New York City is sometimes thought to be all of New York State and while it's true that the megacity dominates this part of the U.S. there's much more to the state than the attractions of 5th Avenue or Greenwich Village. Travellers booking cheap flights to New York State will discover that much of the state is dominated by farms and forests, rivers, lakes and majestic mountains.
New York State is home to Adirondack Park, the largest state park in the country, bigger than the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Glacier and Olympic National Park put together. Niagara Falls is reason alone to search for cheap flights to New York State. On the Niagara River, as it flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, it's one of the most popular tourist attractions.
Locals have long vacationed in the Catskills, a largely wild and rural mountainous area. The Hudson Valley resembles New England in many ways. It too is considered a cradle of colonial civilisation.
The North Country with the St. Lawrence River and its Thousand Islands has a culture close to that of Canada's.
The Finger Lakes area, with its storybook-pretty villages and wineries also offers lots of opportunities for water sports.
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The Mid-Atlantic region has distinct seasons. Winters are cold and snowy, springs are mild, summers are hot and humid and autumns are warm. Average daytime temperatures range between 20 to 25 degrees Celsius (upper 70s to mid 80s Fahrenheit) over much of the state.
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Peak season:
High season in New York City is October through December, the start of the cultural season. New Year’s Eve and Valentine's Day are also popular times for travellers to arrive on cheap flights to New York. Summer and fall (for the foliage) are also busy, but reduced rates on flights and hotel rooms can be found. Peak season in the Hamptons is, unsurprisingly, the summer months. December-January is high season for skiers.
Off Season:
January (after the New Year festivities have quietened down) through March is low season for New York.
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Once you've arrived on your cheap flights to New York, consider renting a car to get around the state. If you plan on doing a couple of trips or if time is short, consider taking flights between regions. CommutAir, JetBlue and US Airways offer flights around the state.
Train services are available, depending on where you are going, with Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad.
Trailways and Greyhound offer scheduled bus service throughout New York State.
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- The Hudson Valley extends from Westchester County north to the city of Troy. It's a federally designated heritage area. Dutch immigrants and, later, British colonists settled here, in Sleepy Hollow land. Sunnyside is the home of Washington Irving, author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip van Winkle. visit his grave site in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and the Old Dutch Church and Burying Ground where Ichabod Crane sought sanctuary from the Headless Horseman. During weekends in the run-up up to Hallowe'en there are many events that play with the Sleepy Hollow theme.
- The Capital District Scottish Games take place at the Altamont Fairgrounds, about half-an-hour west of Albany around Labor Day each year. There are traditional Scottish games such as tossing the caber and sheaf toss, highland dance and Irish dancing, solo piping and drumming, a "bonny knees" contest and Scottish Dog Breeds exhibition.
- Cooperstown is home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. It is said that Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Elihu Phinney's cow pasture in Cooperstown in 1839. While this may not be entirely true, sports fans jet in on cheap flights to New York to gaze at the plaques of all 278 Hall of Fame members, browse the bookshop and snap up souvenirs.
- Buffalo, New York State's second-largest city, has renowned art galleries and universities, world-famous architecture and offers diverse entertainment.
- There are almost 50 downhill and more than 50 cross-country ski areas in New York State. Among the most popular are Whiteface Mountain outside Lake Placid came and Holiday Valley in Ellicottville.
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There are several airports for travellers taking cheap flights to New York State including:
John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) (website: www.panynj.gov) The airport is located 24km southeast of central Manhattan.
New York La Guardia Airport (LGA) (website: www.panynj.gov) The airport is located 13km east of central Manhattan, in the borough of Queens.
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) (website: www.panynj.gov) The airport is located 3km south of Newark, 26km southwest of New York.
Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF) (website: www.buffaloairport.com) The airport is located 14km east of Buffalo.
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