Top 5 Ways To Enjoy Summer in Carmel, NY

Carmel Hamlet, New York, is a town in Putnam County that tends to sit a little under the radar. It offers lovely views of the Hudson River and is a place where you can relax and get a break from the busy city. Once summer rolls around, there are lots of outdoor activities and attractions in and near Carmel, along with indoor fun if it’s a rainy day. Let’s take a look at some of the top ways to enjoy summer in Carmel so you can start planning your next warm-weather weekend or vacation getaway.

Visit Fahnestock State Park

If you enjoy spending time outside, Fahnestock State Park is one of the best places to enjoy some of your summer days. This park has hiking trails that wind through and up the mountains, and once you get to the top, you can enjoy beautiful views of the woods.

In addition to the hiking trails, the 14,086-acre park has picnic areas for when you want to stop for lunch, a campground, and lots of opportunities for birding, hunting, and fishing. You can fish by boat on Stillwater and Canopus Lakes or do it from the shore on all four ponds and the two lakes. No matter what season you drop a line, you’ll be able to catch bass, perch, pickerel, and rainbow trout.

You can’t beat a day or weekend spent at this park. There are endless activities for the outdoor enthusiast, whether you like spending time on the water or on the trails or enjoying the scenery.

Play a Round at Centennial Golf Club

If you’re a golfer, you should check out the Centennial Golf Club this summer. This is an ideal club for golfers who don’t want to be limited by the average nine- or 18-hole course, as it has a 27-hole championship course. Designed by World Hall of Fame member and U.S. Open winner Larry Nelson, it features rolling hills and natural rock outcroppings. The three nine-hole courses at this club are Meadows, Lakes, and Fairways, and whether you play all three or just one, you’re sure to have a memorable experience.

Centennial’s courses have multiple tees, so they can accommodate players of all levels. The club is also home to the area’s best practice facility, with a double-ended driving range, bunkered target greens, and a short-game area. If you want to take a lesson, the Centennial Golf Academy offers instruction for those who are just getting into golf and for experienced players who are looking to up their game. The Academy is dedicated to teaching players of all levels and uses a four-step process to help with your game.

Explore the Vanderbilt Mansion

Head to the Vanderbilt Mansion Historic Site when you want a more educational experience for a summer day. Visitors can check out the architecture of the mansion and see the mechanical systems that showcase the industrialization of America. You can also see the tools and methods used to develop the interior of the mansion along with other buildings of the time.

You need tickets to access the mansion but not to enter the park and explore the grounds, nature trails, and gardens. The formal gardens are typical of the Gilded Age style, with geometric patterns and interconnecting parts. Make sure to head to Bard Rock while you’re at the park. This picnic area is one of the few places where you can get close to the Hudson River, and the river landing has a large flat rock that helps form a natural harbor.

Hike to the Mount Nimham Fire Tower

If you want to experience 360-degree views of Carmel and the surrounding areas, take a short hike to the Nimham Mountain fire tower. It’s just 1.5 miles up and back and a relatively easy walk over a gravel road to the fire tower. As you walk along the gravel, keep an eye out for some cool stone chambers along the way. It’s unclear what they are or where they came from, but these formations are a unique feature to explore.

It takes about 30 minutes to reach the top. Once you get there, you might not feel like you’re at the top of a mountain, but you can climb the fire tower for unbelievable views of the Catskills in the distance and forests that stretch as far as you can see.

Take a Tour of the Chuang Yen Monastery

Many Carmel visitors don’t know that this town is home to the largest indoor Buddha statue in the Western Hemisphere. You can find this 37-foot-tall statue at the Chuang Yen Monastery. When you visit here, you should also explore the 225-acre property, which has several halls and attractions for you to see. These include:

• Kuan Yin Hall: Built in 1985 in the Tang Dynasty style, this hall features a statue of Professor Yinfeng Yang enclosed in a wooden shrine.
• Great Buddha Hall: This hall looks similar to the Kuan Yin Hall and was opened in 1997 with a prayer for world peace.
• Woo Ju Memorial Library: This library provides educational resources for visitors who want to learn more about the study and practice of Buddhism.

The Monastery is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day from April through January. A vegetarian lunch is served outside from noon to 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. There’s a small gift shop at the back of the Great Buddha Hall where you can buy a variety of Buddhist souvenirs. Other sites to visit include a Zen Garden to help quiet your mind and the Seven Jewel Lake. Visitors are asked to remove their shoes before entering any of the halls.

When summer comes, these are some of the places in and around Carmel where we at Meadowland of Carmel like to spend time. Do you have a favorite summer spot or activity? Come by and tell us about it. We can check it out this summer so that we can add it to our list.

Photo Credit: golf by emmolos  is licensed with CC BY 2.0