Fall First! Opportunities in the Great Western Catskills

DELHI, NY (09/29/2008)(readMedia)-- The Western Catskills boast wide open mountain valleys that are high enough to bring on the Fall foliage season first in the lower half of New York State. The last weekend of September has shown a gorgeous array of scarlet, burgundy and pumpkin mixing in to the mountainside greens. October is sure to please everyone looking to feast their eyes on the best fall colors - before the rest of the state.

To help weekenders looking for a getaway to view the foliage local lodging owners are offering a host of packages to get you out in the mountains. The lovely Mountain Brook Inn (www.themountainbrookinn.com) in bucolic Bovina will lull you to sleep in 300 thread count sheets, and wake you up to a delightful breakfast dropped off at your door. Their fall package includes a trip to Sunflower Farm complete with hayride and pumpkin picking making this a fun weekend for the whole family. Dinner that night is at the Andes Hotel where CIA-trained Chef O'Neill will prepare a harvest feast featuring the season's bounty. Package runs $355.00 for two people for two nights, or $460.00 for family of four (two adults and two children) for two nights. Taxes and gratuities not included.

For a not so hectic getaway that combines golf and fine dining with a lovely bed and breakfast, start your weekend at the Meadowood Inn (www.meadowoodinn.com) in Arkville. Package includes a round of golf for two at a local favorite 9 hole course at Shepard Hills, a hidden gem, just 15 minutes away. In the evening, celebrate your triumphs while sipping champagne. Then prepare yourselves for a delectable four-course tasting menu that includes all our local harvests have to offer at the most scrumptious restaurant in our area, the Peekamoose. This package starts at $399 for two nights for two people in one of Meadowood's lovely rooms. Taxes and gratuities not included.

For more challenging recreation, rouse your adventurous spirit during a two day adventure in the Catskills! Your wild weekend adventure will include two nights stay in one of The Roxbury's (www.theroxburymotel.com) award-winning rooms with amenities galore, passes to the Shimmer Spa where you can steam or soak freshly challenged muscles, receive a delicious, deep tissue massage treatment, and a round of libations at Public Lounge right next door. And then there's the biking! Plattekill's (www.plattekill.com) steep chutes and big drops are par for the course and have been known to give some of the world's best riders a run for their money - but feel free to bike the easier runs as well. For those not in the daredevil mood, Plattekill will drive your bikes out to the nearly flat Catskill Scenic Rail Trail for another great view of fall from the river valley. This package includes all the biking gear you'll need, lift passes, a personal, one-on-one 2 hour guided tour on the trails (either downhill or cross country), and the mountain bike with helmet. Rates vary based on total packed booked, and room selection.

Want more than nine holes? Stay two nights at The Andes Hotel (www.andeshotel.com) and golf amidst the mountains, and feast on a local New York State sourced dinner. Over the weekend take in your golf at SUNY Delhi College Golf Course. This premier 18 hole course sits among the rolling foothills of the western Catskills, babbling brooks, mighty pines and 300 year old oaks dominate the links, ripe with an ever changing and always challenging terrain. For dinner the Hotel will come up with a great menu that includes all our local bounty has to offer. A nice big steak, raised right down the road, perfect with any one of the Finger Lakes red wines, or perhaps a locally raised Brook Trout, perfect with a New York Riesling. When you are ready to leave, the Andes Hotel will give you a $20 gas card to fill up your tank for the way home! Two nights at The Andes Hotel, a hearty seasonal three course dinner featuring the bounty of locally grown products, greens fees and golf cart at the SUNY Delhi College Golf Course and $20 gas card. Mid week: $300 per twosome, Pricing includes no more than 2 people per room.. Weekends: $310 per twosome. Tax and gratuity not included.

The Delaware County Chamber of Commerce is the designated Tourism Promotion Agency for Delaware County, and manages the State's I Love NY Matching Funds program and the Great Western Catskills traveler program. For more information on travel to the Great Western Catskills visit www.greatwesterncatskills.com. For information on events, visit www.delawarecountytoday.com For a free travel guide call 866-775-4425.