Borscht Belt, booze, baseball: Fun facts you didn't know about the Catskills

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Fun facts of the Catskills

The region itself is one of New York's greatest hidden gems, so it's no surprise that the Catskills are rich with unusual bits of quirks and folklore and plenty of other tidbits that make the area so special.

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Robert Mescavage

The Catskill Park is massive

The Catskill Park encompasses 700,000 acres, of which 287,500 acres--nearly the size of New York City, are public. The public Forest Preserve is filled with hiking and snowmobiling trails, camp sites, ski centers, rivers for tubing and canoeing and much more.

Visit the new Maurice D. Hinchey Catskill Interpretive Center in Mount Tremper to learn about all the Catskills has to offer.

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Mary Esch/AP

It's where New York City gets its drinking water

The Ashokan Reservoir, in Ulster County, pictured here, is one of several reservoirs part of the New York City watershed. Turns out, the secret to perfect New York City pizza and bagels lies in the Catskills.

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It's home to some of the finest absinthe in America

The green fairy still remains a mystery for many, but in the Delaware County town of Walton, it's a point of pride. Cheryl Lins is the woman behind Delaware Phoenix Distillery, a one-woman operation producing two types of absinthe, as well as several varieties of whiskey.

Buy them online at www.catskillcellars.com.

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Paul Leone via Facebook

Many celebrities call it home

Cheers and Frasier star Kelsey Grammar is opening a brewery in Margaretville. Robert De Niro, Yoko Ono, Alan Cumming, the late David Bowie and other celebrities all called the Catskills home.

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Great apples=amazing cider

The Catskills is full of wild apple trees that produce misshapen fruit often too tart to eat, but perfect for cider makers like Wayside Cider. Alex Wilson and Irene Hussey started the business in 2014 and now sell their product at bars and restaurants across the Catskills and in New York City.

Fellow cidermakers Gravity Ciders, founded in 2013, now sells its Awestruck cider in 31 counties across New York, including New York City.

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Jeff Goulding for Newyorkupstate.com

There are more than a dozen covered bridges

A slow drive through the one-lane bridges is a drive through history. Many were built in the 19th century and despite their age, several, like the Hamden Covered Bridge (pictured here) still support vehicle traffic.

Read: Off the beaten path: Find scenic covered bridges in the Catskills (photos, map)

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Hobart Book Village

It has one of the only book villages in America

The tiny village of Hobart has seen a revival of visitors over the past decade, thanks to six bookstores along Main Street. The Book Village is currently running a short story contest. The winning stories will be part of the first edition of The Hobart Book Village Stories from the Catskills.

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It has one of the oldest bowling alleys in Upstate New York

Look for the spinning bowling pin along the East Branch of the Delaware River and you'll find Margaretville Bowl, where the balls move fast but life moves slow.

The eight-lane bowling alley, largely unchanged since it opened in 1960, is currently for sale for $259,000.

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It's full of local and ingredient-driven cuisine

Goodbye Borscht Belt, hello "hickster" boutique motels and restaurants. Restaurants like Table on Ten in Bloomville, Brushland Eating House in Bovina and Two Old Tarts in Andes are among the many bakeries and eateries opened by men and women who left big cities in favor of the Catskill lifestyle.

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It hosts the largest model electric aircraft show in the country

The Northeast Electric Aircraft Technology Fair, or NEAT, is held at the Peaceful Valley Campground along the Delaware River. For more information, visit their website.

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It's home to the USA Shaolin Temple

In 2012, Shifu Shi Yan Ming opened the 81-acre Shaolin temple in Fleischmanns, the first of its kind in America.

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The movie Dirty Dancing was set in the Catskills

The old Brown's Hotel, razed by a massive fire in 2012, was part of the inspiration behind the 1987 classic. While the film was inspired by the Catskills, it was actually mostly shot in Virginia and North Carolina.

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David Lassman

Woodstock didn't happen in Woodstock

The iconic 1969 music festival was actually held on Max Yasgur's farm in Bethel, about 43 miles southwest of the town of Woodstock.

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Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com

Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner once played in Fleischmanns

They were among the many baseball stars who played on a baseball field built by the Fleischmann family, founders of Fleischmann's Yeast and Flieschmann Distilling.

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It's home to the world's largest Kaleidoscope

The kaleidoscope measures 56 feet tall and 38 feet in diameter.

Visit: Emerson Country Store, 5340 Route 28, Mt. Tremper. 

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The New-York Historical Society, Gift of The New-York Gallery of the Fine Arts

It has a rich art history

The Hudson River School was undoubtedly the most influential art movement of the region and its focus on beautiful landscapes provided timeless landscapes still appreciated to this day.

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It was the source of nearly every Major League Baseball player's bat

Most of baseball's best players used a bat made at the Louisville Slugger factory in the Delaware County town of Hancock, which closed in 2004 after 85 years.

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David Figura

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