Here's a fact worth acting on quickly: Labor Day weekend rooms near Belleayre Mountain don't last, and this is the last real long weekend summer has left to offer. One more swim. One more night by the fire. One more piece of chocolate than strictly necessary. If you're still deciding what to do for Labor Day, stop deciding and start driving up Route 28. Alpine Four Season Lodge is right there waiting, and summer isn't over yet.

Don't Rush to the Catskill

Seriously, part of the fun is getting here. On Route 28, make your first stop Fabulous Furniture in Boiceville, where Steve Heller has spent more than 50 years turning reclaimed wood, salvaged metal, and found objects into furniture, sculptures, robots, cars, and the occasional spacecraft. Calling it a furniture store undersells it about as much as calling the Catskills "some hills." Wander around, peek into the workshop, say hello if Steve's around. You may arrive looking for nothing and leave trying to figure out how a six-foot metal dinosaur fits in your Subaru.

Chocolate Before Check-In ‍

Next stop: Fruition Chocolate Works in Shokan, award-winning chocolate made right here in the Catskills. Bars, bonbons, and beautiful little boxes you'll swear are "for later." They're not. Buy extra anyway. Whatever survives the drive tastes even better around the fire pit at Alpine Four Season Lodge. Check in, drop the bags, pour a drink. Weekend officially started.

Friday Night: Peekamoose

For dinner, head to Peekamoose Restaurant & Tap Room in Big Indian. Devin and Marybeth Mills, veterans of Gramercy Tavern and Le Bernardin, have been championing local farms and seasonal Catskills cooking since 2004, long before "farm-to-table" became something restaurants printed next to a $19 carrot. The food is serious without being fussy, the hospitality is genuinely warm, the wine list holds up. Take your time. You're not going anywhere tonight.

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Eat. Explore. Repeat.

Start at the legendary Phoenicia Diner, pancakes, eggs, crispy potatoes, strong coffee. Order accordingly. Then earn a small portion of that breakfast aboard Rail Explorers, where electric-assist rail bikes glide along the historic Ulster & Delaware Railroad beside the Esopus Creek. Electric assist matters here. We're on vacation, not qualifying for the Olympics.

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Prefer something slower? Grab sandwiches and cookies from Bread Alone in Boiceville and head to the Ashokan Rail Trail for a walk and a picnic with some of the best mountain scenery around. There's no wrong answer here.

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Get Lost in Phoenicia

Spend the afternoon wandering Phoenicia, and I mean actually wandering. This isn't a place for itineraries and clipboards. Dig through the glorious clutter at Mystery Spot Antiques, grab fudge and Catskills treasures at The Nest Egg, browse local art at VARGA Gallery, wander gifts and pottery at Tender Land Home. Then find the Esopus Creek. Shoes off, feet in, phone away. That's your entire Labor Day weekend meeting schedule.

The cutest hamlet in the Catskills - Phonecia

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Pizza, Beer & Stars

Keep dinner easy: pizza and a local beer at Brio's in Phoenicia, or head to Oliver's at the Howland House in Mount Tremper for handmade pies, pasta, and seasonal dishes in a cozy, British-inspired setting. Then head back to Alpine Four Season Lodge, light the fire, open the wine, find those Fruition chocolates, and look up. The mountains take it from here.

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Sunday: Shop Like a Local

On Sunday head to the Phoenicia Farmers Market at Parish Field for local vegetables, bread, cheese, maple syrup, flowers, and small-batch Catskills goods. Buy a pastry for the drive home. Actually, buy two, it's Labor Day weekend.

Staying through Monday? Even better. Sleep late, take another hike, find a swimming hole, fire up the grill, pour one more glass. Do less. That might be the entire point of the extra day.

One More Weekend of Summer

Labor Day always arrives faster than expected. So before everyone starts talking about pumpkin spice and pretending they're excited to wear a jacket again, squeeze a little more out of summer. Come to the mountains. Drive Route 28 slowly. Eat the chocolate. Jump in the creek. Stay around the fire too long. Wake up somewhere surrounded by green.

Alpine Four Season Lodge puts you minutes from Belleayre Mountain, Phoenicia, and some of our favorite corners of the Catskills. Bring your friends, bring the family, bring the dog. We'll handle the mountains.

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Labor Day weekend books up fast, and this is the last long weekend of the season. Reserve your room now, book direct for the best possible rates: Alpine Four Season Lodge

Daniel & The Crew
32 Galli Curci Road, Highmount, NY 12441

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Your Labor Day Weekend Plans? The Catskills Are Calling.