ESCAPES
MOM DESERVES A Five nearby day-trip destinations promise to make your mother’s day on Mother’s Day (or any other day).
It’s a Mother’s Day cliché that Mom merits a break, but don’t you as well? Play your cards right and you may tag along with the day’s official celebrant on a fun day trip that requires minimal planning but yields major memories. Does Mom have a taste for flowers, wine, shopping, being pampered or checking out interior design? One of these destinations (listed in order of proximity) may be just the ticket.
WOODBURY COMMON PREMIUM OUTLETS, CENTRAL VALLEY, N.Y.
A roughly half-hour’s drive brings you to this giant outlet, with more than 200 luxury and designer brand storefronts. Michael Kors, Gucci, Saint Laurent, Prada, Burberry and Alexander McQueen are among the names to tempt you. The outlets are also designed as an outdoor, village-style shopping experience, so enjoy the warm May sunshine in between stores as opposed to the sterile AC of an indoor mall. For your meal. The outlets offer plenty of places to grab a bite—everything from soft pretzels at Auntie Anne’s to burgers at Shake Shack—but we suggest venturing about 15 minutes away to Dottie Audrey’s Bakery and Kitchen, one of the gems in this part of the Hudson Valley. At this cozy café, everything is scratch-made and delicious. Try breakfast or brunch options (the French toast on homemade cinnamon brioche is something special) or opt for any number of hardier lunch choices, including hot and cold sandwiches, soups and tartines. Round out the itinerary. A short drive from Woodbury Commons is Sugar Loaf, an arts and crafts village filled with handmade goods, boutiques and antiques stores. Check out Bostree for handcrafted pottery and jewelry, Sugar Loaf Mountain Herbs for custom tea blends or Rosner Soap for one-of-a-kind body-care products.
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THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN, NEW YORK, N.Y.
Whether you mom has a green thumb or just a love of beauty, there’s lots to appreciate at NYC’s most famous garden (and it’ll take only about 40 minutes to get there by car). Stop by May 10 and 11 from noon until 5 p.m. for a Mother’s Day Garden celebration on Daffodil Hill, in full, beautiful bloom, which will provide the perfect backdrop for food trucks, lawn games, live music and other family-friendly activities. There’s also the rest of the 250-acre garden to explore. Check out the North American magnolia trees, which will be in luxuriant pink bloom, or see what spring looks like in the Native Plant Garden. The gorgeous Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, a tower of ornamental glass, can introduce you to plants from around the world. For your meal. The garden is minutes away from famed Arthur Avenue and the Bronx’s Little Italy. Try Ann & Tony’s, open since 1927 and familyoperated for five generations. Every pasta offering here is top-notch, and every Italian classic you can imagine is served to perfection. Round out the itinerary. Less than 10 miles away from the Botanical Garden is the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum, one of New York’s smaller museums and the last surviving manor house in the Pelham Bay Park area. Take a guided tour or stroll by yourself through soaring Greek Revival interiors and the stately formal gardens (with spectacular Long Island Sound views). History buffs are in for a treat: The notorious Aaron Burr’s desk is among the furniture items displayed.
MAY 2025
4/16/25 3:32 PM