Ellenville: Cultural History, Theater, and Nature

Ellenville brings together several highlights for trip planning: the history of Catskills resorts, local architectural and industrial history, theater, and nature and recreational activities. If you’re looking for a hotel in Ellenville, you can first decide which aspect you’d like to shape your stay. The places and activities range from cultural history and theater performances to hiking and sports opportunities.

Cultural History and Architecture

The Borscht Belt Museum is dedicated to the golden age of Catskills resorts. Its building was constructed in 1928 for the Home National Bank and designed in the Neo-Georgian style. This brings together the building’s former use as a bank and the museum’s focus on resort history. Local history here brings architectural history together with the cultural memory of Catskills resorts.

The local history collection at the Ellenville Public Library & Museum includes artifacts from Ellenville Glass Works and stoneware from Ellenville Pottery. These collection items highlight two local businesses and broaden the focus beyond resort history to other aspects of local history. Terwilliger House adds its own architectural note: this Queen Anne-style house, built in the late 19th century, was constructed in 1895 by George Deyo. The Hunt Memorial Building and its grounds are closely connected to the social history of the Village of Ellenville. Together, these examples show different ways of exploring the past: through collections, residential architecture, and social history.

Theater and Art Classes

Shadowland Stages produces a season of professional contemporary theater, including world premieres of plays and musicals. Performances take place in the MainStage, a beautifully restored Art Deco performance space, and in the Studio, a recently completed, flexible black-box theater. The two performance spaces bring different architectural touches to the theater program. In addition, the Shadowland Stages Academy offers art classes for all ages. If you’d like to include a particular performance or class in your trip plans, check the schedule in advance.

Hiking and Outdoor Activities

Privately operated Ellenville Flight Park offers hang gliding and paragliding along the Shawangunk Mountain range. People aged 14 to 70 and older have learned to fly hang gliders and paragliders there under the supervision and guidance of a certified flight instructor. If you’re interested in flying, check availability before your trip.

Berme Road Park is a starting point for hiking in Minnewaska and for the O&W Rail Trail. The park also offers tennis, basketball, picnic facilities, softball, and a playground. This gives it two distinct roles in trip planning: as a starting point for hikes and as a place with other listed recreational activities. You can choose to focus on a hike or on activities in the park.

Discover more destinations: Clintondale, Kerhonkson, Saugerties, Wallkill, Rosendale, High Falls, Oliverea, Kingston

For the broader travel overview: Ulster.