In the mid-1900s, nearly a million city dwellers, many of them Jewish Americans, headed to the Catskill mountains each summer to live, laugh and find love. Trading the city’s sweltering concrete for lush scenery, generations of vacationers made the annual pilgrimage north, seeking fresh air, leisure or a life-changing encounter.
From “Flirtation Walks” and legendary singles weekends to free honeymoons and golden anniversary dinners, the Catskills were more than a destination — they were a sprawling playground for the heart.
“Catskills Romance: Love and Desire in the Borscht Belt,” a new exhibition opening June 27 at the Catskills Borscht Belt Museum in Ellenville, NY, traces the relationships — both conventional and otherwise — that unfolded across the grand hotels and humble bungalow colonies.
It celebrates the resort owners, maitre d’s, social directors (tummlers), dance instructors, and staff who masterminded countless successful matches, and explores the specific rituals of courtship that defined a Catskills summer.
The exhibit highlights the essential spaces, activities and ingredients that sparked connection: the poolside scene, the Mambo nights and Champagne Hour competitions, and the world-class entertainment that made the resorts irresistible to singles and couples alike.
Beyond the nostalgia, the exhibition uncovers more complex narratives: tales of hidden desire, lost innocence and the enduring memories guests carried home long after the season ended.
Drawing on rare artifacts, vintage photography, oral histories and the iconic popular culture the era inspired, “Catskills Romance” offers an intimate, adult look at a world where tradition and transgression mingled poolside — and a single dance could change a life.
The exhibit is curated by Mackensie Griffin and Cristian Petru Panaite with support from the Catskills Borscht Belt Museum community. It’s made possible thanks to the support of the Naiades Fund, the Chaya Fund and the Victor and Pearl Tumpeer Foundation.
Admission to the exhibit is included with general museum admission. More information can be found on the Museum’s website.
The Catskills Borscht Belt Museum celebrates the golden age of the Catskills resort era, when millions of urban dwellers sought refuge in the mountains of upstate New York, leaving deep imprints on mainstream American culture, from stand-up comedy and comfort food to mid-century modern design and popular concepts of leisure.
Illustration: 1950 Catskills Resort Postcard “Live, Love, Laugh at Hotel Evans” (courtesy The Catskills Institute).
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