The Borscht Belt Museum is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Catskills resort era, and celebrating its history as a refuge from bigotry, the cradle of stand-up comedy and a cultural catalyst that changed America.
Museum Hours
Fall/Winter Hours
Wednesday-Sunday
CLOSED MONDAYS & TUESDAYS
10 am - 5 pm
90 Canal St., Ellenville, NY
Admission: $15 for adults
$10 for Wawarsing/Ellenville residents with local I.D.
Free: 18 and under.
Questions? Email info@borschtbeltmuseum.org or call 845-879-3561
Events
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Borscht Belt Film Fest Nov. 6-8!
Check out our weekend lineup packed with extraordinary cinema and incredible storytelling that celebrates the golden era of the Catskills!
Celebrate Jewish stories, Catskills history, and film at the 3rd Annual Borscht Belt Film Festival, November 6 to 8 in Ellenville, NY.
Our films:
The Automat
Bad Shabbos
Egg Cream
The Floaters
Mel Brooks: The 99 Year-Old Man
Pair of Jokers
Ringside in the Mountains
Stiller and Meara: Nothing is Lost
We Met at Grossinger’sJoin us for two lively panels at The Common Good Bookstore:
Saturday, November 7, 10am: Like Father, Like Son? Josh Mostel on Acting, Comedy & the Mostel Legacy, with the beloved stage, television and film actor and 2026 Mensch Award Honoree.
Sunday, November 8, 9:30am: Rescuing Borscht Belt History, a conversation with “We Met at Grossinger’s” director Paula Eiselt.
Plus guided tours at the Borscht Belt Museum, walking tours of Ellenville, freshly made egg creams, and more!
Click below!
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Borscht Belt Film Fest Opening Reception and Screening of "We Met At Grossinger's" Friday, November 6
Join us for a unforgettable evening celebrating the golden era of the Catskills!
5:00 PM: Opening Night Party
Kick off the festival with an Opening Night Party featuring Grossinger’s-style cocktails, Borscht Belt nosh, egg creams, and plenty of schmoozing with fellow film lovers.Join us in celebrating the 2026 Award Honorees: Mensch Award to Josh Mostel,the beloved actor of stage, television, and film and son of Tony-winning actor Zero Mostel, and the Legacy Award to the late Elaine Grossinger Etess, a legendary Catskills resort icon.
Followed by a screening of We Met at Grossinger’s at Shadowland Stages, produced by Bungalow Media + Entertainment. The documentary captures the history, romance, and magic of the iconic resort.
Stay for a dynamic Q&A with Grossinger family members.
Ticket Details - $125, One ticket gets you into the 5:00 PM Reception with cocktails and Borscht Belt style nosh, the 7:00 PM Screening, and the Q&A at Shadowland Stages. Every dollar supports the Borscht Belt Museum.
The Borscht Belt Resort Era
For much of the 20th century, urban dwellers, many of them Jews, migrated en masse each summer to the Catskill mountains 90 miles north of New York City. They were seeking escape from the pestilence and sweltering tenements of the city, but also from rampant antisemitism that barred Jews from most hotels.
The vacation world they created included nearly 1,000 resorts, bungalow colonies and boarding houses, and a vibrant nightlife that drew the nation’s top entertainers — and a parade of sports figures, political leaders and civil rights activists.
Engaging, Interactive, Educational
The Borscht Belt Museum occupies the historic Home National Bank, a 1928 Neo-Georgian gem that has strong links to the Borscht Belt era. The Home National Bank was one of the few financial institutions willing to lend to the region's Jewish hoteliers and bungalow colony owners in the 1920s, 30s and 40s.
Actor and comedian Danny Kaye with resort owner Jennie Grossinger.
Boxer Floyd Patterson trains at Kutsher’s for a title fight.
President Lyndon B. Johnson meets Homowack Lodge owners Irv and Florence Blickstein during a visit to the Catskills in 1966.