SUPERNATURE 5 Details

SUPERNATURE 5
Friday July 26th - Sunday July 28th, 2024

TRANSPORTATION

Esperance / Montgomery County NY is approximately 180 miles / about 3.5 hours from Brooklyn. It is 41 miles from the Albany-Rensselaer (ALB) Amtrak station. There are taxis that can help get you from the train to the farm, and would likely be $75-100 each way.

Alternatively, check the Supernature Carpool link below to organize a ride with another driver.If you are planning to drive and can drive others, or if you’re looking for a ride, please check out this carpool website and enter your email and details to connect with other attendees. Please consider offering a ride to those that could use one - it’s in the spirit of the event to carpool and make fewer solo car trips.

Taxi companies:
Mo at Fast Taxi, Albany, (518) 858- 6495
Absolute Taxi
Capital City Taxi

If you are interested in taking Amtrak, we recommend you book a seat soon, as Amtrak train pricing increases closer to date, and sometimes sells out. It's $36 each way at the lowest rate, and a very enjoyable ride from Penn Station (to Albany-Rensselaer/ ALB). Departures early on Saturday 7/29 at 7:15am, 8:40am, 10:20am, 11:20am would get you to the farm in time for check-in (provided you sorted out your own transport from the ALB train station).

Another option for transportation could be the GoToBus buses from Chinatown - some past guests took them last year. It’s $25-30 each way between NYC and Schenectady or Albany bus stations. Schenectady is slightly closer to the farm, but you’d still need to arrange a taxi from either bus station. Megabus also has NYC-> Albany routes for around $40.

NEARBY ACTIVITIES

HIKING & BIKING 
Landis Arboretum - very enjoyable walking trails among maintained tree collections and public gardens. Open everyday from dawn to dusk. In Esperance, 13 minutes from Worlds End.
Burbine Memorial Disc Golf Course - newly built disc golf course 7 min drive away. Also could be a nice walk through the woods if you don’t play.
Vrooman’s Nose - 1.5 mile hike near Middleburgh, 30 minute drive from Worlds End.
Empire State Canalway Trail - mostly paved walking/running/biking trail which runs from Buffalo to Albany. Lots of access points near Worlds End. We recommend parking at Sprakers, where a church runs a free bathroom / water station. Also consider parking near Karen’s for ice cream and fast food.
Wintergreen Park / Canajoharie Falls - short hike (.5 mi) to 45’ tall waterfalls. 20 minute drive.

ATTRACTIONS
Mohawk Vallery Mineral Mining - dig for Herkimer Diamonds / quartz crystals on our contractor Scott Hunt’s property. Book a half or full day dig, take as many crystals as you can find in the dirt. In Sprakers, 15 minute drive from Worlds End.
Howes Cavern - popular tourist attraction, 90 minute cave tour and boat ride on an underground lake. $25pp, must book timed tickets in advance. 20 minute drive from Worlds End. Atlas Obscura Post
Secret Caverns - another tourist attraction, right next to Howes Cavern. 1 hour guided walk through the caverns, ending with a 100ft underground waterfall.  Atlas Obscura Post
Arkell Museum - American Art, Mohawk Valley History, Beech Nut brand ephemera. 20 Minutes from Worlds End.
Grand Pyramid / Holy Mountain Arch - the only built features of a large scale Buddhist Center, never completed when funding was cut off. May be trespassing, but worth the 1250 stair walk up. Approach from 5S, park near Canalway Trail (no access from Shrine Road / Jesuit center). 20 minutes from farm. 
(Seasonal) Zoom Flume Water Park - local waterpark with tube slides, lazy river, etc. East Durham, 50 minutes south. $36 tickets.

DINING
Dairyland - soft & hard ice cream, fast food. Where we buy ice cream cakes for birthdays on the farm. 11am - 8pm daily, Sharon Springs. 20 min drive.
Dairy Carnival - soft & hard ice cream, fast food in Sloansville. You’ll pass it on your way to the farm. 12pm - 9pm, closed Tuesdays. 8 min drive.
BREWERIES
Wayward Lane Brewing - our friends in Schoharie. Open Friday - Sunday. 20mins drive.
Scrumpy Ewe - Cider made by friends in West Fulton, open Sat & Sun 1-6pm. 35min drive.
Green Wolf - in Middleburgh, open Thurs - Sun. 25 minutes from Worlds End
Helderberg Meadworks - in Esperance, open Thurs - Sun. 15 minutes from Worlds End
Back Barn - in Delanson, open Thurs - Sun. You’ll pass it on the way to the farm.Lots more beer, wine, cider producers along the Capital Craft Beverage Trail

PRODUCE & FOOD PRODUCTS
Biscuitwood Farm Stand - our friends and neighbors at Biscuitwood Farm have a farm stand, open Fridays 12pm -7pm, Saturdays 10am -5pm. Intersection of 162 & Sprakers Road, you’ll pass it on your way to Worlds End. Mickle Hollow Honey & Maple - owned by the beekeeper who sold us our bees, Dean sells honey and maple products, as well as other local goods on Sat & Sun 9am-5pm. 27 min drive.
Brimstone Bakery - baked goods in Sharon Springs. Monday–Friday 8am–2pm, and Saturdays 9am–4pm. 20 minutes from Worlds End.
Carrot Barn - Local produce, sandwiches, cider donuts, dairy products, snacks. 15 min drive.

HOME GOODS
Pidgin - well curated antiques, home goods, art and craft objects. Also a stockist of Saipua soap. 45 min drive from Worlds End. Weekends Only.
Beekman 1802 Mercantile - home goods, beauty supplies from an upscale goat farm in Sharon Springs. 10am - 6pm. 20 minutes from Worlds End. 7 days
Adelphi Wallpaper - By appointment only - high end, hand block printed historical wallpaper designs. Sharon Springs, 20 minutes away.

ANTIQUES
Black Sheep - in Delanson, 15 minutes away.
Woodbull Antiques - in Milford, 1hr west of Worlds End
Ballston Spa Antique Center - large showroom with many sellers, 50 mins northeast of Worlds End

MOVIE THEATERS
Park Theater - Cobleskill. One screen small historic movie theater. Tues - Sun. (only G and PG movies)(Seasonal)
El Rancho Drive In - Palatine Bridge. Double feature screenings on Fri-Sat-Sundays at sunset. 22 min drive.

WHAT TO BRING

• - Dancing shoes / practical footwear. The terrain here ranges from grass to gravel to weathered wood.
• - Layers, as the temperature drops at night.
  
• - Bug spray, if you are bothered by bugs.
  
• - A rain jacket and waterproof boots, if the weather is going to be bad.
  
• - Water bottle to refill at the water stations.
  
• - Snacks
  
•             - Friday night dinner, Saturday morning breakfast, Saturday night dinner, and Sunday breakfast are provided. If you want snacks, stop by Hannaford Supermarket, Stewart’s, The Carrot Barn, or the Mobil station convenience store on your way to the farm.
• - Camping gear:
  
•            - Tent
  
•             - Sleeping bag or sheets/pillow, optional camping pad
  
•            - Flashlight or headlamp
  
•            - Towel/swimsuit for a clandestine swim (there are no showers!)
  
•             - Cell phone power bank. There is also a phone charging station in the barn.

THINGS TO KNOW

This is a camping party in a barn on an active farm. The bathrooms are outhouses. They have handwashing stations stocked with Saipua soap, naturally. We do not have wifi service here. We get decent cell phone reception.

FAUNA: We do have ticks, and suggest that you check yourself before you go to bed or when you get home. It is important to remove ticks (especially deer ticks, hosts to Lyme’s Disease) within 24 hours, so it's good to check every night. If you get a bite, we can help you - we have tick removal tools. This is a helpful website if you want to know more. 

FLORA: We are in a poisonous plant world! Poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, and cow parsnip have all been seen on the property, mostly in woods. If you don’t know what these look like, this website is helpful, though we’ll do our best to point them out to you.

ABOUT WORLDS END

The farm has been part of SAIPUA, a flower and soap business, since 2011. We have a cultivated field full of perennials and annuals, as well as bush and vining flowers, which are available to the residency program and flower classes we host here. We have a kitchen garden, which provides all of the vegetables, salad greens and herbs for staff and guests throughout the summer.

We are excited to welcome you into our home, our creative endeavor, the fruit of our labors and onto the land that sustains our family and staff. Please respect our space.

We have a chicken coop with 14 laying hens. They are curious creatures and you can shoo them away if they’re giving you unwanted attention.

We are shepherds to 20 Icelandic sheep which provide for us in wool and meat. Our three livestock guardian Maremma dogs live with them 24/7. Donnie and Nola are friendly, but their job is to protect their flock. For your safety, please do not approach the livestock or the electric fence without a staff member.

There are also eight honeybee hives on the farm. Avoid the front side of the hives and the bees won’t mind you at all.

You can swim in the upper pond or sunbathe on the dock if you like.

Please party responsibly, as over intoxication of any kind puts yourself and all of us at risk.

The camping area is a quiet zone for relaxing and sleeping. Please refrain from loud conversations or playing music.