Weekend in Vermont

This past weekend was my daughter's 5th birthday, and of course, Mother's Day.  In honor of those momentous occasions, we took a  2-for-1 celebration weekend trip to Vermont. So, on Saturday morning we packed up the minivan (yes, the deed is done) and headed up to Burlington, Vermont for some ice cream, teddy bears, and snow...yes, I said snow.

I've always heard great things about Burlington and after looking at all the sunny pictures of Lake Champlain online, I was convinced this was going to be that sunny, springtime getaway that we needed.  Well, as you Tulip-festers know, the weather was less than cooperative.  But that, and a few other minor setbacks, did not stop us from having a entertaining and educational couple of days.

Here's some ideas if you are looking for a fun weekend-cation and Burlington is calling your name.

1. The Vermont Teddy Bear Factory. 
This was the first stop on our trip. Minor setback number one was that the actual production line does not run on weekends, so although you can get a tour of the factory floor, you won't see the people actually sewing and stuffing and all that good stuff.  That being said, the tour guide was great (we actually got there at a really quiet time, around 3pm, and got a personal tour).  She made tons of un-BEAR-able puns that we were encouraged to laugh at and was very knowledgeable and pretty passionate about her work at the factory.

The factory has a gift shop (with overpriced bear apparel) and teddy bears of all flavors, a personalization station where you have messages embroidered on your bear, and a Friend-for-Life teddy bear making station(kind of like 'Build-a-Bear', but trust me, they want you to know that it was their idea first.)

You can find Tour Information here.

2. Lake Champlain/Downtown Burlington
The lake is beautiful, and even in the wind and cold we managed to have some fun.  We found a nice little playground on the water and enjoyed the sunset.  We even learned a little bit about Champ, Champlain's version of Nessie.We didn't visit the Echo Aquarium, which is right on the waterfront,but if you have more time, it's supposed to be a great place to take the kids.

After searching for parking, we made our way to the Church Street Marketplace, Burlington's 'award winning outdoor mall' to check out the local color.  And it was colorful.  Lots of granola and funkiness. Kind of funny to see that juxtaposed against The Body Shop and Borders, but somehow it all worked.  In the summer there are plenty of options for outdoor dining and entertainment.

3. Hotel courtesy of Priceline.com
50 bucks for a one night stay, with free breakfast and a pool.  If you ask the kids, the pool was the highlight of the trip. Of course.  We could have gotten a hotel in Albany and they would have been just as pleased.

4. Lake Champlain Chocolate Factory Tour
Ok, so we didn't actually go on the tour, but we saw the factory. The tours didn't start until 12 pm on Sunday and we had to be on our way, but if you are there during the week, stop by for a chocolately delicious peek.

5. The Ben and Jerry's Factory Tour
Located in Waterbury, about 25 minutes away from Burlington, this was the real reason I wanted to go to Vermont.  Of course, in my haste, I did not check that, yet again, the actual factory floor is not open on the weekends, but again, it really didn't matter.  The tour guide was funny (again, lots of cow jokes), we saw the factory floor, learned the history of Ben and Jerry, and got some delicious free samples. (The flavor of the day was 'Cookies and Milk', a new flavor, and it was superb.  Bonus:  Because it was Mother's Day, mommy's got a free cone.

*Interesting side note:  The tour guide implored us to try new flavors when we go to Ben and Jerry's. She said a lot of people stick to the 'favorites' (see list), so many of the new flavors don't stick around too long.  So the next time you are at B&J's, why not bypass the Chunky Monkey and try something new.

6. The Vermont Country Store - Weston, VT location
You can read more about it here.

Overall, this was a really great and affordable little getaway.  Despite the fact that it did snow on Sunday morning and all the factories were 'off' on the weekend, we managed to squeeze a lot out of those two days.  We will probably head back at some point, in the warmer weather (I'm sure there is a week like that sometime in August) and check out some of the other things we missed like the Lake Champlain Ferry and the Shelburne Museum.

Yaddo

I have a confession to make.  I'm a mom and I hate playgrounds.  There, I said it.  I don't hate them enough for me to deprive my children of their God-given right to swing and slide, I mean look... here's proof.

But if you gave me the choice between going to the Crossings one more time or listening to my enginerd husband explain the intricacies of his latest research, I'd be hard pressed to choose.

I'm not sure why they irk me so much, but for some reason I just prefer finding places to have fun that have nothing to do with that bouncy purple dinosaur.(My kids don't always let me get away with that, but I sure do try).

Enter Yaddo.

If you have never been there, you should go, and if you have, you know that there is something magical about the place.

The rose gardens, the statuary, the pergola (I had no idea that's what it was called), the fountains... it's all the little details that give this place a special  feeling that's hard to find in a schoolyard, and even sans twisty slide, my kids love it. It's just a great place to wander around and feel like you've walked into a scene from The Secret Garden.

We just went last Wednesday, and while the flowers have yet to bloom, the fountains are still dry, and the statues are still boarded up, we still managed to have the best time.  The gravel paths alone entertained the kids for at least a half an hour with all their digging, and burying, and carrying on.  

Here are some of our favorite parts:

The entrance gate.  We must spend at least 20 minutes hanging out here while the kids get me to guess the 'secret password' so I can get in.  Usually, I give up and just go around the side.

The pergola...or the place they like to pretend is from The Sound of Music. (In the song Do-Re-Mi, Fraulein Maria and the kids run through something kind of like this, and my kids have since made that connection) Note all that glorious gravel.

The steps (there are several sets of these that you can't see in this picture). 30 minutes of up and down, up and down and they still aren't tired.  The nice thing, too, is that you can stand in one part of the garden and see your kids all the way on the other side.

This rock garden is in the wooded section in the back of the gardens. Granted, it's not much to look at now, but there is a mermaid statue, ferns, and tall pines that make it very fairy-tale-esque.

The Yaddo Gardens are open to the public seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to dusk and is very easy to find.  Here are some directions.

*They also have a very clean port-a-potty which has come in handy on several occasions.

Purple dinosaur rating:  None. Just the way I like it.

Yankee Candle Flagship Store

Candles...yet so much more.

While visiting some friends in Holyoke, MA, they decided to take us to the Yankee Candle Store in Deerfield. I wasn't quite sure what the big deal was, afterall, we have a Yankee Candle at Crossgates (you can smell it from the parking lot). But, boy oh boy my friends, this was not your average candle shop.  It is one of the flagship stores and it's Fuccillo HUGE!  As soon as you walk in they give you a map to the place, and you can still get lost.

I'm not really a fan of the candles.  I find them to be overpowering and overpriced, but I guess I get their appeal and am sometimes pretty impressed that they can emulate some of the smells that they do.  I mean if you have a candle called Storm Watch and it actually smells like what I'm assuming thunder smells like, that's pretty impressive.

Anyway, what I'm getting at is that you don't have to like the candles to like the place,  and the kids will LOVE it.  Here are some of the highlights:

Elevated model train track that winds its way around the store.

Year round Christmas Village, for those of you who feel the need to buy ornaments in the middle of July. (Plus they have a snow machine, so every 4 minutes there is a snowstorm inside) A real live Santa IS included (of course since Christmas is not for another bajillion days, Santa was chilling in some jeans and suspenders and making paper crafts with the kids)

Make your own candles.  Kids can make candles in the shape of their hands or mix and match wax beads to make a custom jar. If  I made a candle it would be called ''Meltdown". Get it?  Candles melt... my kids have meltdowns. That's perfect. It would smell like a cross between crayon wax and frustration.

Candy store(s) and Toy Stores.  Kids love that kind of stuff.

-Big food court and live entertainment.  The live music was a little annoying, but the kids were invited to perform on stage with the singers, so at least someone got a kick out of it.

Candles - Yes, they have every kind of Yankee Candle flavor you could ever want... even 'New Releases'. (I'm sure there are people that get into that...just like the latest Beanie Baby.) Their website reports over 400,000 candles in over 200 scents.  That's anything but SCENTS-less (badum-cha!)

And guess what? If you aren't sold on the place by now,  Trader Joe's is only minutes away.

Open every day 10 am- 6pm
Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve 10 am-5 pm
Closed Thanksgiving & Christmas

Check out their schedule of events here.

Get directions from Albany here. Sure, it's a little bit of a drive, but you can make a fun daytrip out of it.

Family Fun at the Clark Museum

People and Spaces Family Day at The Clark

April 25, 2010
Ongoing activies from 12:00 pm -4:00 pm
~40 miles from Albany.  Get directions here.

 From their website:

This family day will feature a campus-wide adventure to explore how people fit into different spaces, places, and settings. Try to keep your bearings in the cardboard maze, and build a miniature museum that you can populate with detailed clothespin people you create.  Explore the  Clark's grounds as you discover fairy houses and gnome homes created as part of a community-wide art project.

Check out the schedule here.

There is also a Fairy Houses and Gnome Project where you can build tiny homes using found objects and then display them on the grounds.  Each participant gets their own site assignment.  On April 25th (Family Fun Day), maps of the sites will be distributed so you can visit each of these homes.

If you haven't been to the Clark, it's well worth the visit. We had a lot of fun.  Make sure to take a stroll through Williamstown and Where'd You Get That (cool toystore).

Farm and Fiber Tour

Looks like an interesting day for the family:

Washington County Farm and Fiber Tour
April 24th and 25th
Free!

From their website:

-Drive from farm to farm through scenic Washington County in eastern NYS. Shop for handspun and dyed yarns, unique woven and knitted items, high quality fleeces, cuts of lamb, and more. 

-Watch spinning, knitting, weaving, and felting demonstrations. Try your hand at many fiber arts. Learn about raising the livestock and pets that we cherish.

-Visit alpacas, bunnies, sheep and lambs, llamas, and more - on the farm; and meet the farmers and their families. 

And for your viewing pleasure:   The Llama Song

Hudson Children's Book Festival

Still more than a month away, but definitely worth marking down on the calendar.

Here's a link to the extensive list of authors who are slated to be there as well as the schedule.

MASS MoCA and Kidspace

For Valentine's Day I drove my three favorite lovebugs to MASS MoCA (no...not a giant cup of hot chocolate) for a fun outing in the name of culture. I have always wanted to visit the museum, but usually get sidetracked for one reason or another (read: outlet shopping) and was especially interested in checking out the Kidspace gallery for the little ones.

I am now in love with the place.

The Kidspace gallery was a little smaller than I thought it would be, but it kept us occupied for well over an hour. The current exhibit, You Are What you Eat, features five artists whose primary art material is food. Included were a Big Bang installation made out of gummy candy and some of Joan Steiner's Look-Alikes, which you might recognize from the recent exhibit at the NYS Museum.

Sign on the door read: Please don't eat the exhibits.

Gummy Bear Big Bang

Yes, that coral is made out of Cheetos.

As for the rest of the museum... it was amazing. It kept us all engaged for the rest of the afternoon (and to do that for a 3 and 4 year old, I say kudos) It's a great place to just wander around and discover the various warehouse spaces and the diverse collection of contemporary works.



















On the way home from the museum we took a little detour though the quaint little town of Williamstown and stopped at Where Did You Get That? (cool toy store) and Tunnel City Coffee.

Overall, it was a great way to spend a Valentine's Day, or any day for that matter.

MASS MoCA Information:
11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. closed Tuesday
Summer Hours - 10:00 a.m - 6:00 p.m

Kidspace open from 11-4. Art making activities are only available on the weekend.

Admission:
$15 adults
$10 students
$5 children 6–16
Free for children 5 and under
Free to members

Combo Ticket
With Norman Rockwell Museum $25

Beach weekend

While upstate NY has a lot of water to enjoy (the mighty Hudson, the kinda mighty Mohawk, and a zillion other vaguely mighty things with kill in their names), there's nothing like the ocean to remind you of what summer is all about. The smell of the salty air, the warmth of the sand between your toes, the threat of overconfident seagulls trying to attack your child who is holding a bag of goldfish crackers... yes, the beach has got it all.

'Mine...mine...mine'

Here's an idea for a beach weekend.. and a cheap one at that.. (Heck, you could do it in a day if you wanted to. We were watching a sunset on Rhode Island Sound and were back before midnight).

1. Book a hotel on Priceline.com (the name your own price option). We picked a central location... we knew we wanted to go to Cape Cod and Newport, R.I. so we looked for a generic location in a little unknown town between the two points and got a good deal. $50 bucks...Marriot... score.

2. Get up early on Saturday and drive. We went to Scusset Beach State Reservation. Which is about 3 1/2 hours from Albany. The kids were still so groggy that they slept most of the way there. map

3. You are at the beach. Enjoy. Scusset Beach is great because it's a state park so there are bathrooms and changing areas, and some campsites there too, plus its very clean and family friendly. The water is very calm so it's perfect for little kids.Not a wave in sight.

4. After a fun day at the beach we headed into Plymouth for a nice evening. You can take a spooky walking tour, watch some outdoor entertainment, or relive a little bit of history..( a sometimes controversial history).. but history nonetheless. Let's stay focused on the positive...we're on vacation, people.

5. Go to sleep.

6. Go to the beach again or head on down to Newport, R.I. for some good old fashioned New England fun. Lighthouses, sailboats, lobsters.. you know the drill. It's like an LL Bean fashion shoot.

Newport, R.I. 'Has anyone seen my lobster print chinos?'

7. Watch the sunset. C'mon.. you wouldn't go home before that, right? Brenton Point State Park is the perfect place to view it.

It doesn't get better than this.

8. Drive back to Albany. The kids are tired so they'll sleep the whole way and since you've left after all the daytrippers, traffic is almost non-existent.

See, not so hard? These memories oughta last you until at least the beginning of December. Past that, you are on your own.

Hudson Children's Book Festival

On Saturday, May 16th, head on down to Hudson for the Hudson Children's Book Festival. Meet over 50 children's books authors and illustrators, browse through books for your home library, participate in workshops led by the authors, and eat fee treats. You can also win $100 in their "Name the Whale" Contest. Enter here.

Afterward, you can stroll around downtown Hudson, do some antiquing, and eat at Mexican Radio. A perfect day trip!

Check out this link for more information: Hudson Children's Book Festival