If you are looking to purchase an early Dutch stone house, chances are you will find one in the Stone Ridge and surrounding areas. The “vibe” of Stone Ridge is sort of the Rhinebeck of Ulster County, less rustic and perhaps a bit more gentrified than some of its Ulster neighbors, its landscape more rolling farmland and valleys than mountain range. You will likely find more stately homes here than in any other part of the county.  The Main Street Historic District of Stone Ridge itself is on the National Historic Register.

Not far from Stone Ridge is the hamlet of High Falls. Moviegoers might remember that Natalie Wood found herself dangerously climbing along the falls near the end of “Splendor in the Grass,” but there’s no danger nowadays. For a tiny hamlet, High Falls has plenty of pep to it, featuring a number of popular eateries or else a visit to the D&H Canal Historical Society and Museum.  One of the loveliest areas adjoins High Falls: the Clove Valley, a wooded enclave minutes away from Mohonk and Minnewaska State Park.

Lovers of the outdoors will also revel in the Woodstock Farm Sanctuary, which shifted from Woodstock a few years ago to just outside High Falls where farm animals have been rescued and given a home where humans are also free to visit.