5 Ways to Honor Mom on Mother's Day

Flowers are pretty, but they won’t last forever. Try treating your mom to one of these memory-making activities instead, on the special day made just for her.

1. Take a Hudson River Cruise

On Sunday, May 14, the Albany-based Dutch Apple Cruises offers two options:

A brunch cruise, from 11:30-1:30 p.m., with a full menu served alongside DJ-provided music; and a sightseeing cruise from 2:30-4 p.m. Cruises go from Albany south to Van Weis Point. (The cruise line’s normal schedule is a 1-2:30 p.m. sightseeing cruise on weekends from late April through October.) Brunch cruise: $39.99 (all ages); sightseeing cruise: $19.95, adults; $18.95, seniors;  $12, ages 3-10; children under 2, free. 

Dutch Apple Cruises, 141 Broadway, Albany; 518.463.0220; www.dutchapplecruises.com

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2. Go on a Hot Air Balloon Ride

Maybe you can’t give her the stars, but how about giving Mom a trip among the clouds? Above the Clouds hot-air balloons launches a new season in May; if you can’t book a Mother’s Day trip, spring for a gift certificate she can use before the season ends in November. With flights twice a day — sunrise and sunset — seven days a week, she’ll have plenty of opportunities to sail away. $295 per person for a 45- to 60-minute flight.

Above the Clouds, launching from Randall Airport, 72 Airport Road, Middletown; 845.692.2556; www.abovethecloudsinc.com

 

3. Spend the Day at a Historic Amusement Park

If a rollercoaster ride is more your mom’s speed, head over to Rye Playland for opening weekend.  Tickets are only $15 each on Saturday and Sunday, and moms are free on Mother’s Day.

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Rye Playland, 1 Playland Parkway, Rye; 914.813.7010; www.playlandpark.org

 

4. Celebrate with Tea and Chamber Music

For a more refined way to celebrate, treat Mom to afternoon tea and a string quartet. The Hudson Valley Performing Arts Foundation’s Chamber Music Series hosts New York Philharmonic cellist Patrick Jee along with Philharmonic concertmaster Frank Huang in a quintet performance of Schubert’s String Quintet, D. 956, at The Mulder Chapel at the Warwick Conference Center in Warwick. $50 adults, $20 students. Stay afterward to meet and greet the artists: an additional $50 includes cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

The Mulder Chapel at the Warwick Conference Center, 62 Warwick Center Road; 844.464.8723; www.hvpaf.org

 

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5. Shop local in Rhinebeck

The Rhinebeck Farmers Market begins its outdoor season on Mother’s Day. Moms get the royal treatment with free seedlings that day. The market operates from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. every Sunday from then on through Thanksgiving, rain or shine.

Rhinebeck Farmers Market; Rhinebeck Municipal Parking Lot, 61 East Market St, Rhinebeck; www.rhinebeckfarmersmarket.com

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