NEW YORK CITY — Brunch may be the tried-and-true Mother's Day activity, but for those who'd like an alternative way to honor the women who raised them — or who simply forgot to make reservations — there's an eclectic range of activities in the city this Sunday.
In the Bronx, the New York Botanical Garden is offering a two-day Mother’s Day garden party featuring picnicking, croquet, kite flying, badminton, food trucks and storytelling. Kids will fashion cards and birds’ nests while adults toast the moms in their midst with beer and wine. Michael Arenella & His Dreamland Orchestra will play jazz tunes from the 1920s and 1930s, and a photographer will take vintage-style family photographs set against the backdrop of the Azalea Garden. Additional scheduled activities are detailed here. Tickets cost $30 for adults and $15 for children aged between 2 and 12. Children under 2 get in free. The event goes from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Daffodil Hill.
If you'd prefer to set up your Mother's Day picnic in Queens, the borough's Botanic Garden offers plenty of shade under the boughs of its Arboretum. Guests can enjoy a special plant sale, Mother's Day crafts for kids and a garden tour at 2 p.m. Free with garden admission: $4 for adults, $3 for Seniors and $2 Students with ID and children over 3. More details are available here.
Mothers like comfort food too, and children who begged their moms for mac 'n' cheese can return the favor at S'MAC. This Sunday, mothers will eat free at every location. You can find S'MAC at 157 East 33rd St. in Murray Hill and 345 East 12th St. in the East Village.
The Borough of Kings is paying homage to its queens at Coney Island's first amusement park, Deno's Wonder Wheel. Mothers and their families are invited to a karaoke session from 2 to 6 p.m, and the first 25 moms who sing will receive a Wonder Wheel T-shirt. Check it out at 3059 West 12th St., Brooklyn. No cost to participate.
Over in Williamsburg, kiddie rock 'n' roll playspace Frolic! is hosting Rock Rave 'N' Roll, a family-friendly Mother's Day DJ party at Brooklyn Bowl. Guests will include Tim Kubart from The Sunny Side Up Show, Suzi Shelton, and DJ Unicornicopia of Baby DJ School. 4 to 6 p.m. at 61 Wythe Ave. in Brooklyn. Tickets cost $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Free admission for babies under 6 months.
Finally, for those who'd prefer a more mellow Mother's Day, Children's Museum of Manhattan is putting the "om" in "mom" with several scheduled yoga sessions for mothers and children of various ages at different times throughout the day. A full schedule of Mother's Day activities, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 11, is available here. Activities are free with museum admission: $11 for children and adults, $7 for seniors, free for members and children under 12 months. 212 West 83rd St. in Manhattan.
