March 06, 2008

Upstate is closer than you think! Enjoy all that Westchester has to offer in the Westchester County 2008 Travel Guide. First-class accommodations. Impressive historical sites. Countless shopping and dining possibilities. Gorgeous gardens. Year-round, family-friendly festivals and fairs.

Each year, 150,000 copies of the guide are printed to provide comprehensive travel information for New York’s “Golden Apple,” gateway to the Hudson River Valley. The 2008 Travel Guide has new sections such as Winter Highlights outlining the many activities available during the winter months and Introduction which features what is new to Westchester.

The Westchester County Travel Guide is free. To get a copy call the Westchester County Office of Tourism at (800) 833-9282 or (914) 995-8500, or visiting  http://www.westchestertourism.com/. It will be available online shortly.

The 68-page, magazine-style travel publication, produced by the Westchester County Office of Tourism in cooperation with Suburban Publishing, contains detailed information on the county's hotels, attractions, historical sites, gardens, performing arts centers, parks and recreational opportunities, shopping, nightlife and children’s activities.  There is additional information on seasonal activities, movie locations, “Agritourism” (farms, orchards and wineries) and transportation options into and around the county.  The dining section highlights many of the best restaurants in Westchester of interest to tourists and residents alike.

For the third consecutive year, the guide features winning photography from the Annual Amateur Tourism Photography Contest.  Second place winner, Jerry Becker’s “Untermeyer Park Gardens” in Yonkers, and third place winner, Lorri Freedman’s “Lasdon Park” in Somers, both appear in the Recreation & Leisure section. The guide also includes other photographs by Becker and Freedman.

The Travel Guide’s calendar of special events describes the fairs, festivals, musical and theatrical programs, ethnic celebrations, museum exhibitions, holiday activities, craft, antique and auto shows, and major sporting events taking place county-wide now through the end of 2008.  The calendar also includes Fourth of July fireworks locations.