Day Trip from Saratoga: Indulge in Kinderhook
🍷 Less than an hour from Saratoga, this charming Hudson Valley village packs history and shopping — but we go mostly for the food and wine.
Looking for a day trip from Saratoga? Spring is the perfect time to head straight to Kinderhook, known for its history, shopping — and fantastic food and wine scene. Perched in the idyllic pastoral landscape of Columbia County, this charming Hudson Valley village is just a 58-mile drive from Saratoga Springs. Staying for dinner? Its proximity makes it a convenient overnight, too.
Eat:
Broad Street Bagel Company: If you are dubious about the quality of bagels outside of NYC, rest easy. This Brooklyn-born, Kinderhook-bred bagel shop is fueled by a 150-year-old kettle boiled recipe, from-scratch cream cheeses, and just slightly off-kilter topping options (goat cheese; eggs, cheese, bacon, sausage and maple syrup) served up with a very non-big city smile in a relaxing shop that smells like buttery, toasted carbs and feels like a cozy hug.
The Aviary: Perched like a gorgeous bird in the Kinderhook Knitting Mill, the Aviary offers decadent dishes (get the duck egg), but more to the point, creative cocktails. The drinks change seasonally, but keep your eyes peeled for their new-fangled iterations of old classics.
Saissonier: This bar specializes in beer and cheese. Need we say more? Just in case, we’ll get more specific: there are 125 craft beers available to stay or go, top-notch vino and cider, heaving cheese and meat boards focusing on local producers, and — according to Isola’s owner and wine director Hillary Zio — the best damn kimchi grilled cheese around.
Isola Wine & Tapas: This meticulously designed restaurant and wine bar specializes in low-intervention wines from islands and coasts of Western Europe. Think small-batch producers who make all of the right choices from grape to glass, and soulful, coastal food that feels filtered through Italy and France, with Hudson Valley farm-fresh ingredients. Zio is the brains and brawn behind the space, and as a globe-trotting writer and sommelier, nothing but the best will do. The pairing she recommends—and I can confidently toast to—is her housemade tagliatelle with chicken leg, achicken liver ragu, ideally paired with a crisp Grignolino from Piedmont.
Drink:
Kinderhook Bottle Shop: Get ready to fall in love with a wine you’ve never heard of, from a grape you don’t know how to pronounce, from a place you couldn’t find on a map in a million. Zio is obsessed, and so are we: think indie producers you’ve never heard of, making delicious wines that excite your palate. Don’t know where to start? The staff is happy guide you. Every Friday from 5 to 7 pm, the Bottle Shop opens it doors and throws a free-flowing wine party where you can taste before you buy, connect with other wine lovers, and meet producers.
Shop:
Samascott’s Garden Market: I think we can all agree that not every farm store is created equal. Samascott is at the top of the apple heap with U-pick activates and all of the farm fresh apple cider, apple cider donuts, pasture-raised eggs, grass-fed beef and phenomenal produce. Apple cider donuts are healthier than regular donuts, right? Let’s also agree on that.
Kinderhook Knitting Mill: What do you need from life? Thoughtful coffee? Delicious snacks? Art? Home goods? Booze? The Kinderhook Knitting Mill has it all in a community-minded space sprawling elegantly through an upcycled 1870s textile mill, darling. Most of the businesses are owned and operated by women and people of color too.
Chillax:
Village Yoga: If you’re desperately seeking Zen, Village Yoga offers the kind of instant community and support that instantly lowers your scrunchy shoulders an inch or two. We love a meditation, but Zio bends for the Vinyasa. Drop ins are welcome. Namaste!
Muse Aesthetics: If you’re more concerned about the scrunch between your eyebrows than the one between your shoulders, head to Muse. Grab a Korean Lift & Glow or a Glass Skin Facial and you’ll look like a Zen master with a fabulous skincare regimen.
The School: The Jack Shaman Gallery: The Gallery has outposts in Manhattan and Kinderhook, and is beloved for showcasing young and mid-career artists, both undiscovered and established. In Kinderhook, the 30,000-square food space is dedicated to cultural exploration across media, disciplines, regions, and centuries.
Stay:
Old Dutch Inn: Rural refinement, with an edge. It’s boutique luxury, comfy welcome. The lodge was built in 1820, but meets all of the (WiFi / fabulous Frette linen / killer bathroom amenities) or the modern traveler.
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