If you’re anything like me, you’re searching for safe opportunities to get outside again. Taking a trip to the Sullivan Catskills could be one more thing on that list.

And it turns out, the tourism industry in the region is now seeing renewed interest from people all over the state.

I took a trip to one such destination, the Getaway Western Catskills, a new outpost located in Roscoe.

Tell your family and your friends not to expect to hear from you for a minute. You’ll definitely lose your cell phone signal in the mountains here, which is what the folks at Getaway say is part of the appeal of the region.

General manager at the newly opened Western Catskills Getaway outpost, Wes McCloskey said business for them continues to boom.

"We’ve had a lot of repeat guests come here already. We’ve only been open a month and we’ve been at full capacity nearly the entire time," he said.

What You Need To Know

  • Getaway opened its new outpost, Getaway Western Catskills, in Roscoe early this year, the second outpost in New York state

  • The company says over the past eight months, the average occupancy was 97%

  • The Sullivan Catskills Visitors Association said the region has great appeal because of social distancing in the great outdoors

Many of them are coming from New York City.

"I think a lot of people in New York City who have been really cooped up in their apartments are excited to come out to the Catskills and enjoy a socially distanced and safe getaway," McCloskey said.

The nature of their tourism had them prepared for distanced enjoyment.

"We’ve been doing social distancing long before it was the in thing to do. We have such great distance and outdoors. We’re a county that’s the size of Rhode Island with incredible outdoor adventures," said Roberta Byron-Lockwood, president and CEO of the Sullivan Catskills Visitors Association.

She said their visitor demographic is also not surprising.

"As we’re seeing vaccines come out, we’re noticing different profiles and different age groups that have been vaccinated are immediately moving in, and in droves, to start to visit," she said.

And for McCloskey, there’s one more thing that makes their offering attractive.

"Many of our cabins do have a view of the Catskills and the reservoir that you can see in the distance. Our guests also get to enjoy the local wildlife. We do have a lot of deer around here who are not afraid of people," which makes the Catskills experience fun for all, he said.