The village of Ellenville in southeastern New York’s Ulster County sits along the foot of the Catskill Mountains, nestled at the junction of U.S. Route 209 and State Route 52, and bisected by the Shawangunk Scenic Byway. Ellenville sits equidistant to New York City and Albany. Visitors come to Ellenville for a variety of reasons, including several well-maintained golf courses, local historical sites and the geologically significant Ellenville Fault-Ice Caves.
Shadowland Theatre
The Shadowland Theatre (shadowlandtheatre.org) is one of the premier Actors’ Equity Association theaters in the region, producing professional plays and musicals since 1984. The venue is an old vaudeville house built in 1920, but it has been renovated and refurbished several times over since then while still managing to retain many of the original art deco features. Each seat in the 148-seat theater is within 25 feet of the semi-thrust stage, providing an intimate setting with strong acoustics. Each season typically includes five productions, with notable past renditions of The Glass Menagerie, Biloxi Blues, and To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday.
Honor’s Haven Resort, Spa and Golf Course
Honor’s Haven Resort & Spa (honorshaven.com) features an abundance of recreational activities such as hiking, yoga and tai-chi classes, hand-gliding and horseback riding. The spa has wet and dry saunas, while treatments range from deep tissue and Swedish massages to scalp therapy and European facials. For sports lovers, The Fallsview Golf Course, built in 1960, is one of Ellenville’s most celebrated thanks to a championship-style layout by designer Robert Trent Jones Sr. The par-35 course boasts 3,432 yards of play from the long tees over nine holes, with professional instruction and a driving range available.
Ellenville Fault-Ice Caves
The 395-acre Ellenville Fault-Ice Caves (nature.nps.gov) are part of the largest known exposed fault system in the country and features ice-laden caves that formed over time from various fault debris. Because of a cool micro-climate, the ice remains throughout the year, while cold-resistant northern vegetation such as black spruce and mountain ash surround the area. The ice caves, which were designated a National Natural Landmark in November of 1967, are located inside Sam’s Point Preserve, a 4,600-acre nature site nestled on the highest point of the Shawangunk Ridge. Hiking trails leading to the caves are open in the summer.
Terwilliger House Museum
The Terwilliger House Museum (eplm.org) is a Queen Anne-style Victorian residence built in 1895 that is home to the Ellenville Public Library’s local history collection. Exhibits in the permanent collection include stoneware made at the Ellenville Pottery and glass jugs created at the Ellenville Glass Works, all symbolic of the area’s heyday. The second floor features costumed mannequins representing the locally based Clayton’s Military Band and a room dedicated to the late congressman Joseph Y. Resnick, a native of Ellenville. The museum is only open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday afternoons or by special appointment.
O&W; Napanoch Depot
The O&W; Napanoch Depot (nyow.org) is a restored 1902 railroad station that features various artifacts, exhibits and memorabilia relating to its storied history. The depot was created in response to the abandonment of the D&H; Canals, and although passenger transport stopped in the 1940s, freight transit continued well into the 1950s. The depot is open on the first and second Sundays of each month, while groups can arrange special hours to visit. Although technically located in the neighboring community of Napanoch, this attraction is less than five minutes away from Ellenville and represents a key facet of the area’s heritage.