City Slicker Adventure on a Family Farm in New York
As I overpacked for our three-day weekend trip to the farm, I thought of how I was still missing the mud boots Larissa, our host, recommended I bring for our adventures. The kids grow out of shoes so quickly, and I figured the summer Crocs would have to do. Our trip to the Farm in Earlton, New York would be a 2.5 hour drive from our home in the Bronx.
I came across the farm stay on one of my mommy listserves and thought of how neat it would be to stay on a farm with chickens, sheep, ponies and goats. My 1-year-old recent walker and my three-year-old animal lover would think it was super awesome and have a blast. So between, meetings and diaper changes I reached out to Airbnb host Larissa. She was thoughtful, easy going and practical. She helped us prep for the trip with suggestions on what to bring and a few ideas as to how to plan our stay; it was clear from the very beginning that we would feel at home.
We had two easy options for the drive either I87 all the way up to the Catskills or the Taconic State Parkway. I87 was a more direct route, so we opted for that on our way up and the Taconic a beautiful scenic route on our return.
So there we went car packed to the brim and kids ready for our 2.5 hour drive from New York City. After the initial excitement of the drive, the kids fell asleep. The drive was quite for about 1.5 hours, I felt like a genius for timing their nap perfectly, although it was actually me running late as usual. I had prepared for the hours of driving by purchasing car safe toys like Melissa and Doug sticker books. We had also planned to make a stop at Storm King Art Center to break up the drive midway, but we took advantage of the sleeping menions and kept on driving.
After their nap, the kids informed us with a tag team combination of yelling, nagging and crying that they were up and ready for a stretch. At that moment, the driving fairies and Yelp took pity on us and lead us to the Lakeside Licks Ice Cream Shoppe in Saugerties, NY. Lakeside Licks had over 30 delicious ice cream flavors, so the stop was well worth it. The scenic drive through the eclectic and charming community of Saugerties, NY was the cherry on top. If you are looking for a yummy meal, Saugerties main street will give you plenty of options and is also a nice low key stop for a walk and local shopping.
After the ice cream break, the kids were re-energized for the 30 minute drive to Earlton. Finding the farm was a little tricky as Larissa had mentioned but once we drove up the corrected road we were happy to see that the chickens and ponies were ready to greet us! Once out of the car it took us awhile to get the kids to agree to leave the farm animals and enter the cozy barn house. Once the kids began to explore they were just as happy to be indoors as out. The farm was as described and even more beautiful than the pictures. The upstairs loft is where the kids and dad wanted to spend most of their time, and they were so excited that they could be high up and watch mom from the top of their pretend castle tower. I was just as happy to explore the well stocked kitchen. There were the necessary condiments and utensils to prepare our pork chop dinner meal with the items I had packed from our kitchen at home and stored in our ice cooler during the trip. One of the things I love about local accommodations is being able to prepare our meals, it saves money and I can make sure the kids get a few healthy meals while we are on vacation.
After dinner and another walk through the farm, we met with Larissa our host and her son. We were excited to take a short farm tour with her and make plans to join her at the Kids County Fair the next day. Her daughter was preparing her horse’s dragon costume for the fair competition, and my son was so excited he wanted to help.
That evening we were lucky enough to gather some farm fresh eggs for our breakfast and went inside to shower up for bed and play board games before going to sleep. Larissa has a well-stocked family friendly library and board game collection. No tv or wireless Internet for this electronic free getaway! We spent some time playing one of our favorite games Jeepers Peepers which we brought with us. The bathroom was clean, well equipped with toiletries and plenty of clean towels and hot water. The kids settled into the small bedroom while the adults had the larger one with the view of the farm. Without any mosquitos in sight, we fell asleep without a care.
The next morning we were up bright and early with the roosters as is customary in our house, the kids were off and running as soon as they woke. I was able to make a delicious egg breakfast while the kids and dad walked around the farm and helped with farm chores. They picked some herbs and cherry tomatoes from the garden that we used for breakfast, and it could not have been any more delightful. There is no comparison to the deliciousness of a farm fresh meal.
After our fun-filled adventure at the Kids Country Fair, we headed up to Hudson, NY for lunch. We ate at Cafe Le Perche on Warren Street where they served us a delicious meal of Pancakes and Ham and Gruyere Omelet and Homemade Hummus Sandwich in their family friendly environment. The kids were entertained by friendly staff and coloring pages while waiting for their meals. After lunch, we stopped at the playground across the street for some play time before heading to Hudson Wine Merchants for local hard cider for some daddy and mommy time later that night. We also spent time at The Bees Knees Toy Store for a few unique gifts. Among lots of other reasons, Hudson is a great place to visit for its antiquing and the Hudson Opera House. Before visiting be sure to check the Opera House schedule for kid and family friendly events.
For our final adventure of the day, we headed to a nearby watering hole in New Baltimore, NY. Larissa gave us detailed driving directions, and she was even exact on the amount of time our hike through the woods would take. After our 20 min hike, it was great to sit back and relax at the Hannacroix Creek Preserve, LaVern E. Irving Trail watering holes. The most important item for the hike was All Terrain Herbal Armour insect repellent which was very much needed to keep the mosquitoes at bay. With the two little ones, the hike was a bit challenging but we were not the only family of adventurers on the trail. We crossed paths with another family of four with two little ones making the trip back, there were other friendly locals on the path that helped us feel at ease. My hubby carried my little Selena in our Ergobaby Carrier great for hikes even for older kids. While our brave Elias made it through the trail on his own with a little help from a makeshift walking stick and a few boosts on some of the steep terrains. All in all, the hike was relaxed and well worth it for a relaxing dip in the creek.
After our full filled day, we returned to the farm for an adult evening of fun conversation and local hard cider. The kids went right to sleep after such a busy day and we all woke up refreshed for more time on the farm including Elias’s much-anticipated pony ride. The pony ride was a blast for Elias. He was an impressive first-time rider after Larissa’s gentle guidance and direction; he was totally at ease on the pony. Selena’s pony ride will come on our next visit to the farm that I am hopeful will be soon!
