Leaf it up
Take the family on an autumn getaway within driving distance
BY November, every pumpkinand apple-picking day trip has been taken. So tote your munchkins farther afield to see fall foliage and partake in coldweather fun. Here are three accessible picks.
SAG HARBOR, NY
Just 100 miles and two hours from Manhattan, Baron’s Cove is an ideal place to stay in the summer, with its pool and tennis courts. But the inn is just as fun in fall and winter. There’s live music on weekends by a woodburning fireplace — with hot chocolate for the kids and cocktails for the grown-ups — all in a historic setting where writers and artists like John Steinbeck, Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock used to hang out. The hotel is a short drive from Wolffer Estate, famed for its rosé, which hosts candlelit tastings every Friday ( Wolffer.com). There’s al-also the Children’s Museum of the he East End, which has exhibits for or all ages and miniature golf, too o ( CMEE.org). At East Hampton’s n’s Buckskill Winter Club, families s ice-skate around a rink that opens on Dec. 1 (from $17; BuckskillWinterClub.com). From $199; BaronsCove.com
NEWPORT, RI
Gurney’s year-round resort in Montauk is a tried-and-true favorite for New Yorkers. So check out George Filopoulos and Lloyd Goldman’s latest project, Gurney’s Newport Resort & Marina. Its location on Goat Island — connected to the mainland by a bridge across a narrow slice of Narragansett Bay — is a threehour drive from the city. Appropriately, there are two goats on the property, named Cornelius and William after the scions of the Vanderbilt family, who built area mansions like the Breakers and Marble House. Children will love Gurney’s water taxi, which ferries folks into town to check out the famed Beaux-Arts architecture. Then hike the Cliff Walk, a paved path that offers glimpses of the Gilded Age mansions’ yards and sweeping Atlantic views ( CliffWalk.com). From $189; GurneysResorts.com
MANCHESTER, VT.
It’s a beautiful time of year to visit southern Vermont, where the rolling Green Mountains serve as a stunning backdrop. Equinox Golf Resort & Spa began as the Marsh Tavern, which offered lodgings in 1769 and became the core of today’s 2,300-acre property. Four presidents stayed here: William Howard Taft; Ulysses S. Grant; Benjamin Harrison; and Theodore Roosevelt. Abraham Lincoln’s wife, Mary, visited in 1864 and planned to come back with her husband. A special suite was built in his honor, but he was assassinated the following year. These days, an actor dressed as Lincoln wanders the columned estate, chatting to kids and parents alike. Located about five hours from the city, the closest ski mountains are Stratton, Bromley and Mount Snow. There’s also sledding, tubing, dog-sledding, snowmobiling and snowshoeing available.