Here is an ad for the grand opening the Tamarack Lodge, dated 1947 (courtesy of Old Images of New York).
From the early 1900s to the mid-1970s, a week at the Catskills (known as the Borscht Belt) was a very popular vacation for Jewish families. There were many bungalow colonies where parents would spend the entire summer. The popularity of these family vacations waned as trips to Europe and exotic places such as Aruba and Hawaii became more popular. As a child, I never had the opportunity to stay at one of the first-tier hotels (e.g., Concord, Kutsher's, Grossinger's). I did visit my grandparents when they stayed at a bungalow colony. My friends were part of another bungalow colony for many years and they wound up getting married. Their bungalow colony still exists today.
I have an interesting story about the Tamarack. This hotel was not on par with the first-tier resorts, but it was the site of many Jewish singles' weekends. Shortly after Matthew and I got engaged, we took a trip there with another couple. Our (former) friend thought it was "Poker Weekend", but it turned out to be "Polka Weekend." Ugh! We were by far the youngest ones there. Also, it poured the entire weekend and we had to transfer out of our leaky room. The entertainment was lousy, but at least the food was decent.
I will have more posts about the Catskills. It's a shame that many of the hotels have either become condos or have been abandoned entirely. Only Kutsher's exists today. There was a brush fire at the Tamarack about a week ago. The hotel is now owned by the Western Mohegan tribe. Possible casino in the future?
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