Once dubbed the "Jewish Alps," the storied Borscht Belt was the epicenter of leisure in the mid-20th century, boasting over 1,000 hotels, resorts, summer camps, and bungalow colonies that catered to New York’s elite. In its heyday during the 1940s through the 1960s, iconic destinations like the Concord, Nevele, the Laurels, and Kutsher’s played host to the biggest names in entertainment. These sprawling retreats, some with their own golf courses, saltwater pools, and private airstrips, became synonymous with summer indulgence.

However, the post-World War II advent of affordable air travel marked the beginning of the end. With Miami Beach, the Caribbean, and Hawaii luring vacationers away, the Catskills' allure began to wane. By the mid-1960s, the golden age was fading, and slowly, nature began to reclaim these pleasure palaces.

Yet traces of this vanished grandeur remain. The Catskills, once alive with the hum of summer revelry, now stand punctuated by the eerie quiet of forgotten resorts. Among them is Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel, famously the inspiration behind Dirty Dancing. Opened in the 1910s, Grossinger’s epitomized opulence, hosting glamorous affairs—including Elizabeth Taylor’s marriage to Eddie Fisher—until the mid-1980s. It was felled by the three A’s: air conditioning, assimilation, and airfare.

Ironically, while Grossinger’s inspired the fictional Kellerman’s in Dirty Dancing, the film was shot far from the Catskills—its budgetary constraints and New York’s strict labor laws drove production to Virginia and North Carolina. The film, a low-budget marvel, became a beloved classic, marking its 30th anniversary in August.

Today, the decaying remnants of these resorts still dot the Catskills, silent witnesses to a bygone era of glamour and escapism.

*Update October 2018: Sadly, this abandoned borscht belt resort has been demolished.