When is the best time to visit New York State?

New York is one of 23 states where recreational marijuana is now legal. Travelers aged 21 and older may possess up to three ounces of cannabis (24 grams of concentrated cannabis) and consumption is permitted in most public spaces where smoking and vaping are allowed. Limitations still apply and you might feel more comfortable saving your dispensary haul for the end of the day – nodding off on the subway isn’t going to do you any favors. Get a bite of the Big Apple high life and revel in some post-hike hashish at these cannabis-friendly Airbnbs in New York State.

Breeze Airways is adding a new route from Long Island, New York.

A burger and fries by the beach in San Diego, California. (Photo Credit: sophia_ross/iStock Editorial/Getty Images Plus)

New York City may lure travelers with its gleaming lights and non-stop excitement, but step outside the five boroughs and a more relaxed agenda awaits in the Empire State. 

Airshare’s acquisition of Wheels Up’s private jet management business closed over the weekend. It sends 90 airplanes and 300 personnel to the Kansas City-based operator, which already had 56 managed and fractional aircraft in its fleet. After the sale, Wheels Up still has 215 airframes, including 75 King Air turboprops, 52 super midsize jets it can deploy for transcontinental flights, and 61 light jets. For both companies, Wheels Up the fourth-largest operator based on fractional and charter flight hours, and Airshare, ranked 11th, it marks a new chapter.

Visitors to Monterrey, Mexico will soon have more flight options from the United States. Viva Aerobus, an airline based in Monterrey, Mexico, will launch new routes to Austin, Denver, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Orlando. The airline is adding the flights due to ‘growing demand’, and there will be a 23 percent increase in available seats for a total of 13 million seats to Monterrey in 2024, according to its announcement.  The new flight routes include: 

In earlier eras, notables such as Theodore Roosevelt, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, Thoreau, Emerson, Sinclair Lewis held court on the grounds of Troutbeck, a private estate since the 1700s in the eastern stretch of the Hudson Valley. These days, since reopening as a resort in 2017, the property is still a cultural gathering place on its 250 acre, Lower Berkshires spread but now the guests are mostly serenity seeking New Yorkers up from the city a two hour drive or train ride away. (Out of staters also fly into Stewart International Airport an hour away). And there are new additions and others in the works to attract them all.

If the thought of another year crawling to a close has left you feeling a little low, November is the perfect time to give yourself a travel-fueled lift, with an array of destinations primed for exploration during the penultimate month of the year.

For decades, authors, artists and presidents have all been drawn to the Hudson Valley in New York.

Breeze Airways is continuing to expand with brand-new flights to Illinois, marking the first time the low-cost airline will fly to the state.

When you're after a beach in New York State, the glitz and glamor of the Hamptons and the old-school appeal of Coney Island – both in the vicinity of New York City – tend to steal the spotlight. But there are plenty more sandy havens to be found across the Empire State.

After 18 years of living in New York State, I’ve learned quite a bit about the country’s fourth-most populous state. From where to go and what to do, to what to eat and how to get around, here are some tips from a local on how to make the most of your visit to the Empire State.