The first half of 2024 was unexpected. For us, it was filled with change, heartache, and the inevitable new beginnings that often accompany those things. Having settled into this new reality, we were looking for a break from our daily routine and found it during our two-hour car ride to the Sullivan Catskills, where the sight of New York City's storied buildings slowly drifted behind us.
After driving through seemingly endless greenery, we arrived in Callicoon, New York, just in time for our tour of The Cidery at Seminary Hill.
Seated tightly in the Kubota, we giggled as the compact tractor weaved in and out of the acres of organic orchards. We learned about the apples and pears grown there, along with all the flower and insect species that live among them. At the top of the hill, we reached The Tasting Room, Seminary Hill's on-site restaurant, just down the road from The Boarding House. The food and beverage director, Maria Ter Bush, led us to a wooden outdoor table overlooking the Delaware River, where we began a guided cider tasting. It may not have been fall, but cider always reminds me of the goodness of it. Our revitalizing weekend had just begun.
Below is my review of Seminary Hill, a boutique hotel, restaurant, and working cidery in one of New York's most charming small towns.
There is truly no bad room at Seminary Hill. Split between two historic homes, the Boarding House is home to both the Upper House and Lower House. The Lower House dates from the 19th century and served as a doctor's office and nurses' residence, while the Upper House was a small private hospital built in 1930, remaining in use until a public hospital opened in the 1960s. (Fun fact: Many local workers who helped renovate the buildings four years ago had family members born in the Upper House.)
Anna Aberg and Tom Roberts, the co-founders of the local studio Homestedt, renovated and restored the homes, taking inspiration from the functional aesthetic of the 19th-century shakers. Together, the couple turned old residences into a haven of comfort and peace, keeping the charm of the foundation intact.
Now, you'll find eight distinct apartments between the two homes, ranging from one to four bedrooms, each complete with kitchenettes, a living room, and private baths. The apartments are luxurious but subtle, equipped with kilim rugs, Wright mattresses, and linen sheets. Leeann and I stayed in apartment 6, the coziest top-floor space with a king bed and claw foot tub in the center of the room. I immediately noticed how soothing the colors on the wall were, painted with muted Farrow and Ball creams and greens. We were in heaven.
In the morning, we walked past the library lounge, one of the shared spaces in the Upper House (a communal philosophy that the Shakers embraced), to the downstairs parlor kitchen for an assortment of pastries, Grizzly bagels, and hot coffee.
In addition to the complimentary weekend breakfast, the Tasting Room, led by Executive Chef Jack Tippett, is open from brunch to dinner.
It's not an exaggeration to say this was one of the most enjoyable meals I've had in a while. For brunch, we tried the biscuits with jam and butter, the buckwheat pancakes, and a market fruit plate alongside some delicious, ice-cold lattes. The biscuits had me savoring every bite, and I flashed back to childhood, eating around a big table with my family.
Dinner didn't disappoint either. We were encouraged to try the fried chicken skin snack, which I had never considered ordering. Paired with a glass of cider, the chicken skins became my new favorite pre-dinner delight. For the main entrees, I opted for the Snowdance Farms half-chicken with grits, lobster mushrooms, and chicken skin gravy; for Leeann, the steelhead trout. Both were incredibly fresh and completely satisfying. We finished the night with our favorite drinks: a glass of Cackling Hen semi-sweet and the drier Hen's Teeth ciders and split a blueberry yeast cake for dessert.
What differentiates Seminary Hill from surrounding hotels is that it is not just a place to stay but a land rooted in history, where locals and visitors alike can gather to learn more about cider-making. Doug Doetsch, Seminary Hill's co-owner, descended from a Callicoon family and decided, alongside his wife and co-owner, Susan Manning, to build on the existing agricultural heritage and give back to the community.
"All we do at Seminary Hill honors the local history and culture of Callicoon," says Manning. "We hope the Boarding House will be more to visitors than a fantastic boutique hotel; rather, we hope they'll see it as the best place to stay for a few days to immerse themselves in the past and present of cider and, by extension, in the pleasures of a life grounded in history and nature."
That is why they offer the Cider Experience, a package that, alongside your stay, includes a cidery tour and tasting for two, a $50 credit to The Tasting Room, and two bottles of cider in your room upon arrival, among other perks. You also have the opportunity to join The Cider Club, a subscription that sends you bottles four times a year and saves you 25 percent on cider compared to purchasing them individually.
Having also explored the surrounding area, we shopped at the thrift stores in downtown Callicoon's Historic District, followed by lunch at the Tasting Room at Catskill Provisions Distillery. There, we had a meal that we considered to be a highlight of the trip: vodka-sauce macaroni-and-cheese made with their local Pollinator Vodka, pasta shells, peas, and three cheeses. We left there in a blissful food coma.
I also wanted to visit Homestedt, the studio and homeware store responsible for the linen sheets that made us feel like we were sleeping on clouds. Homestedt designs and builds houses for clients and is a store in two places: Homestedt Barn, connected to the North Branch Cider Mill (which Aberg and Roberts also own and are renovating), and Homestedt in Livingston Manor.
Upon arriving at North Branch Cider Mill, the two graciously gave us a tour of their property. "There wasn't a master plan, at first, at least. We just loved the area. Coming from England and Sweden, we spent a lot of time in small towns and villages surrounded by nature," Aberg says. "The more time we spent here, the more we saw what was happening beneath the surface -- namely, the welcoming and tight-knit community combined with a strong entrepreneurial spirit."
"Homestedt is an extension of ourselves and all the things we love. From beautiful atmospheric spaces to unique and characterful items, we aim to surprise and delight everyone who walks through the door," she adds, as Leeann and I point out all of the items we recognized from our room at Seminary Hill -- and want to purchase for our own future homes.
We then walked across the grass to North Branch Cider Mill, where Roberts excitedly told us their plans to sell ice cream on the riverfront and add a friendly squad of pygmy goats to the property. They radiated their love for this piece of land, and I could envision how lovely it would be once it finally opened.
"We plan on not only bringing back the Cider Mill of old and start pressing apples again, but also, because we love to host, be adding food and beverage options so visitors can test out the furniture and serviceware in their natural setting," Aberg says.
Throughout the year, Seminary Hill offers arts and culture programming, cider workshops, live music, and lawn games.
The orchard is certified by the Northwest Organic Farming Association of New York. River Architects helped the cidery achieve Passive House status by designing the building's exterior walls with triple pane windows to trap heat during the winter and keep it cool during the summer. The Tasting Room's interiors were designed by the same architects using wood reclaimed from the underwater pilings of the Tappan Zee Bridge.
Seminary Hill is in Callicoon, New York, and is a less than three-hour hour drive from New York City. A car is recommended for getting around.
For midweek bookings between Sunday-Wednesday, you'll get 15 percent off two-night and 25 percent off three-night stays.