We asked Suburbs 101 contributor and blogger at Donuts at the Disco, Marissa Millman to give us her favorite Spring Activities for Families. Here are her 6 must-do spring a
Stone Barns Sheep Shearing Fest, Pocantico Hills, NY
Westchester’s Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture is an absolute dream for anyone who appreciates food, farming, nature, animals….or just beauty in general. Beginning weekends in April, Stone Barns offers all kinds of seasonal, interactive activities and tours on the farm each Saturday and Sunday. The farm is open from 10am-5pm and visitors can explore independently, or join any of the educator-led activities happening throughout the day. As weekend tickets do sell out, purchase up to 4 weeks in advance on Stone Barn’s website.
A WONDERFUL way to experience Stone Barns this spring is to buy tickets for its very popular and adorable, Sheep Shearing Fest, happening this year on Saturday, April 27th from 10am until 3pm. Guests will be treated to farmers demonstrating on how sheep are sheared, wool themed crafting, such as combing and spinning wool, Maypole dances, farm tours and cooking demos.
Tickets for Sheep Shearing Fest go on sale to the public March 6th at 10am for $60 per adult ($48 tax deductible) and $25 per child aged 2-15 ($13 tax deductible). Mark your calendar, as this event WILL sell out quickly.
Wakeman Town Farm Spring Open House, Westport CT
Spring is a season marked by pastels and tulips. What better way to celebrate that kind of beauty than with a visit to Wakeman Town Farm, a working community farm in Westport, CT, that boasts a ton of programming for youths and adults alike. If you’re local, the farm offers weekly spring farm camp programs for ages 0-3 (with caregiver participation), grades K-5 and grades 5-8 beginning in early April. Adults should definitely check out one or more of their FREE evening classes on topics like Spring Seed Sowing (March 18th at
And they have TWO great spring events coming up. Don’t miss their Eggstravaganza egg hunt on Saturday, April 20th from 10 am to noon. Then come back again for their Spring Farm Open House on May 4th (rain date May 5th). That event will include sheep shearing, a maypole dance and other fun spring activities and vendors. Plus the farm will be open and all its adorable animal inhabitants will be ready to welcome visitors to warmer spring weather.
Easter Egg Hunts, Various Locations
Grab an Easter basket or even a toy bucket and head to your local church or community center for a festive Easter egg hunt this spring. My personal favorite is the Forest Easter Egg Adventures that happen at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center. This year there are 12 timed sessions happening at set times throughout the day on Saturday, April 13th, Sunday, April 14th and Saturday, April 20th. Each session is limited to 25 kids so be sure to register early!
The hunt begins on the SM&NC trails (or in the Great Hall if it is raining), where kids will gather hidden eggs. After that, head to the Overbrook Nature Center to meet live animals and do a springtime craft. Before leaving, kids will return their found eggs for a prize of their choice.
Visit a Springtime Flower Show, Manhattan and Bronx, NY
These are not in the suburbs but it is very much worth a ride on
In Manhattan, from Sunday, March 24th through Sunday, April 7th, Macy’s Flower Show – Journey to Paradisos will include everything from sci-fi inspired floral scenes and alien creatures. It’s going to be awesome and beautiful! In the Bronx, check out the New York Botanical Garden’s The Orchid Show: Singapore, included in your ticket price. Now through Sunday, April 28th, witness NYBG’s “dazzling tribute to the “City in a Garden.” This year’s show honors Singapore, whose national flower is the orchid. Insider Tours of the orchids are given Tuesdays through Fridays at 12:0pm during the season.
Walters Hot Dog + Playground, Stamford, CT
The second the weather rises above 50 degrees, my girls beg me to take them to a playground. While there
Walter’s Hot Dog Stand has been an institution in Mamaroneck, NY since 1919. And lucky for the folks of Westchester, you can visit that roadside stand year round for your hot dog fix; plus there’s even an indoor Walter’s location in White Plains nowadays. For those of us up north, we have to wait until April for the reopening of the seasonal Walters Hot Dog Stand at 200 Commons Park South in Stamford. But good things come to those who wait – the Stamford Walter’s is located mere steps from the Harbor Point Commons Park playground. On a beautiful spring day, there’s nothing better than grabbing dinner and ice cream at Walter’s and hitting that playground.
Kent Falls Brewing, Kent, CT
While you may not think of “kids” when you think of “beer,” many breweries in our area are very welcoming to children, offering entertainment like board games and lawn games, for the littlest guests. A particularly kid friendly and incredibly special local brewery is Kent Falls Brewing Co. in Litchfield County, CT. Not only are these folks brewing some of the most delicious beers in the area (their beers are smooth and easy to drink. On our visit, we learned that Kent Falls beers tend to be lower ABV and are suitable to be drunk on a farm), but their brewery sits on their beautifulworking farm. On a nice spring day, come up with some friends and grab some beers and a picnic table outside. Now relax while your kids play nearby on the brewery’s climbing structure.
Also, starting up again this spring, each Saturday at 2pm, Kent Falls offers a free brewery farm tour. The tour lasts about 30 minutes and really gives you a sense of the brewery’s overall passion for good, fresh product. Plus, your little ones will get to see pigs eat compost and you will get a special “brewery tour only” beer unavailable elsewhere to drink while you walk.
Kent Falls Brewery’s tasting room is open Thursdays and Fridays from
About Marissa
A corporate lawyer by day and blogger at Donuts at the Disco by night, Marissa Millman is so excited to finally let her more creative side shine as a blogger. Marissa was born on Long Island and spent her entire life in New York before meeting her CT born husband, Michael, in 2006 and eventually moving with him to Greenwich, CT in 2011. Together, they have two CT-born little ladies, and over time, their passion for exploring and experiencing all that’s around them has become a family affair. Marissa started her blog in the summer of 2018 to share what her family is up to in hopes that it may inspire other families to do some of those same things.
Follow Marissa
@donutsatthedisco on instagram and facebook
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