Middletown, CT Outdoor Activities

Meandering along the quiet waters 150 miles north of New York City, Hudson Cruises' captains navigate the picturesque artery of the northern Hudson River Valley, offering views of the rolling Catskills and, occasionally, the belly buttons of soaring bald eagles. Both private and public tours—including chartered dinner cruises, Hudson-Athens lighthouse tours, sunset tours, and Latin Dance Party cruises—traverse the waterway, with accommodations for up to 150 passengers on the New Orleans–style paddleboat. Tours take place May–October, seven days a week.

In 1936, Robert and Dorothy Leab drove their 13 head of cattle over Brodie Mountain and into Ioka Valley, where they broke ground on their new home. Despite the poor quality of the farm’s soil, their hard work gradually resulted in bountiful harvests. Decades later, the third generation of the Leab family still tills the land, planting assorted crops and opening the farm to visitors for year-round activities.

Each season brings new life to the farm, from the pastel buds and new shoots of spring to summer’s vibrant strawberries, which are grown on raised beds so visitors can pick their own pints. Kids frolic in Uncle Don’s Barnyard all summer, petting tame rabbits and llamas and whooshing down a 40-foot pipeline slide. Fall festival activities include hayrides and pumpkin picking, and during the winter, snow-covered Christmas trees can be carted home to add holiday cheer or provide a new project for the family’s pet beaver. Maple season stretches from February to April in the sugar house, occupied by 5,000 taps and two boilers. The farm churns out deep maple syrup that is served over pancakes and waffles in the Calf-A, a calf barn converted into a café. The farm’s cattle herds are pasture-raised during warm months, with their diet supplemented by the farm’s own corn, before becoming hormone-free, all natural beef.