Hudson Vally Winter Family Fun!
Winter means Family Fun, indoors and out, in the Hudson Valley!
Get outside at Lake Taghkanic State Park (cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, ice skating) and Taconic State Park (cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and snowshoe trails). All ages, all levels and 100+ acres of soft, white powder, Thunder Ridge Ski in Patterson is a ‘family mountain,’ with babysitting inside the spacious Lodge.
Ice Time Sports, Newburgh, is open several times a week with Friday night DJ Skate Nights. Rocking Horse Ranch Resort has Snowrrrific thrills and an indoor water park, sauna, big-name entertainers and more activities than you can throw a snowball at.
Explore the Rondout Creek with ARRIVALS Kingston Sound Walk, a unique self-guided tour of this lively waterfront destination and visit Kingston’s art galleries on the First Saturdays of each month. The past comes alive at Fort Montgomery State Historic Site, with realistic depictions of the Revolutionary War, a new visitor’s center, marked trails, and close proximity to West Point and Bear Mountain.
Historic mansion tours, trails and events include a winter wonderland view of the Hudson River. Clermont has five miles of marked trails and three miles of exclusively bridle trails. At Olana, home of Hudson River artist Frederic Edwin Church, the grounds are open year-round; main floor/studio tours, the Visitor Center and Museum Store are open on weekends through the winter months.
The Center for Performing Arts in Rhinebeck is staging “Annie Get Your Gun” (through February 17); “Follow The North Star,” a jazz suite in seven movements by TK Blue (February 23); “Afternoon of Jazz” with violinist Sonya Robinson (February 24) and “Spring Awakening,” (March 1-17). Every Saturday morning, the Family Series offers programs such as magic, puppet shows, music, dance and even a look at the world of raptors!
Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum has Science Cart (quick weekend demos and activities) and Saturday Late Night and Family Free Time (third Saturday each month) plus ongoing exhibits. The ideal destination for families with young kids who like nature, science, literacy, art, music, community and want to learn and develop skills while having fun!
Too cold to be outside? Visit America’s only zoo in a high school, Trevor Zoo, in Millbrook, with 180+ exotic and indigenous animals over six acres. Indoor Go Karting, Bowling, an Arcade, Bouncy Village, and an award-winning restaurant make Grand Prix New York a go-to destination and Funfuzion, Westchester’s only indoor amusement park is open daily, even holidays. Be part of the action – with popcorn! – at the BIG IMAX Theater in Palisades Center Mall, West Nyack.
At The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, take an awe-inspiring journey through military history and learn about what it takes to earn this distinctive service award. You’ve seen the Discovery Channel’s show – now step inside the Orange County Choppers Showroom & Retail Store where the real action takes place. Vrroomm!
ARRIVALS Kingston Sound Walk – Gallo Park – Kingston
Center for Performing Arts - Rhinebeck
Clermont State Historic Site, Germantown
FASNY Fire Museum - Hudson
First Saturdays – Art in Kingston
Fort Montgomery State Historic Site
FUNFUZION – New Rochelle
Grand Prix New York Mount Kisco
Ice fishing - Dutchess, Putnam, Westchester and Ulster Counties at Multiple locations
Ice Time Sports, Newburgh – public skating
IMAX Theater - Palisades Center Mall, West Nyack
Kingston Model Railroad Club, 75th Annual Open House
Lake Taghkanic State Park
Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum - Poughkeepsie
Olana
Orange County Choppers Showroom & Retail Store, Newburgh
Rocking Horse Ranch Resort
Taconic State Park
The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, New Windsor
Thunder Ridge Ski, Patterson
Trevor Zoo Millbrook School, Millbrook
For more Family Fun travel ideas, visit the Hudson Valley region.