The Summer Adventures series focuses on affordable summer fun for families in Westchester and the lower Hudson Valley. It’s all about exploring our own backyard and is the perfect resource for planning a killer staycation or finding something awesome to do this weekend. Interested in more local love? Head here.

While exploring the walk along the Peekskill Riverfront one day, the girls and I noticed the little building for Trinity Cruises down by the Peekskill Yacht Club. It was immediately decided that we absolutely had to go on a cruise on the Hudson River as quickly as possible [Please, mommy! Mommy, please?!].

Luckily for all parties involved, Trinity Cruises has special one-hour family boat rides in the summer on most Fridays and Saturdays at 3pm. I felt much better about taking two (dramatic) little ladies on a boat for the first time for one hour as opposed to three. Three hours made me see nausea, a little boredom and a lot of whining in our future. One seemed much more manageable.

In the end, I didn’t have anything to worry about. We had so much fun! Ellie was nervous at first because it was her first time on a boat and the swaying and rumbling of the engine freaked her out. Once we were out on the river though, she totally forgot about any fear and soaked in the gorgeous scenery.

The Summer Adventures series focuses on affordable summer fun for families in Westchester and the lower Hudson Valley. It’s all about exploring our own backyard and is the perfect resource for planning a killer staycation or finding something awesome to do this weekend. Interested in more local love? Head here.

I’ve been trying to focus on outdoor adventures so far, to keep my kids active and out in the sunshine without electronic devices glued to their palms. But some weeks, it’s just too damn hot and sticky to adventure outside without the fear of heat stroke. So last week, we took our adventure inside to Alamo Drafthouse in Yonkers, where we could enjoy lunch and a movie.

If you’ve never been, Alamo Drafthouse is not your typical movie theater. It’s also not just for adults. The theater features comfy chairs with movable armrests (perfect for snuggling kids during scary parts without contorting your body into impossible positions) and a small counter in front of each row. Waiters make their way through the rows with the stealth of ninjas to take orders (written on a piece of paper and left for them so you don’t disrupt the movie) and deliver food. My girls thought this was just about the coolest place ever.

With a new kids menu featuring healthy options and kids’ favorites, even the pickiest kids (cough, mine!) will find something to get excited about. The new menu lets them choose a main dish, a side, and a sweet. There was much excitement over the fact that the cookies arrived fresh from the oven.

My girls also loved the pre-show, which features hilarious, ridiculous shorts that are somehow related to the movie. We saw The Secret Life of Pets, so there were a lot animals in silly situations cracking my kids (and me!) up. Not once did they complain they were bored or ask when the movie would start. That right there is straight up magic.

In addition to new releases, Alamo Drafthouse has a Kids Camp series running throughout the summer, Monday through Friday at 11 am. It features older movies (from The Karate Kid to The LEGO Movie) that screen for a $1-3 donation. 100% of those ticket sales are donated to Hudson Valley Writers’ Center and SPCA of Westchester. And on Tuesdays they offer Baby Day matinees, which gives new parents a chance to get out and enjoy a movie with baby in tow.

We had a great time and totally recommend checking them out for a different kind of movie experience!

Have you ever taken your kids to Alamo Drafthouse?

The Summer Adventures series focuses on affordable summer fun for families in Westchester and the lower Hudson Valley. It’s all about exploring our own backyard and is the perfect resource for planning a killer staycation or finding something awesome to do this weekend. Interested in more local love? Head here.

I can’t for the life of me remember how I heard about Caramoor in Katonah, NY. It’s an absolutely gorgeous center for music and arts set on beautiful grounds with lush gardens and Mediterranean-style architecture that makes you feel like you’ve been transported to a faraway place. When I saw that they had family programs, including Dancing at Dusk in the summer, I knew we had to check it out.

We bought tickets for Dancing at Dusk: Filipino Music & Dance with Kinding Sindaw Melayu Heritage last week and it was so much fun.

The Summer Adventures series focuses on affordable summer fun for families in Westchester and the lower Hudson Valley. It’s all about exploring our own backyard and is the perfect resource for planning a killer staycation or finding something awesome to do this weekend. Interested in more local love? Head here.

Last weekend I woke up and the girls were hungry for an adventure. It wasn’t too hot and it wasn’t supposed to rain until later in the day, so it seemed like the perfect day to try out a hike at Croton Gorge Park. I’ve shied away from hikes with the girls in the past because they can be divas. That’s actually an understatement. They’re just about always divas. But a post on Wee Westchester convinced me that the trails at Croton Gorge Park would be a great place to start.

The Summer Adventures series focuses on affordable summer fun for families in Westchester and the lower Hudson Valley. It’s all about exploring our own backyard and is the perfect resource for planning a killer staycation or finding something awesome to do this weekend. Interested in more local love? Head here.

Last weekend my sister and I brought our (not-so-little) babies to the Strawberry Jammin’ Festival at Fishkill Farms. We’ve been huge fans of this sustainable, eco-friendly fruit and veggie farm since we went apple picking there last fall. It’s sprawling and beautiful and has a great farm store—plus they have a grill that serves up hot dogs, hamburgers, and a house Jamaican jerk chicken.