Ahead of Qantas’ inaugural AKL-JFK direct service taking off next month, New York State has a series of exciting tourism developments, hotel openings and key anniversaries to entice visitors from Down Under.

Here is what’s new, what’s happening and what’s coming up, as options for Australians and New Zealanders accessing the Empire State:

Lake Placid welcomes new Olympic Museum

Nestled in the Adirondack Mountains, Lake Placid has hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 1932 and 1980. The new Lake Placid Olympic Museum is a treasure trove of history featuring interactive exhibits, innovative displays and North America’s second largest Winter Olympic artifact collection. New visitor facilities in the area also include the boutique Bluebird Lake Placid hotel that launched earlier this year and the upcoming opening of Cloudsplitter, the town’s only rooftop bar. 

New York State’s most scenic train journey to return this spring

After a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Adirondack, dubbed one of the “Top 10 most scenic train rides in the world,” is officially coming back this spring (exact date TBC). The popular Amtrak route connects Manhattan’s Penn Station with Upstate New York travelling through the scenic Hudson Valley towards Albany, the state capital, and along the eastern border of the Adirondack Mountains, before reaching Montreal in Canada.

Wolf Conservation Center introduces new camping pods

“Sleeping with Wolves” is a popular adventure experience that takes place in the summer and offers guests a chance to safely camp out overnight with more than 30 wolves that call the Wolf Conservation Center in the Hudson Valley home. In response to its increased popularity, 12 new weather-proof camping pods will debut this year in 2023 that will allow the experience to extend from spring to autumn.

Northeast’s first “agrihood” is coming to Hudson Valley 

Construction is well underway on the new Bellefield at Historic Hyde Park, the first “agrihood” community in the Northeast. Less than 90 minutes from New York City, the development will feature a collection of culinary shops, farm-to-table restaurants, breweries, restaurants, distilleries, two hotels and a special events barn, which will complement the area’s world-famous Culinary Institute of America. 

Delve into the history of Broadway 

The new Museum of Broadway in Manhattan gives visitors the opportunity to travel through the timeline of Broadway from its birth to present day, highlighting some of the most beloved plays and musicals of all time. Featuring a series of interactive experiences, installations and video projections, you will find out more about the history of New York City‘s theatres, revisit ground-breaking moments in Broadway’s history and go behind the curtain into the making of hit show.

New culinary destination for Lower Manhattan 

Under the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge, the recently opened Tin Building by Jean-Georges, the world renowned chef and restaurateur, offers an exciting array of culinary experiences. The two-floor building, at the former site of a fish market, includes multiple restaurants with open kitchens and innovative retail concepts, as well as an impeccably stocked central market with locally sourced and seasonal produce, chef-grade pantry staples and rare ingredients.

New World Video Game Hall of Fame comes to Rochester

The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester will welcome this year a new World Video Game Hall of Fame exhibit and a 90,000-square-foot museum wing dedicated to video game history. From strolling down Sesame Street to leaping into the world of American comic book superheroes, the museum is home to the most comprehensive collection of its kind in the world, unravelling the history of play through toys, dolls, board games, books and electronic games.

Discover a new side of New York on the Little Island

Little Island opened in the midst of the global pandemic offering a mini urban oasis in New York’s Hudson River Park. With more than two acres of magnificent landscape, distinctive architecture, dazzling views and an abundance of free performances, it has hosted more than one million visitors in its inaugural year, with an extensive programme scheduled for 2023 that includes dance, circus, theatre, music, magic, poetry and comedy.

Accomodation Update

Eastwind Oliverea, The Catskills

Set in a lush mountainside with both sunrise and sunset views, this newly built, 30-room property opened in January offering a selection of guest rooms, cabins and suites. It features an outdoor pool, wood barrel dry sauna, communal fire pit with complimentary s’mores kits and hammocks, while Dandelion, its on-site restaurant and bar, serves a seasonal menu and locally sourced produce.

Hotel Caravana, Hudson Valley

Stay onsite at a retro drive-in movie theatre and transform movie night into a sleepover experience. Newly available as Hotel Caravana at the Four Brothers Drive-In Theatre, in the heart of Hudson Valley, the two vintage airstreams are named ‘1967’ (sleeps up to four) and ‘2041’ (sleeps two) and have been fully renovated with a funky décor. 

Richardson Hotel, Buffalo

Formerly known as Hotel Henry, this National Historic Landmark is considered one of Buffalo’s most iconic architectural landmarks. The hotel is reopening this month with a refreshed entry, ballroom and the Forest Street Bistro, while its 88 rooms are getting a full makeover. Set on more than 40 park acres, the hotel’s grounds have been designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, famous for designing New York City’s Central Park.

Canoe Place, Long Island

Founded in 1697, Canoe Place in Hampton Bays is America’s oldest established inn. Over its long history, it has been everything from a waterside retreat to a discrete celebrity rendezvous to a racy late-night scene. The property reopened last summer offering 20 guest rooms in five completely rebuilt guest cottages, with a luxurious and inviting feel.  

Scribner’s Catskill Lodge, The Catskills

Since it first welcomed guests in 1966 as the Scribner Hollow Motor Lodge, the now-Scribner’s Catskill Lodge has gained legendary status thanks to its distinctive architecture and decadent indoor swimming ‘grotto.’ The property will expand this spring with the addition of a dozen private lodges, featuring unique, 12-sided designs and private, outdoor cedar soaking tubs, that will be offered in both single and suite configurations. 

In addition, two new properties are further boosting Hudson Valley’s status as a luxury destination: Habitas-on-Hudson, envisaged as a summer camp for grown-ups, opened last December as the luxurious hospitality group’s first US property; and award-winning wellness retreat The Ranch will add a new property this autumn at the site of a historic Hudson Valley lakefront estate.