Franklin, NY’s Main Street is a step back into time, with charming storefronts and colorful homes. All photos by Escape Brooklyn.
EB’s Top 5 in Franklin:
• Dinner at The Tulip and the Rose Cafe: One of the western Catskills’ best unexpected food finds, this globally inspired cafe serves everything from kimchi dumplings and nasi lemak to Mediterranean plates and house-made pastries in a warm Main Street setting.
• Browse antiques at Blue Farm Antiques: A longtime Franklin staple filled with Americana, folk art, decorative antiques, and letterpress ephemera.
• Catch a performance at Franklin Stage Company: This nonprofit theater company produces acclaimed summer performances inside a restored former chapel just off Main Street.
• Explore Franklin’s creative shops + studios: Spend the afternoon wandering between KING’S Rustic, Botanical Treasures, and LAVA Atelier — a cluster of highly personal spaces spanning antiques, sculpture, handcrafted furniture, and home goods.
• Stay overnight at North Star Farm: A glamping retreat just outside town with design-forward domes, roaming sheep, and wide-open Delaware County landscapes.
Set among the rolling hills and farmland of Delaware County, Franklin is one of the western Catskills’ quiet creative hubs — a small historic village where antique shops, artist studios, farms, and longtime cultural institutions line a compact stretch of Main Street.
Unlike some of the Catskills’ busier weekend towns, Franklin moves at a slower pace. A day here might mean antiquing, talking with local artists, catching an evening theater performance, or driving scenic backroads between neighboring hamlets and farms.
Though modest in size, the village has quietly built a reputation for its concentration of deeply personal businesses and creative spaces — the kind of places that feel more like collections, workshops, or studios than traditional retail stores.
Plan a slow afternoon or full weekend escape with our guide to the best things to do, eat, and explore in Franklin, NY.
What to Do in Franklin, NY: Browse Art Studios, Antique & Design Shops
Franklin’s Main Street is compact but full of discovery. Start at KING’S Rustic, a hybrid gathering space and shop that regularly hosts community events, pop-ups, vintage finds, and home goods. Nearby, Blue Farm Antiques specializes in Americana, folk art, decorative antiques, and letterpress printing, while Botanical Treasures offers garden antiques, ceramics, sculpture, and custom clay work deeply connected to the surrounding landscape.
For contemporary design, stop into LAVA Atelier, whose handcrafted furniture, lighting, and sculptural objects bring a more modern sensibility to the village’s historic storefronts. Nearby, ATLAS House of Design curates furniture, lighting, accessories, and art inspired by mid-century modern and contemporary aesthetics, while Kabinett & Kammer — the celebrated shop by designer and author Sean Scherer — offers a distinctive collection of antiques, natural curiosities, and art objects with a devoted following in the design world.
Franklin Stage Company remains one of the village’s cultural anchors, producing acclaimed theater and summer performances inside a restored chapel on Institute Street. During the warmer months, the annual Stagecoach Run Art Festival brings additional artists and makers into the area through open studios, exhibitions, and community events.
For a slower afternoon, wander the Edible Walking Trail or simply drive the surrounding Delaware County backroads, where rolling farmland, historic homes, and forested hills define the landscape. The 4-mile loop at Bramley Mountain offers an excellent way to get outside and take in the surrounding mountain views from its restored fire tower at its summit, as well.
Where to Eat + Drink: the Best Restaurants in Franklin, NY
Hollow’s dinner service dining room is tucked in back of its morning and afternoon counter-service cafe. Photo c/o Hollow.
For a town its size, Franklin has an unexpectedly strong food scene — anchored by The Tulip and the Rose Cafe, a globally inspired restaurant on Main Street that’s become a destination in its own right.
Open for brunch, lunch, and weekend dinners, The Tulip and the Rose pulls influence from Turkish, Malay, Indian, Mediterranean, and broader global cuisines, with a menu that shifts regularly and feels far more ambitious than what most visitors expect to find in a small Delaware County village. Dishes range from kimchi dumplings and nasi lemak to mezze plates, curries, pastries, and house-made specials, all served in a warm, intimate cafe setting.
A few doors away, Good Taste Fine Wines + Spirits offers a thoughtfully curated selection of wine, cheese, and specialty provisions — ideal for building a picnic before heading deeper into the western Catskills or stocking up for a weekend rental house.
Because Franklin itself remains relatively small, many visitors pair a day here with dinners in neighboring towns like Andes (Wayside Cider), Delhi (Hollow), or Bovina (Brushland Eating House, Bovina Fermentory), all connected by scenic drives through Delaware County’s rolling hills and farmland.
The Best Places to Stay Around Franklin, NY
Home to four Glamping tents, North Star Farm offers an immersive countryside getaway. Photo: Escape Brooklyn.
Set on a working farm just outside town, North Star Farm offers a more immersive western Catskills stay — pairing glamping-style domes with wide-open Delaware County landscapes, roaming sheep, and a slower pace that feels deeply connected to the surrounding farmland.
The property blends rustic and modern elements, with thoughtfully outfitted domes that allow guests to experience the landscape more directly without sacrificing comfort. Mornings here tend to begin with fog over the fields and coffee outside the dome; evenings, stargazing and total quiet.
What makes North Star Farm especially appealing is its proximity to Franklin’s growing creative scene while still feeling fully rural. Spend the morning antiquing and exploring Main Street, or beyond to towns like Delhi and Bovina – then return to the farm for a quieter evening surrounded by rolling hills and open pasture.
