Small and Sweet If you’re looking for an unpretentious market with abundant offerings from local growers and producers, the Rye Farmers Market is a great one to add to your list. Small but sweet, Rye is home to one of Westchester’s pocket-sized markets and is one of my favorites among the many that take place each week around the county. I find that I head east to Rye more frequently than many of the more elaborate destination-type markets Despite my {Read More}
Farmers Market Friday – Tarrytown & Sleepy Hollow, New York a.k.a. The TaSH
June 19, 2015 by 1 Comment
Welcome to Farmers Market Friday! It’s no secret that I love farmers markets. From the time the first spring ramps and asparagus hit the tables in May until there’s nothing but kale and onions in late November, I get pretty much all of our produce from one of our local markets. Where I live in New York’s Hudson Valley, we are blessed with a huge variety of farmers markets. Some are destinations in themselves featuring live music, story times for {Read More}
An Old-Time Memorial Day in Rhinebeck, New York
May 18, 2015 by Leave a Comment
I have to admit that I love a parade—the more old-fashioned, the better. Thanks to the foresight of my husband’s grandmother, we are fortunate to have a family house in the beautiful upstate New York village of Rhinebeck, which is home to one of the sweetest Memorial Day parades around. It’s our tradition to watch the parade as it passes by our driveway each year. Our girls scramble for candy tossed out by the Boy Scouts, my mother in law {Read More}
2014 Passports with Purpose Take 2! The Norwalk Maritime Aquarium
December 4, 2014 by Leave a Comment
In the spirit of abundance, good fortune and generosity that should prevail during the holidays, I am excited to announce that Kids Unplugged is offering a second fabulous prize for the 2014 Passports with Purpose fundraiser to support Sustainable Harvest International. If you happened to miss Monday’s post announcing our first prize, a 2-night Family Ski and Stay Package at the Bolton Valley Ski Resort in Vermont, be sure head over there to find out all about that. That post {Read More}
5 Reasons to Join (or Start!) a Family Nature Club
October 21, 2014 by 1 Comment
“What if parents, grandparents, and kids around the country were to band together to create nature clubs for families? What if this new form of social/nature networking were to spread as quickly as book clubs and Neighborhood Watches did in recent decades? We would be well on our way to true cultural change.” Richard Louv, author of “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder.” This past Saturday I had the pleasure of joining the Bronx Zoo {Read More}
The Headless Horseman Rides Again! Halloween in the Hudson Valley
September 23, 2014 by 7 Comments
A bright blue sky, a chill in the air and a touch of gold on the leaves signals the onset of autumn in New York’s Hudson Valley and there is one Hudson River village that takes center stage at this time of year. As the setting for Washington Irving’s famous Legend, Sleepy Hollow and its surrounding area has become one of the most iconic Halloween destinations in the country. Just 20-miles north of New York City overlooking the majestic Hudson, {Read More}
The Dutchess County Fair – An August Tradition
August 21, 2014 by 2 Comments
Yesterday was our 10th visit to the annual Dutchess County Fair in Rhinebeck, New York. Since 1842 the fair has been the largest in New York State and has been held on at its current location in Rhinebeck since the 1950s. The fairgrounds are home to not only the 6-day fair but to other events throughout the year including a popular antiques fair, car shows and the Sheep and Wool festival that takes place every October. Rhinebeck’s 170-acre fairgrounds are {Read More}
Eat Well on the Road with Westin and Super Chefs!
July 30, 2014 by Leave a Comment
One of the greatest challenges families face while traveling is maintaining healthy eating habits while on the road. Fast food establishments tend to dominate the market and though several of these have begun to move toward healthier offerings, menus still primarily feature too-large portions of greasy, salt and sugar-laden choices. Many major hotel chains are home to restaurant franchises whose menus are just a step above those of big, fast food chains with lots of breaded, fried, and heavily sauced {Read More}
Great Places to Pick Your Own Blueberries Near New York City
July 28, 2014 by Leave a Comment
We are deep in the midst of blueberry season here in the northeast and blueberry picking is one of our best-loved annual summer outings. Of all of the pick-your-own activities, picking blueberries is my favorite. If you time it right you are rewarded with handfuls of ripe berries that cascade off the bushes with the slightest touch of your fingers. Blueberry picking is also very kid-friendly, with bushes filled with fruit that is right at eye-level. Blueberries aren’t heavy like {Read More}
Discover the Forest – Summer Solstice Fairies
June 21, 2014 by 1 Comment
Over hill, over dale, Thorough bush, thorough brier, Over park, over pale, Thorough flood, thorough fire, I do wander everywhere, Swifter than the moon’s sphere; And I serve the fairy queen, To dew her orbs upon the green. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Shakespeare Today marks the summer solstice, the first day of summer in the northern hemisphere and the longest day of the year. It is also the night that sets the stage for Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, A Midsummer {Read More}
