Brooklyn Tourism Hosts the 3rd Annual EscapeMaker’s Local Food & Travel Expo on October 5th at Borough Hall

A free event designed for foodies and families, the 3rd Annual EscapeMaker’s Local Food & Travel Expo on October 5th from 12pm-5pm, will feature regional food, wine and beer tastes from Brooklyn and fun getaway vacation ideas within a day's drive or train ride of New York City. New York State Senator Eric Adams will help kick-off the event expected to draw Brooklynites, Manhattanites and residents from all over the city.

Brooklyn, NY (PRWEB) September 24, 2013

Crisp apples and sweet maple candy from New York State, delectable cheeses from Vermont and Pennsylvania and mouth-watering chocolate and spicy jam made in Brooklyn – the locavore movement will be in full swing at the 3rd Annual EscapeMaker.com Local Food & Travel Expo at Brooklyn Borough Hall in Brooklyn from 12pm to 5pm on Saturday, October 5, 2013.

Hosted by Emmy-Award winning EscapeMaker.com, a guide to local getaways around New York City since 2000, the Expo is presented by Amtrak®, The NY Apple Association ® and Zipcar®. From counties, resorts, yoga retreats and bed & breakfasts to wineries, breweries, farms and restaurants, the Expo will feature 50 destinations and attractions in New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Vermont – all exhibitors are located in Brooklyn or within a day's drive or train ride of New York City.

"Our goal is to not only encourage local travel and day trips, but also inspire culinary and agri-tourism themed weekend getaways. We’ve highlighted local getaway destinations both drivable and accessible by mass transit for over 13 years online, but our annual expo is a fantastic way to meet our users in person and help them discover and taste what’s in their own backyard," says Caylin Sanders, EscapeMaker.com’s President and Founder. "We’re grateful to Brooklyn Tourism and Borough President Marty Markowitz for hosting our event at Borough Hall this year," says Sanders.

A portion of the Expo, as in years past, will be dedicated to Brooklyn experiences and destinations, highlighting the exploding culinary landscape. From Cacao Prieto chocolate in Red Hook, to Brooklyn Winery in Williamsburg, to Stinky Bklyn cheese in Carroll Gardens, to the brand new Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Park Slope - the best of Brooklyn will be featured. Additionally, attendees will learn about historical preservation sites from the Coney Island boardwalk and amusements to the Weeksville Heritage Center in Bedford-Stuyvesant, and can explore Brooklyn Tourism’s on-site Visitor’s Center.

"It’s no surprise that EscapeMaker has ‘packed its bags’ for Borough Hall in anticipation of their annual expo. Brooklyn has become a top travel destination for tourists seeking culinary adventure; you really can eat your way across Brooklyn! Along with our unique shopping and first-class entertainment, not to mention a healthy dose of our Brooklyn swagger, you can see why vacationers are bookin’ for Brooklyn!" comments Markowitz.

The New York Apple Association will be on hand to make sure everyone takes home a New York State apple and a list of where to go apple picking this Fall. Although the Expo is a tasting show inside Borough Hall, GrowNYC will host an adjacent outdoor special Greenmarket for sales of regional wines and treats, like cheese from Millport Dairy in Amish Pennsylvania and pumpkin pies from Francesca’s Bakery in New Jersey.

Recognizing a great transportation experience is key to a perfect getaway, the Expo is also supported by Amtrak®, a leader in energy efficient travel, and Zipcar®, an innovator in reducing environmental impact with their urban car-sharing concept. To promote the car-less getaway, deals and packages will be offered by Amtrak® and also Metro-North. Zipcar will also offer discounted driving plans and highlight their hybrid fleet while entertaining attendees with their interactive "road trip" photo booth.

Weekend getaway prizes will be awarded at the door and include roundtrip rail passes on Amtrak, a romantic getaway at The Delamar Resort in Connecticut, and family passes to classic roadside attractions like Howe Caverns in upstate New York. The day’s schedule of "edutainment" includes workshops by Appalachian Mountain Club on backpacking and local hikes.

Media sponsors and partners include Metro Newspapers, Heritage Radio, Edible Manhattan, Edible Brooklyn and Edible East End Magazines, the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets and Urban Oyster Tours. To offset the event’s carbon footprint, EscapeMaker.com will be purchasing carbon offsets from Carbonfund.org.

Mass transit to the Expo via the MTA is encouraged and bike parking is available on a first-come basis.

The event is free, but attendees must be pre-registered. To register, visit: http://www.escapemaker.com/travelexpo.

** Press is invited to a kick-off ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:30am with the Brooklyn Borough President’s office, BP 2013 candidate, Senator Eric Adams and other elected officials. Register at http://www.escapemaker.com/travelexpo

More About EscapeMaker.com:

Launched in 2000, EscapeMaker highlights local destinations, attractions, events, food festivals and vacation packages. In April 2010, EscapeMaker.com won an Emmy Award from the National Academy of Arts and Sciences for their "Tastes of New York" agri-tourism webisodes - a series that featured pick-your-own farms, wineries and food festivals across the state -- funded in part by a grant from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. In 2011, they held the first ever Local Food & Travel Expo with a green getaways theme and in 2014 they will launch a pop-up travel store in Brooklyn, NY.