Forget all the carpooling, brown-bag lunches, and late work nights (that is, until it all begins again Monday) and partake in a family weekend that doesn’t involve yet another game of Monopoly.
Friday Evening
Release your family’s pent-up energies at Funfuzion at New Roc City (19 LeCount Pl, New Rochelle 914-637-7575; funfuzion online.com), an indoor, five-venue play space that gives the term “family game night” a whole new meaning. Funfuzion options consist of the Fun House (think arcade meets laser tag meets simulated roller coaster); New Roc n’ Bowl (glow-in-the-dark bowling with or without bumpers); New Roc Rack & Cue Billiards; Glow Mini Golf (18 holes of glow-in-the-dark competitive putting); and New Roc Speedway (go-karts on a 700-linear-foot track).
Head up Boston Post Road for a barbecue dinner at Sherwood’s Restaurant (2136 Boston Post Rd, Larchmont 914-833-3317; sherwoodsrestaurant.com). Expect generous portions of barbecue meats, poultry, and shrimp—and plenty of napkins for messy little fingers.
End the evening with a stop at candy shop Sweet Teez (157 Larchmont Ave, Larchmont 914-630-1744; sweet teez.com). Quell your sweet tooth with both nostalgic/retro candy (hard candies, taffies, Pixy Stix) and gourmet candy (chocolate crunch, pumpkin pretzels). It closes around 7 pm on Fridays, so plan accordingly.
Saturday
Spend the morning at the Greenburgh Nature Center (99 Dromore Rd, Scarsdale 914-723-3470; greenburghnaturecenter.org), a 33-acre nature preserve with trails, a pond, gardens, and an old orchard succession site, which is used as a nesting area for Eastern box turtles. There also are numerous hands-on exhibits in the Center’s 21-room manor house, including a live animal museum with more than 100 specimens.
Make a pit stop at The Valhalla Crossing (2 Cleveland St, Valhalla 914-682-4076; valhallacrossing.com) for lunch. Children (and adults) love to eat in the Victorian dining room, the antique Presidential Car, the authentic caboose, and the trackside dining room. The menu is kid-friendly and there’s one heck of a burger selection to choose from. Try The Crossing Signature, topped with crispy onion strings, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and choice of Swiss, American, cheddar, or mozzarella cheese.
Tap into your family’s creative and artistic side with an afternoon at Paint Your Own Pottery, Inc. (969 Central Ave, Scarsdale 914-472-7281; paintyourownpot.com). Select a ceramic object, like a plate or a mug, and paint it with your own design; the PYOP staff will clean up, glaze, and fire it for you. In a week, you’ll pick up your one-of-a-kind keepsake.
Spend Saturday night as if you’ve gone to the City for a show (but with free parking and a meal included in the ticket price!) at the Westchester Broadway Theatre (1 Broadway Plz, Elmsford 914-592-2222; broadwaytheatre.com). The longest-running Actors’ Equity theater in New York State presents shows such as Chicago, Rent, and Fiddler on the Roof, with many actors from Broadway or touring companies.
Sunday
Spend your morning with the hens, sheep, pigs, and acres of meticulous vegetable fields on the verdant farmland of Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture (630 Bedford Hills, Pocantico Hills 914-366-6200; stonebarnscenter.org). It opens at 10 am, Wednesday through Sunday, and families can try one of the 30-minute self-guided walking tours (Farm to Frittata or the Livestock Tour) by downloading and printing a guide here: stonebarnscenter.org/producs/self-guided-tours.html. Copies also are available at the Visitor Center (located between the dooryard garden and the hay barn). The knowledgeable, friendly staff is dedicated to educating visitors on the farm-to-table way of life.
Continue your day outdoors by hiking some of the 15 miles of trails at Teatown Lake Reservation (1600 Spring Valley Rd, Ossining 914-762-2912; teatown.org), the largest nonprofit nature preserve in Westchester County. Wander onto the Wildflower Woods Trail (open year-round, dawn to dusk) or take a guided tour of Wildflower Island (April through September), a sanctuary home to more than 230 native and endangered species of wildflowers.
After the serene jaunt among the wildflowers, spark your family’s competitive spirit at Yorktown Golf & Baseball Center (2710 Lexington Ave, Mohegan Lake 914-526-8337; yorktowngolf andbaseball.com). Play through the 18-hole mini-golf course’s unique waterfalls and ponds. Not into putting around? No worries—batting cages are available for those looking to swing like Cano.
