Fun (and Safe) Outdoor Winter Activities for Seniors
Better living and medical advances are enabling our seniors to lead more robust, longer, and healthier lives well into older age. You can now see older Americans at the gym, on hiking trails, and out on the golf course living their lives and exploring new things. Even though it is winter in White Plains, which doesn’t mean the fun has to end! At Visiting Angels of White Plains, we are here to add a little help for those who want to keep getting out of the house with some independence. On the arm of a trusted professional caregiver, your elderly loved one is sure to be happy and healthy and delivered safely back home. Visit our website, www.visitingangels.com/whiteplains, to find out more about our caregivers and services.
Grand Holiday Illumination
945 N. Broadway, Yonkers
Daily through January 1, 2023, from 4:30-8 pm
Inaugurated in 2015, the Untermyer Gardens Conservancy's Grand Holiday Illumination has quickly become a Yonkers tradition, and thousands of visitors come to enjoy the spectacle. Come and see the Walled Garden lit with more than 100,000 lights and listen to holiday music from many traditions. In addition to the classical music associated with Christmas, music was selected from the traditions associated with Indo-Persian gardens and Samuel Untermyer for the Illumination. New this year is Hindu music, as it would have been heard in the monumental gardens of Mughal India. Download a playlist from the website or access with the Spotify app on your phone (requires a free or subscription account with Spotify). This holiday tradition is a free event.
Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience
2957 Crompond Rd, Yorktown Heights
Daily through January 22, 2023
Walk into the depths of a dark forest and discover fantastic beasts and illuminated wizarding world moments at Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience in the awe-inspiring woods of Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park in Yorktown Heights. This nighttime trail experience is for the whole family. Award-winning theatrical designers and experiential creators designed the event, celebrating some of the most iconic forest scenes from the beloved film series. Visitors can come face-to-face with magical creatures including a Hippogriff, Nifflers, Centaurs, and more. Wizards of all ages can strike a stance for a wand duel photo before trying their hand at casting a Patronus to illuminate the dark woods. Food and drink inspired by the Wizarding World is also included. Tickets are $75 for adults and $64 for children, with discounts for groups and are available at Harry Potter: Forbidden Forest Experience.
Holiday Howl
7 Buck Rd, South Salem
December 26, from 11 am-12:30 pm and 2-3:30 pm
Visit the Wolf Conservation Center for its Holiday Howl and learn about the mythology, biology, and ecology of wolves. This is a magical time of year for the packs of North America. Guests will enjoy watching gray wolves Alawa and Nikai tear open “wolfy” presents and may be able to catch a glance of some of the WCC’s critically endangered red wolves and Mexican gray wolves. Pre Registration for this free event is required and can be completed at the WCC website nywolf.org/holidayhowl.
African American Heritage Trail
Westchester County
Ongoing
Check out the African American Heritage Trail and explore a collection of historic sites that preserve and interpret the contributions that people of African descent have made to the development of the country's unique American identity. The Trail is an ongoing initiative to identify sites, buildings and locations that reflect both the actions and experiences of African Americans in the evolution of Westchester. Visitors can access the trail’s attractions by driving, but most sites are outdoors. For more details and information, visit the Westchester County website at www.visitwestchesterny.com.
Backyard Sugaring Workshops
51 Route 100, Katonah
January 14 and 15 from 1-2 pm
Stop by Muscoot Farm and learn all about the art of maple sugaring at one of their Backyard Sugaring workshops. Learn about the equipment needed, how to identify sugar maples in all seasons, the right way to tap trees and how to turn sap from maples into syrup for pancakes. The workshop meets at Muscoot’s Sugar Shack to tour their equipment and includes a walk around the farm to see the maple trees. The event is free to all.
Whether you are looking for winter forest walks or communing with nature, there are many activities that are safe for active seniors in Westchester County. If you or a loved one is realizing that you need help to enjoy the outdoors or with general activities of daily living, Visiting Angels of White Plains is here to help. Call us at (914) 696-4200 to schedule a free consultation today.