HudsonValleyGoodStuff

Family Fun Day: Sleigh riding at Snyder's Hill off Route 212 in Saugerties

My family and I had a great time sleigh riding at Snyder's Hill in Saugerties. I'm so excited to have a decent snow pack on the ground! I finally got to do a little sleigh-riding over the weekend. Snyder's Hill is right off Route 212 if you're heading towards Saugerties from Woodstock. It is close to the "Veteran" sign.  On a good sledding day you will see a lot of cars parked on the side of the road. The hill feels steeper than it is I think, but it is a great ride!  We were all tired after about half an hour and ended up at Slices Pizza in Saugerties. Great free winter activity with the kids.  Where do you like to go sleigh riding in the Hudson Valley? 

 

Family Weekend Getaway to Saratoga Springs recap: Chowderfest, mineral bath & incredible crepes!

 

A clam shooter. I had 3 of these!

Chowder samples from Prestwick Chase

 

Lining up for chowder

More chowder lovers

 

Lining up outside Circus Cafe

 

It snowed on Saturday, which didn't stop chowder lovers!

We decided on the spur of the moment to get away to Saratoga Springs this weekend. I love Woodstock, but we all needed a change of scenery. When I found out that the annual Chowderfest was on Saturday, I get even more excited. I have never been to a chowderfest, but I had visions of the family eating vats of chowder in our hotel room. I thought it would the kind of set up where vendors would all be in one location, and I would be able to buy as much chowder as I wished.

When I got there I soon realized that it wasn't going to be that easy. There was one vendor near the Visitors Center, the information hub of the Chowderfest, but all the participating restaurants were serving  soup to chowder lovers at their own restaurants. Hence the lines all down Broadway, Saratoga Springs main drag. It is well organized, but not very kid friendly.

l knew my kids would not want to wait online for chowder since they don't like seafood or long lines so I just took 30 minutes to myself to have 3 servings of the vendor at the tourist site, and walked a bit down Broadway to take photos for HVGoodStuff.com, and take in the festive atmosphere. The town was crowded with people happily waiting the lines for tasty chowder. Now that I know the set-up, I will have a strategy next time. (Read: babysitter!)  Later that day we enjoyed Take-Out crepes at Ravenous, which I highly reccommend. (Blog post coming soon).

Anyway, we still had a great time in Saratoga Springs. We enjoyed our stay at the Hilton Garden Inn. The hotel has a small pool and a jacuzzi. The pool was kind of cold, but of course, the kids don't care.  My husband and I each took turns soaking in a mineral baths at Roosevelt Spas & Bath like we always do when we visit Saratoga Springs. Saratoga Springs is an easy 90 minute drive from Woodstock. There is also a cool Children's Museum in Saratoga Springs. We didn't go there this time around, but it is worth a stop.  On the way home we didn't even require a bathroom stop. Amazing! What is your favorite thing to do when visiting Saratoga Springs?

The pool at the Hilton Garden Inn in Saratoga Springs, NY 

Dining area at the Hilton Garden Inn

 

The Gideon Putman resort: Fancier hotel for couples, singles, or honeymooners

 

 

Walk With Me Photography: Story-telling through beautiful un-posed photography

Two weeks ago my family spent a fun active hour in Saugerties being photographed by Carolina Weick, owner of Walk With Me Photography.  I won a gift certificate from Walk With Me Photography at Family Friendly Hudson Valley's first anniversary party last month which took place at MAC Park. (I think this was the first time I ever won any kind of door prize raffle so thank you to FFHV!)

 Walk With Me Photography offers different kinds of photography, but I won a gift certificate for a Story of the Day session (value $250) which includes an hour photo session. The idea is to have the photos tell a story of your day. Sometimes families invite her into their homes to photograph the kids in their natural setting, but I didn't want to have to deep clean and polish the house to prepare for this so I asked her if she could  photograph our family's outing to Saugerties Holiday in the Village. It's always a challenge for me to take photos during these holiday celebrations without disrupting the flow of it, and it is even harder to get a photo worthy of a Christmas card.

We met Weick and her assistant photographer at the Inquiring Minds bookstore, and set out for the festivities. I think we were all a bit self-conscious for the first minute or so but then we almost forgot these two lovely ladies were following us around with cameras.  We were all very happy with the photos she captured of us walking through Saugerties, one of our favorite towns, and I will treasure these photos forever because as Gretchen Rubin likes to say, "The days are long, but the years are short."  Walk With Me Photography is based in Port Ewen, and Carolina Weick travels all over the Hudson Valley on photography assignments.