Susan Miele

Latest posts by Susan

November GoList: Best Things To Do with Westchester Kids this Month

Submitted by Susan Miele on Sun, 10/27/2019 - 10:00am

November is a month of transition, as celebrations of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the December holidays merge—and Westchester and the Hudson Valley are rich with seasonal family activities. There's still time to squeeze in visit to local Halloween haunts like the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze, which runs through the end of November; then, before you can say gobble-gobble, it’s time for the Thanksgiving Day Parade and Skydiving Santa.

In between are numerous performances, STEAM-related programs, and other assorted fun. Below are our picks for the best things to do in November, but remember that our Event Calendar has many more fun and enriching activities of all kinds. Savor the season and enjoy it all!

New Play Space in Westchester Offers Fun for Little Ones and Caregivers

Submitted by Susan Miele on Thu, 10/17/2019 - 12:22pm

Tig & Peach is a thoughtfully designed indoor play space for young children, parents, and caregivers.

Looking for an indoor play space for young children in lower Westchester? You're in luck—a new destination for classes, free play, retail, and parties for the 6-and-under set has just arrived in Pelham: Tig & Peach. We paid a visit and were dazzled by the use of the space.

Read on for the lowdown on Tig & Peach, which opened in September. And be sure to subscribe to our newsletters and follow us on Facebook to stay in the know about other news for Westchester and Hudson Valley families!

Things To Do in Westchester this Weekend: Fall Fests, Halloween Train Show, Hastings Spooktacular

Submitted by Susan Miele on Wed, 10/16/2019 - 12:15pm

Head to the Heritage of West Nyack Fall Festival on Sunday for living-history demos, a magic show, pumpkins, and much more. Photo courtesy of the festival

Halloween fun is on the rise in Westchester and the Hudson Valley this weekend with the addition of the Hastings Spooktacular Weekend, plus the continuation of all the other big Halloween events throughout the month. Adding to the holiday hullaballoo is the return of the annual Lasdon Park Halloween Train Show, featuring added Halloween attractions including a pumpkin maze.

Numerous alternatives to the Halloween craze are also on tap. Among the fall festivals taking place this weekend, the standout is the two-day New York Sheep and Wool Festival, which features exciting workshops and live entertainment specifically for kids, as well as such eccentricities as llama acts. Or experience the cultural arts with a performance by the Krasnoyarsk National Dance Company of Siberia. A couple of STEM programs take place on Sunday, including Westchester Children's Museum's Chem-Palooza.

Read on for our top weekend picks, but know that there are many more options to choose from on our Event Calendar (it was hard to pick only a handful to showcase!). Our October GoList is another great resource to plan the rest of the month.

Things To Do in Westchester this Weekend: Blaze, Book Festival, Applefest

Submitted by Susan Miele on Wed, 10/02/2019 - 8:10am

The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze is a can't-miss Halloween experience. Photo courtesy of Historic Hudson Valley

Fall fun continues this weekend for Westchester and Hudson Valley families with apple picking, pumpkin picking, fall festivals, and the like—and now many of the large-scale Halloween activities are added to the mix. Among the scary attractions for older kids is Hudson Horrors, a walk-through haunted-house experience.

One of the big headliners this weekend is the return of the Chappaqua Children's Book Festival, where young bibliophiles get the chance to meet authors and illustrators, collect autographs, hear book readings, and celebrate beloved literature. Also returning this year are the apple-licious Warwick Applefest, featuring assorted attractions and delicacies, and the Ultimate Willy Wonka Party, attended by two of the film's cast members. Horse lovers will get a kick out of the Peekskill Rotary Annual Horse Show and Country Fair.

This is just the beginning! Read on for our top weekend picks, visit our Event Calendar for more, and refer to our October Go List for our top choices for the rest of the month!

October GoList: The Best Things To Do with Westchester Kids

Submitted by Susan Miele on Sun, 09/29/2019 - 8:00am

October is loaded with Halloween and fall fun, and there's no shortage of either in Westchester and the Hudson Valley! We've mentioned the best places to go apple and pumpkin picking, and we've rounded up fantastic fall festivals to check out, but there's even more fun to be had. Historic Hudson Valley shines this month with Halloween events including the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze and other seasonal attractions happening all month long. Many of these are super-hot tickets, so book yours soon to avoid missing out.

There’s also the popular Eastchester Columbus Day Carnival and Parade, family performances like Moon Mouse, and festivals that don’t fall under the “autumn” category, like the Chappaqua Children's Book Festival.

With so many tremendous events this time of year, we barely scratch the surface here, so be sure to check our Event Calendar for many more options. You can find many more Halloween highlights in our Ultimate Halloween Guide for Westchester Kids. And don't miss our roundup of best fall events for toddlers and preschoolers, many of which take place this month. Now grab your calendar and read on for the best events happening this month in Westchester and the Hudson Valley!

Things To Do in Westchester this Weekend: Kites, Playland, Fall Fests

Submitted by Susan Miele on Wed, 09/25/2019 - 12:00pm

Go fly a kite at Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site in Newburgh on Saturday, September 28. Photo courtesy of Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site

There's plenty of fall fun happening this weekend in Westchester and the Hudson Valley.

As mentioned last week, Rye Playland has an extended season this year, and this is the final weekend to swing by the amusement park for fall fun. Speaking of which, fall festivals are also continuing; among them, the Walden Annual Harvest Fest, where the old-fashioned fun includes a frog-jumping contest.

A ticketed event that's out of the ordinary is the performance of Hiplet Ballerinas, a mish-mosh of urban and classical styles of dance and music. And do-gooders can make a difference in the lives of local families in need with an event in Rye Brook that puts the fun in fundraiser.

Read on for our top weekend picks, but be sure to also check our Event Calendar to view many more options to choose from. Also sign up for our FREE weekly newsletters for more family fun this weekend and beyond. Stay tuned, because Halloween season is coming!

Things To Do in Westchester this Weekend: Jay Day, Playland Fall Fun

Submitted by Susan Miele on Wed, 09/18/2019 - 11:00am

Enjoy tons of kids' activities at Jay Day in Rye on Sunday. Photo courtesy of the Jay Heritage Center

This first weekend of fall is packed with fantastic family events in Westchester and the Hudson Valley. In addition to several fall festivals, there’s an eclectic assortment of one-of-a-kind happenings, some of which appeared on our September GoList.

Have you heard the news? Though Playland usually closes for the season the weekend after Labor Day, it's opening this weekend and next with some fall-fest attractions, to boot.

Celebrate American heritage (and books and animals) at the multi-faceted Jay Day, or celebrate people of various abilities at the Wheelchair Games. Get up close with a helicopter and other fun vehicles at the annual Touch-a-Truck event, or take advantage of FREE admission to a host of museums in Westchester and throughout the Tri-State area.

This weekend offers a bonanza of entertaining and enriching events (not to mention apple picking), so you’ll definitely want to visit our Event Calendar to see the extensive fun beyond our top picks below. And be sure to check out our Fall Fun Guide for Westchester Kids for more seasonal happenings. Enjoy as much as you can take in—and if you haven't done so already, sign up for our newsletters to avoid missing any of the fun!

New Halloween Show "The Sleepy Hollow Experience" Rides Into the Rivertowns

Submitted by Susan Miele on Fri, 09/13/2019 - 12:15pm

The Sleepy Hollow Experience brings Washington Irving's famous ghost story to life.

Sleepy Hollow is the place to be during Halloween season, with a slew of large-scale holiday attractions throughout the surrounding area. From walk-through fright fests to cemetery tours and more, the village made famous by Washington Irving’s Headless Horseman piles on the spook. This year, a new attraction is coming to town: The Sleepy Hollow Experience, an immersive theatrical production presented by the producers of the renowned Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze.

Shows are selling out quickly, with limited tickets available. Read on for the skinny on The Sleepy Hollow Experience, and be sure to sign up for our FREE newsletters and follow us on Facebook to stay in the know about Halloween and other happenings throughout Westchester and the Hudson Valley!

Susan Miele

Latest posts by Susan

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