A Sweet Escape…

With a slightly snowy forecast this past weekend across various areas of the Northeast, deciding on what to do with a freed up Saturday proved to be a little difficult – at first. I was debating whether or not Troy and I could head up to New Hampshire for hot toddys and tubing near the infamous Mount Washington Omni Resort (one of my favorite places to visit in the off-season!) or do some antiquing and grab coffee in Woodstock, Vermont (also beautiful and way less crowded in the off-season!) or even just keep it local with lunch and a movie here in the Pioneer Valley.

But my desire to get out of state – even if it was just for an afternoon – took over and after packing up the car with cookies for the journey, we were on our way via the backroads to Rhinebeck in the beautiful and picturesque Duchess County, New York. Only a couple hours away from my apartment, I had wanted to introduce Troy to their lovely little downtown area and, specifically, revisit Samuel’s Sweet Shop.

I wrote about Samuel’s charm and history all the way back in 2020 when I’d visited for the first time, and I’ve told Troy about it no less than forty times since then – so it seemed like the perfect day trip to escape my apartment, catch up on our favorite podcasts in the car, and stock up on sweets and hot chocolate while exploring the area.

Rhinebeck (and the roads to/from) remains absolutely beautiful, quaint, and filled with independently owned shops, restaurants, inns and farms. There’s also plenty of Victorian homes and abandoned buildings to see along the way – and we know how much I love that kind of stuff!

We visited Samuel’s of course – and Troy loved it as much as I thought he would – but we also stopped by Cabin Fever Outfitters, Foster’s Coach House Tavern, and Upstate Films when we weren’t window shopping the various boutiques and wineries.

When it got to be a little too cold to stay out for much longer, we hopped in the car to head home- stopping just a couple more times to snap photos of some of the abandoned gas pumps and huge trees we’d spotted on our way into town just as the sun was beginning to set.

It was a perfect way to spend a snowy Saturday- and I’d do it again in a heartbeat!

xo