Wow, Warwick is Wonderful!
/Warwick, NY is yet another small, (barely) upstate New York town that I’m now smitten with.
Known for its farming community, a fall festival called “Applefest” and a drive in theater that has been around way before the entire country turned to “drive ins” in an effort to continue business in the time of COVID, Warwick is only about an hour fifteen from Manhattan.
I’d been a few times previously to visit a friend in town, but this was our first time truly soaking up Warwick. We had a LOT of fun.
Why Warwick: Initially, Craft Beer
The impetus for our visit to Warwick was the very recent opening of The Drowned Lands, a farm brewery “founded as an homage to the dirt on which it is built.” I had planned to pair a visit there with a stop at a Warwick playground and a stroll down its downtown.
But as we drove toward town, we realized that another new brewery, Tin Barn Brewing, was mere minutes from The Drowned Lands. And I remembered reading on Tin Barn’s website, “WE ARE A VERY FAMILY FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT,” so off we went!!
It’s true. Tin Barn Brewery is set in a gorgeous, enormous barn that will eventually house a full kitchen as well as its tasting room. There is a red tractor near the door for aesthetics, and a truck that’s been outfitted to hold a table in its cargo bed. There will eventually be all kinds of fun table games inside too, like shuffleboard and a bowling table. The entire set up is very relaxed, very “barn on a farm” and VERY welcoming to children and furry dogs.
For now, the action is happening on Tin Barn’s equally massive outdoor patio. Out back we found lawn games (giant Connect Four, horseshoes and cornhole), live music and a BBQ food truck offering lunch options. There were many families out there with us and several cute dogs. It was the perfect first stop on a beautiful day. Also, the beers are delicious, a cider and soft drinks were also on offer AND the brewery is female owned. Heck yes!
We did end up also making it to the Drowned Lands and the brewery, only about a 7 minute drive from Tin Barn, is as stunningly gorgeous as its farm beers are delicious. I highly recommend a visit and snagging DL beers whenever you see them locally (Beer Noggin, Bridge View Tavern, Coals). Alas, this brewery is more adult oriented and while certainly welcoming to children, not exactly set up with them in mind. Its tagline is “Slow Down. Stay Awhile” - things that are lovely but not exactly doable with kids, amirite? (TL;DR get a sitter and GO).
Next: Pit Stop At a Roadside Farm
As we next made our way toward Warwick proper, our plans changed again, when we spotted a roadside farm, mere minutes away from Tin Barn, that appeared to have an adorable and very uncrowded family play area.
Wright Family Farm is - as its name suggests - a family owned farm and it offers PYO, corn mazes, a farm stand with snacks, and best of all, a small but incredibly cute family amusement area. For just $8.50/pp, all four of us had a blast playing and laughing together with the many sweet activities offered at the farm. And there were never more than two or three other families while we were there. A perfect and safe pit stop to help us ring in the fall season!
What Else in Warwick?
While in Warwick, spend some time walking around its main drag, conveniently called Main Street. There are quite a few cute looking stores and restaurants over there. (While we didn’t eat there, we noted that The Warwick Inn had a HUGE outdoor patio for dining).
We also didn’t make it to Stanley Deming Park and its playground on this visit, but would certainly like to check it out next time. There is also a sculpture garden in town, Pacem-In-Terris, that’s on my “to do” list for next visit.
And as mentioned above, Warwick Drive-In is a very well known attraction in town that has been in operation since the 1950s and is certainly apropos for 2020. We didn’t end up going on this visit, as the family friendly option, a double feature of the Lorax and Goosebumps, started at 8pm, which is on the late side for folks who then have an hour plus drive home.
Instead, we ended our night in Warwick waiting on an HOUR PLUS line at Bellvale Farm Creamery. Yes, we actually did this. And YES, it was worth it. The ice cream at this precious roadside creamery was epic and frankly, there was something very pleasant about being outside late at night, waiting for one last summery ice cream as we also felt the crispness of fall in the air. Bellvale closes for the season on October 30th.
—-
Thanks for a wonderful day spent, Warwick! We’ll be back - PS Applefest is sadly canceled for 2020, but it’s on our radar for 2021.
