One part of New York is well-known for a very special reason.

There are many cool areas of the Hudson Valley and I recently discovered a really interesting one. I was driving more up near Syracuse and my GPS took me into this small town....and you could instantly tell the town had a lot of heart and character.

The town was East Durham, New York.

It was the first time I've ever been and right away I saw a huge Shamrock... by the time I was done, I lost track of how many Shamrocks were present throughout the town.

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So I wanted to find out more about the cute area.

What's the history behind East Durham, New York?

East Durham has a pretty cool history. Many people from Ireland came to the East Durham area  in the early 1900s and brought their Irish heritage and culture to the area. When you are just a few seconds into the town you can instantly feel an intense amount of Irish pride and a huge sense of community. It's like a little hub of all things Irish and a loyal tribute to everything Irish. Every year there is a pretty big Irish festival in May and it all makes sense why the area is called the "Emerald Isle of the Catskills".

What fun things can you do in East Durham, New York?

1) Zoom Flume WaterPark:

Google Maps/Canva
Google Maps/Canva
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The Zoom Flume Waterpark is the Catskills #1 Waterpark and a great way to spend a day and cool off in East Durham.

2) Blackthorne Resort:

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Google Maps/Canva
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There are a few Irish inspired spots where you can stay overnight and get transported back in time. The Blackthorne is one of them and you can get a home cooked meal and enjoy many family activities.

3) Nellies:

Google Maps/Canva
Google Maps/Canva
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Nellies is known for their amazing scones and you have to check out this Irish cafe when you come by. I would recommend wearing stretchy pants when you come to this place and be ready to eat.

As you can tell there's a lot of character in East Durham and you should add East Durham to your list of places to check out in New York.

Have you been to East Durham before? Where's your favorite place to check out? Send your answer on the station app:

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Speaking of places in New York, here are some pretty creepy wooded areas that would be perfect to film a horror movie in:

Best Wooded Area to Film a Horror Movie in the Hudson Valley

Ever wonder where the perfect woods in the Hudson Valley would be to film a scary movie in? Here are the best choices according to Hudson Vally residents:

Gallery Credit: Google Maps

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