PLANTING SEEDS BLOG: A Saturday in Beacon

At pickup at my son's school, a mother, a recent transport from England, asked about ideas for day trips out of New York City. After listening to the suggestions of apple picking in Connecticut or visiting the beach on Long Island, I could not resist putting in my plug for a trip up along the Hudson.

Having just spent the day myself in Beacon, I rattled off a few stops from our adventures on the Hudson.

1. Arrived at Scenic Hudson's Beacon Point Park -- We walked around the sculpture pier created by the artist George Trakas. We were all fascinated to see how the tide flows through the sculpture. Having arrived at low tide, we wanted to head back later when it was high tide to see the water. Chatted with some fisherman and hopped along the rocks on the little beach next to the pier.
2. Headed to Beacon's main attraction -- Dia:Beacon. Featuring some incredible works by Warhol, Serra and Flavin, Dia is a must-see. Our kids loved "running" around and checking out the modern art. It was a beautiful day when we visited, but this would have been perfect on a rainy or cold day as well.
3. En route to finding some food, we stopped by Hudson Beach Glass a gallery located in what was Beacon's original firehouse. Before we knew it my kids had on protective glasses and were being shown how to blow glass. My older son got to create his own Christmas ornament, which they kindly sent via mail to us later after it had cooled down. My younger son created a humongous glass bubble that was too fragile to keep, but great for breaking!
4. We had been told about Homespun Foods and enjoyed a nice meal outside on the patio.
5. In need of some exercise, we ventured to Mount Beacon. I was up for walking up the mountain. It is only a mile up to the top, but my husband wasn't into the idea given it would probably mean that he would be carrying my youngest on his shoulders the whole way. So, we only headed up to the observation deck and planned on coming back to walk the rest of the way at another time.
6. Along with Mount Beacon and Beacon Point, Scenic Hudson has created a third park in this small city -- Madam Brett Park. This was our last stop, and we were eager to check out the Tioronda Falls. My kids loved climbing down, getting too close, in my opinion, to the fast flowing water. My husband also attempted to catch with his hands a large fish that had been trapped in a small tide pool. No luck!

All in all, we had a great day. If you haven't been yourself, you should definitely check it out.

In 2006, Francesca Olivieri co-founded the company, sage baby an online eco-friendly baby store offering everything from organic clothes and skincare to furniture. She also writes a monthly blog for The Family Groove as well as contributing articles to Daily Candy Kids, Citiscoop, and NRDC's simple steps. She continues to watch her green business grow, while seeking to apply her values to her own home and family. Francesca lives in New York City with her husband and three kids, ages 9, 7 and 4

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