beacon art museum, a world class collection of modern art located along the Hudson River near the Metro-North Beacon station. “Its very close, its five minutes and a beautiful walk,” said Allison Cross, Dia”™s director of external affairs. She said more than a third of the museum”™s visitors arrive by rail. Metro-North and the Dia have a joint arrangement where people can purchase both a discounted train ticket and museum admission.
Vacation travel without a car is a trend Americans are catching up to, said Jenny Smith, Pita Communications, which works with the Connecticut Tourism and Culture commission. “If you ever travel to Europe, the last thing you would think about is renting a car,” she said. “But here, there is this perception that unless you drive somewhere its not accessible.”
“There are several sites that are accessible by public transportation,” she said with connections to Amtrak or buses, such as The Barnum Museum, the Connecticut Beardsley Zoo and the Discovery Museum for Children, all in Bridgeport and in Hartford, she said, visitors could access the Mark Twain House museum and visitor center adjacent the Harriet Beecher Stowe, the Elizabeth Park and the sculpture walk along the Connecticut River. “That all makes a good day of it,” she said.
Both New York and Connecticut residents use the old Harlem Valley Rail Trail, which hugs the two-state border on the New York side from Wingdale (where the Harlem Metro-North line ends) to Millerton. Among its charms is a sweep of rural beauty that”™s completely accessible, paved and basically flat. The terminus at Millerton offers all the amenities of that historic Dutchess County village, including a movie theater, restaurants and a diner and Terni”™s Store, a 1919 family-owned landmark that sells just about everything.
“Mohonk Mountain House is certainly noticing an increase in visitors, especially from the New York metro area using public transportation to getaway without the hassle of driving through weekend traffic or worse, airline travel,” said Elizabeth Stein, marketing manager of the famous National Historic Site hotel and spa in New Paltz. “It is very convenient for guests to take a bus from Port Authority in New York City or from the bus station in Albany to the village of New Paltz where the Mohonk Mountain House shuttle can pick them up.  Besides being convenient for the guest, it is also convenient for the planet and conserving natural resources by leaving the car at home.”
