July 4 in the Catskills

It can be really difficult to find vacations that are fun and interesting (and not stressful!) for both parents and kids! This summer, we were looking for something that wasn’t far away (within 2 hours driving distance) where we could go for a long weekend, which seems like the perfect amount of time to take a vacation with toddlers.

We used Airbnb for the first time to book two houses in the Catskills, one for July 4th weekend with my family and one which we will visit in August with Steve’s family.

I wanted to share some photos of the house we stayed in this month, in Lanesville, NY, because we had a great time! It was about two hours from where we live, close to a lot of hiking trails and quaint towns in the Catskills. It was a big, red farmhouse with private yards on two sides and a creek in the back. The yard had a playset for kids, an apple tree with twinkle lights, and a part of the creek had been dammed up to make a wading pool. We brought a slip-and-slide and kiddie pools and my boys and their cousins played for literally hours while we sat in lawn chairs and did unheard-of-things like reading books and having adult conversations! At night we grilled dinners, played with sparklers, roasted s’mores and sat by the fire after the kids went to bed.

The most charming red farmhouse.

The kids loved the playset, which had a wooden bridge, a slide, swings, climbing tires, monkey bars – everything!

Slip-n-Slide all day.

Kite flying in the yard.

Fireside cigars.

We spent so much time relaxing on this big, wide front porch.

Isn’t the yard so pretty?

The caretaker/owner of the property lives in the converted barn on the property, seen in the back of the photo here. His name is Taylor and he was very nice, giving us suggestions of things to do and even arranging a horse and carriage ride for the kids from one of the neighbors. He also had the friendliest dog, a white German Shepherd named Lou, who was so good with the kids.

The creek/wading pool in the back of the property.

Lou! It was the sweetest perk to have a complimentary dog for the week. The kids loved it.

The apple tree at night.

The inside of the house was classic farmhouse style through and through. It looked very collected, with original paintings on the walls alongside quirky mirrors, lots of quilts, and slipcovered sofas and chairs. There was a full bookcase for all ages and a small variety of toys that kept the kids occupied every day (what is it about other people’s toys that holds kids interest 150% more than their own do?!). Two bedrooms were on the second floor, and then a steep, winding staircase led to two more attic bedrooms, which the kids immediately claimed as their “secret rooms.” The only drawback was that those attic rooms were so warm! We should have brought a few portable fans.

Look at this cute, old tile on the fireplace.

The tile in the kitchen was also perfect.

Cute farmhouse style in one of the bedrooms.

The windy stairs to the attic.

The only outings we took were a walk to the end of the road where there was a short hike, and a 15 minute drive to Kaaterskill Falls, which was unbelievable and beautiful – I would highly recommend it!