Hunter Mountain Festivals Celebrate Food, Drink, Music

It's not too late to enjoy great music, great food, great wine and beer, and the company of several thousand of your closest friends. I'm talking about the famous summer and fall festivals at Hunter Mountain.

September -- The weekend of September 26 & 27 is the Microbrew & Wine Festival. More than three dozen breweries and wineries are offering tastings. Nearby micro-breweries Red Hook Brewery and Brooklyn Brewery, and wineries inlcude Warwick Valley Winery and nearby Windham Vineyard and Winery.

October -- The famous Hunter Mountain Oktoberfest is simply too popular to cram into a single weekend. It needs two, October 3-4 and the following weekend, October 10-11. Admission is free, part of what makes it so popular.

You can keep up with the latest doings at this popular Hudson Valley all-season reasort on the mountain's own blog -- including updates on the upcoming ski season. The temperature is in the 90s today, and I'm talking about skiing!

Summer Starts in April at Hunter Mountain

The first festival of the summer kicks off this spring weekend at Hunter Mountain. It's TAP New York, one of Hunter's most popular festivals, celebrating the many fine craft brews of New York State.

More than 30 breweries and 100 beers will be available for sample, and many of the brewmasters will be on hand to chat. Plus, of course, great food, plus crafts vendors and lots of live entertainment.

This is a popular event, and in past years tickets have sold out. So don't wait. The weather is supposed to be spectacular -- sunny and wam, more like summer than spring -- so it is a great excuse to get outdoors.

There's plenty of food and drink for everyone! Buy your tickets at Tap New York

German Alps Festival at Hunter Mountain This Weekend

Beer, bratwurst and more. So grab your lederhosen and head for the annual German Alps Festival at Hunter Mountain the weekend of August 9-10.

Entertainment includes 16-time Grammy award winner Jimmy Sturr and his Orchestra, plus bands from Bavaria, like the Enzian Band pictured here, plus performers of the famous folk dance Schuhplattler. The festival also features German-American food -- and beer -- and plenty of vendors offering more than just cuckoo clocks, plus activities for the entire familly.

There's also the chance to win two round-trip tickets to Germany courtesy of Air Berlin, and fireworks on Sunday evening. And, of course, you can take the chair lift to the top of the mountain for picture postcard views of the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains.

Okay, I admit it. I have a special fondness for Hunter Mountain, where I learned to ski and have hiked with and without a backpack, and for Bavaria, where my mother was born.

But I also love Scotland and bagpipes and Tartan plaids and single malts. And that's later in August, the weekend of the 16-17 -- for Hunter Mountain's International Celtic Festival.

Summer festivals are a great reason to visit the Hudson Valley!

Hunter Mountain Skyride Opens Memorial Day Weekend

In the winter, it's called a chairlift, and it whisks skiers and snowboarders to the top of one of the best reasons to visit the Hudson Valley.

In the summer, Hunter Mountain, changes the name of this device to Skyride, but it still whisks outdoor enthusiasts to the top of one of the best reasons to visit the Hudson Valley.

The view from the top is a 360-degree picture postcard panorama, so be sure to ride up with your camera.

There are three ways to get back down. You could ride the lift down -- that takes around eight minutes. You could walk back down -- a liesurely stroll takes around 30 minutes, depending on whether you play frisbee with your friend's dog en route, as I did last summer. Or, you could ride your mountain bike down.

The Hunter Mountain Skyride opens for the summer starting July 5, but will be running this Memorial Day weekend from 10am - 5pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Tickets are $8 for adults (13 and over) and $6 for juniors (7-12 years). Children 6 and under ride for free!

Hunter Mountain -- and the Hudson Valley -- are a great place to visit in any season.