Review: Kingston New York's Cool Firehouse Inn

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Fire House Inn
90 Abeel St.
Kingston, NY 12401
(845) 216-3927
www.firehouseinn.net

Since it's a lot easier to dream about a Parisian getaway than to actually plan (and pay for) a Parisian getaway, your vacations so far this summer can best be described as "urban camping."

Translation: you sit outside, drink lukewarm beer and tell ghost stories to a circle of unimpressed friends. Vacations don't have to be an all-or-nothing endeavor, especially when a less-than-two-hour drive gets you to Kingston and the aptly named Fire House Inn, a B&B located on the first floor of a renovated old firehouse.

More: Outside NYC: Bed & Breakfast Inns Of Hudson Valley

The weathered red brick façade may fool you into thinking this inn is a fully functional firehouse, but underneath the antique bell tower and high-arched stone windows is a cozy and bright bed and breakfast that's perfect for one couple. That's right. You get the entire place to yourself.

While it might not satisfy the ol' camping yen, this interior mixes a rustic aesthetic with elegant yet whimsical details. Designated a historic landmark, the renovated building still has many of the historic details intact, with quirky additions apparent in the interior rooms, like mock electric fireplaces, colorful geometric paintings on the walls, antique steel-and-wood chairs, and rough wood desks.

More: E.S.P. Eat. See. Play. New York

It is walking distance from the historic Kingston waterfront and close to uptown Kingston, a place famed for its colonial architecture, stone houses and historic Revolutionary-war era roots. The inn is the ideal home base for exploring the area, a hub of art galleries, farmers' markets, eclectic shops, award-winning restaurants and bars, and the idyllic waterside promenade.

Explore uniquely local businesses like the award-winning brewery Keegan Ales before enjoying a pint of their brew at the famed Stockade Tavern, a cocktail joint housed in an old Singer sewing machine factory that's drawn praise from Esquire Magazine and the New York Times.

It's the perfect vacation spot for when you can't actually take a vacation...plus, you heard that Paris is pretty overrated this time of year.

By Arielle Sachar