NEW YORK

BUFFALO, NY visitbuffaloniagara.com

Buffalo, the state’s second largest city, is a diverse community with great places for lovers of sports, the outdoors, food, architecture, and the arts. Options are all around, from the water’s edge downtown to nearby theaters, nightlife and restaurants, the newly renovated convention center and the nearby, expanded museum district.

Visit the re-imagined Buffalo AKG Art Museum, stay at the reopened, historic Richardson Hotel, and drive 30-minutes to see the natural wonder - Niagara Falls.

Buffalo boasts a unique history. The prosperity that came with the Erie Canal and the Gilded Age has led to a myriad of unexpected places that today make for great meetings. In addition to the new promenades and stops with culture and fun at the Canalside waterfront, just on the other side of the Buffalo River is the RiverWorks entertainment complex with a brewery, restaurant, ziplining, axthrowing, a Ferris wheel and more.

Shea’s Seneca Banquets and Events features a former theater entryway, a patio, open seating, and intimate bar space. Downtown’s Ellicott Square Building has a sunlit central court lobby with a glass roof. At the city’s industrial waterfront sits the Powerhouse with room for sports, entertainment, and gatherings. A renovated convention center debuts there this year.

For dining, classic Italian and new Americana gourmet are complemented by eclectic offerings from Buffalonians who hail from the Philippines, Sudan, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Bangladesh. Entrepreneurs have found opportunity in the city’s food truck culture, as well.

ONEIDA COUNTY, NY oneidacountytourism.com

The Beeches, a landmark venue for decades before it closed in 2018, will reopen as a women-owned, state-of-the-art banquet hall in the town of Rome with scenic views, impressive, open floors, a lounge and restaurant area, and a new deck and patio.

In addition, Oneida County is home to five full-service properties that include: Delta Hotels by Marriott; Doubletree Hotel Utica by Hilton; Burrstone Inn - Ascend Hotel Collection; Vernon Downs Casino Hotel; and Turning Stone Resort Casino. The county also offers many unique, non-traditional venues, too, such as the Irish Cultural Center, The Stanley Theatre, and the Delta Lake Inn.

Dining here runs the gamut from finely crafted dishes and local farm-to-table cuisine to Italian, European, Asian, and Middle Eastern selections. Local favorites include Tavolo, Karam's, Sugarbeets, Zeina's, and Ocean Blue.

Local activities include visiting Munson or the Utica Zoo, touring the FX Matt Brewing Company, catching a show at The Stanley, or stopping at one of the county’s Heart of NY Craft Beverage partners like Woodland Farm Brewery.

COOPERSTOWN, NY thisiscooperstown.com

Cooperstown’s newest and most popular attraction is Rail Explorers USA, which offers custom railbikes equipped with electric pedal assist motors for journeys through farmlands and forests alongside the Susquehanna River.

Team building exercises are available at the Clark Sports Center’s High and Low Ropes Courses, as well as at the Cooperstown Escape Rooms. Golf is popular in Cooperstown, too, and includes one of the most scenic and challenging resort golf courses on the East Coast, Leatherstocking Golf Course at The Otesaga Resort Hotel.

The hallowed halls of the plaque gallery at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum can be utilized for a cocktail reception or event catered by The Otesaga Resort, which is under the same ownership, making this off-site excursion seamless.

The Otesaga Resort Hotel boasts recreation and relaxation in an elegant and picturesque lakefront retreat setting. Guests can enjoy a carefree swim in the pool or a soothing massage in Hawkeye Spa. Play a round at the award-winning Leatherstocking Golf Course, rent a canoe and paddle out onto Lake Otsego, or borrow a rowboat to go fishing.

TOP-The Palace Theater is home to the Albany Symphony and Park Playhouse; BOTTOM - C H Evans Brewing Co. at the Albany Pump Station; photos courtesy: Discover Albany

ALBANY, NY

www.albany.org

In the Upper Hudson Valley, the new Hyatt Place Albany Downtown will open later this summer. Nearby is a flourishing culinary scene, brewpubs, and walking paths along the Hudson River, plus world-class sports and entertainment at MVP Arena.

Albany also boasts world-class museums like the Albany Institute of History & Art, the second oldest museum in the country, and unique entertainment and performing arts venues such as The Egg Performing Arts Center and the Palace Theatre. Enjoy a Dutch Apple cruise and sightseeing tour on the Hudson River or view the Empire State Plaza's collection of Abstract Expressionist art.

Dick’s Sporting Goods is converting one of its larger Albany County stores into a Dick’s House of Sports. Opening fall of 2023, it will be a premier place for team building events, and for youth and adults to try equipment and have fun.

Albany’s Capital Complex includes the Albany Capital Center, the Empire State Plaza Convention Center, The Egg Performing Arts Center, the Times Union Center, and the Renaissance Albany Hotel, all of which are connected by a fully enclosed walkway. This complex is adjacent to 1,000 hotel rooms and offers more than 159,000-square feet of flexible meeting and event space.

Albany County's culinary scene is booming with locally-owned restaurants and craft beverage producers. Savor international flavors, pub fare, vegan and vegetarian cuisine, comfort food and much more. Favorites include Yono's modern American fine dining with Indonesian accents, Afro Caribbean and Asian Caribbean food from Umana Yana, local craft beer from Druthers Brewing Company, or the varied menu of the Albany War Room Tavern.

Albany is seeing a trend of high-end steak and seafood offerings in the finer dining category, such as 677 Prime, the new Sea Smoke overlooking the Hudson River, the new Scarlet Knife, and the coming Ruth Chris Steak House.

COLUMBIA COUNTY, NY columbiacountytourism.org

In the heart of the historic Dutch Village of Kinderhook, the Old Dutch Inn honors its 200-year history with a rejuvenated, luxurious boutique property.

The Pomeroy Family Railroad at the Copake Iron Works Historic District, Copake Falls, in June of 2023 welcomed a full-scale railroad train - a throwback to the railroad used in the 1800s.

Return Brewing in Hudson is creating accessible, traditional “Tavern style” beers alongside an extensive line of exploratory concepts. Union Street Brewing Co., also in Hudson, is expected to open this July with a craft brewery, taproom, and beer garden.

Catamount Mountain Resort in Hillsdale is a four-season resort that offers skiing, snowboarding, the longest zipline in North America, and one of the largest aerial adventure parks in New England.

American landscape painter Frederick Church’s Olana State Historic Site in Hudson features scenic grounds and a home overlooking the Hudson River. Art Omi in Ghent is an outdoor arts center featuring a Sculpture & Architecture Park and a contemporary art gallery.

The Ruins at Sassafras in New Lebanon is a newly renovated, 150-year-old Shaker chair factory that can accommodate small groups for workshops both indoors and outside in an event tent. Won Dharma Center in Claverack hosts events and retreats with panoramic views of the Catskill Mountains. The Copake Country Club in Copake offers golf, dining, accommodations, and event space on-site.

The Maker in Hudson is home to unique experiences like its Café (a tribute to coffee houses of Europe), its Lounge (a cocktail bar in a converted 19th century carriage house), or its Restaurant (in a glass conservatory).

Jackson’s Old Chatham House in Old Chatham is filled with history and offers banquet facilities for up to 250 people.

HIGHLAND MILLS, NY

Rushmore Estate, an elegant Spanish Colonial mansion and estate built more than a century ago for financier and attorney Charles E. Rushmore (Mount Rushmore’s namesake) has been transformed into an event venue and bed and breakfast in Ulster County. Nearby is premium shopping, a craft beverage scene and tourist destinations like the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the LEGOLAND® New York Resort.

ORANGE COUNTY, NY

Hutton Brickyards in Kingston, NY offers waterfront events space along the Hudson River. Meticulously restored historic industrial buildings offer over 40,000-square feet of flexible space. A waterfront pavilion provides a unique and invigorating setting for outdoor events. A variety of team-building activities, outdoor adventures, and wellness programs can be customized for groups, as well.

Open from April through October, Neversink River Resort in Godeffroy, NY offers a fresh take on traditional camping with a 70-acre restored riverside campground that is now open for bookings with accommodations ranging from yurts and cabins to classic tent sites and RV fields. The resort offers the pleasures of traditional camping with modern comforts and hospitality-led amenities and activities. Neversink can provide off-site team retreats, team building events, catering services, and dedicated meeting spaces, as well.

LONG ISLAND, NY

discoverlongisland.com

Discover Long Island, the region’s official and only accredited destination marketing organization, recently announced that legislation passed to increase in Suffolk County’s hotel and motel tax rate from 3 percent to 5.5 percent, benefitting local cultural institutions, increasing the budget for tourism promotion, and supporting infrastructure to build the region’s first ever convention center.

The legislation officially went into effect on June 1, 2023. Benefits of the additional revenues include: formation of funding mechanism for building Long Island’s first convention center; increased funding for Discover Long Island from $2-million to $6-million annually for tourism promotion; support for county museums, historical societies, parks, and cultural attractions and more.

“A convention center at the heart of our world-class destination is key to unlocking Long Island’s access to the multi-billion-dollar meetings industry,” said Discover Long Island president and CEO, Kristen Reynolds, CDME.

The 100,000-square foot convention center would be part of Midway Crossing development is slated to also include a 300-room connecting hotel and commercial space dedicated to attracting Life Sciences that will help to further solidify Long Island as a leader in health, science, and innovation. This proposed development will offer proximity to both Long Island MacArthur Airport and the Long Island Railroad (LIRR), with direct connection to Penn Station and Grand Central Station in

NEW YORK, NY nyctourism.com

Gansevoort Peninsula will be Manhattan's first public beach, expected to open in summer 2023. Located on the shores of the Hudson River near Chelsea and the Meatpacking District, the beach will feature a large sports field, picnic tables, and walking paths.

Rockefeller Center continues to welcome new restaurants, including the recently opened Five Acres; an enhanced experience at Top of the Rock that features a new ride, Lunch Atop a Skyscraper; the return of Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace; new shops; and the development of a Little Nell Hotel. The location also is reopening 610 Loft & Garden and Radio Park atop Radio City Music Hall in time for summer.

Bronx Point is a 530,000-square-foot mixed-use development in the South Bronx, opening in phases with housing, retail, public space, and cultural programming including the soon-to-open Universal Hip Hop Museum in 2024.

Major League Soccer’s New York City Football Club will build the city’s first professional soccer stadium with

25,000 seats. The Willets Point stadium will be part of a larger mixed-use development including a 250-room hotel, housing, a school, retail and more.

Moxy Williamsburg in Brooklyn opened in March 2023 with 216 rooms and a festive restaurant serving Israeli and Levan tine fare, a cocktail bar, an all-day café, a garden courtyard, and an indoor-outdoor rooftop bar.

The Gansevoort recently unveiled a multimillion-dollar, top-to-bottom renovation, nearly two decades after the hotel opened its doors in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. The renovated property will debut three new food and beverage concepts this fall.

Formerly known as The Roger New York, the Hotel AKA NoMad is a new boutique hotel on Madison Avenue that has been reimagined and elevated to luxury accommodations and includes a seasonal, private outdoor cinema, wine bar, and luxurious amenities.

Renaissance Hotels will debut a new 211-room property in the heart of Harlem above the Apollo’s Victoria Theater, which is currently undergoing an expansion.

Located in the heart of the city, new 661-room Tempo by Hilton Times Square will serve as the global debut and flagship for Hilton’s newest lifestyle hotel brand when it opens in October. The hotel also will boast an outdoor terrace overlooking the city and a sky lobby bar and lounge.

The NY International Travel Show will return to the Javits Center October 26-28, 2023, offering the travel industry a chance to engage with meeting and events planners, travel advisors, group travel professionals, and frequent consumer travelers.

NYC Restaurant Week® is New York City Tourism + Conventions signature program that runs biannually, offering deals on lunches and dinners. The next iteration will take place from July 24 through August 20 and will return January and February of 2024.

Fogo de Chão, the internationally-renowned restaurant from Brazil, will open its third New York City location, joining one in Manhattan and another in Queens. The new restaurant is slated to open later this year at City Point, downtown Brooklyn’s mixed-use entertainment, shopping, and dining destination.

Montauk Brewing Company, a subsidiary of Tilray Brands, Inc., is celebrating their 11-year anniversary this year. Following Montauk’s Brew Barn premiere at Citi Field, the company continues to open new branded spaces in the state, including at both Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course, building off the original Brew Barn name. As the summer season comes full force, Montauk Brewing features a new product lineup, partnerships, and experiential opportunities.

SULLIVAN CATSKILLS, NY

“The Sullivan Catskills is seeing a busy summer as new businesses open their doors,” notes Roberta Byron Lockwood, president and CEO of the Sullivan Catskills Visitors Association. “Bridge and Tunnel Brewery in Liberty, NY is family-owned and is the second location; their flagship is in Ridgewood, Queens. They were recently named the winner of the 2023 Tap NY Governor’s Cup.”

This summer, Resorts World Catskills will debut the Monster Golf Course, a world-famous green at their property in Monticello. Resorts World Catskills is an integrated casino resort that includes an all-suite hotel and a gaming and entertainment complex.

Bar Veloce, a wine bar with multiple locations in New York City, is opening a new location in Narrowsburg in the Catskills. Meanwhile, the recently reopened Roscoe Mountain Club is home to a 24room inn, golf course, restaurant, and activities.

Visit Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, located on the original site of the Woodstock festival. Today, the performing arts center includes an amphitheater and a museum that is open daily during the summer.

The Sullivan Catskills is a great place to become immersed in nature with ample opportunities to hike, bike, swim, horseback ride, and more. The Sullivan Catskills Dove Trail is an outdoor public art installation that provides a unique experience.

Some of the top places to meet here include: Resorts World Catskills; The Kartrite Resort and Indoor Waterpark; Villa Roma Resort; Bethel Woods Center for the Arts; Beaverkill Valley Inn; Callicoon Hills; The Eldred Preserve; and The Chatwal Lodge.

Check out local farm-to-table cuisine at area restaurants and enjoy dining from cafés to diners to microbreweries. The Sullivan Catskills Craft Beverage Trail includes over a dozen breweries, cideries, distilleries, and wineries.

SYRACUSE, NY

visitsyracuse.com

The construction of new meeting space in the Oncenter Convention Center adds approximately 2,500-square feet of additional meeting space to the center that can be used as five breakout rooms individually or made into various configurations using air walls. In addition, the Oncenter’s ballroom recently was renovated.

The Oncenter, Expo Center at the New York State Fairgrounds and The SRC arena are the largest meeting venues in the area. There also are many hotel options from brands like Hilton, Marriott, Choice, IHG, and Wyndham.

Syracuse offers plenty to do during all four seasons. Check out Green Lakes State Park, Beak & Skiff Apple Orchard, The Rosamond Gifford Zoo (which has the only set of twin Asian Elephants in the country), or go shopping at Destiny USA mall. Syracuse also can provide hub and spoke options, such as for visiting regional casinos and the Boxing and Baseball Halls of Fame, all within a day’s travel.

Onondaga County has a variety of restaurants, breweries, and wineries, too. Syracuse is home to the original Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, a quick-service lunch and dinner barb-que joint.

Salt City Market is a unique spot in downtown Syracuse with offerings like homemade cuisine from all over the world, consistent off hours, and weekend dining in the convention district, making it a great option for meeting and convention attendees.