It’s officially Spring in Gardiner, NY and we’re excited for the events, pop-ups, Little League, soccer practice, Renegades games, dance clubs, eating at your favorite restaurant, or sitting shoulder to shoulder at the corner bar after two years of limited outings. Here’s our roundup of what’s to come this month brought to you by GAB:

Easter Egg Hunt

The Minnewaska Lodge will hold an Easter Egg Hunt that is free and open to the public at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 16. (Rain date is April 23.) The action starts behind the hotel on safe and easy trails for the little ones to run off some steam. There will be a bonfire for adults to take away any lingering morning chill. Guest services agent Rachel Carson also noted that the lodge is open to all for a hearty breakfast for $25 from 7-10 a.m. at the venerable hotel, known for its great views and hospitality. https://www.minnewaskalodge.com/

A Special Tour

After a short hiatus, Gardiner Open Studio Tour is back featuring 20+ talented artists local to Gardiner NY! Take an intimate look inside the work spaces of these artists on Saturday April 30th and Sunday May 1st, 10am-5pm. Each tour presents new work and new experiences, and the opportunity to meet the artists where they work, learn about their processes and take home a unique work of art. This year’s creative neighbors run the gamut from a variety of ceramicists, a clockmaker and a felter, to painters in various mediums. Tour participants can expect a range of landscape painters, figurative work and whimsical oils to mixed media artists, a luthier, furniture maker and Shaker box artist. www.gardineropenstudiotour.com

On the Lamb

Next to the Easter Bunny, and maybe some chirping yellow chicks, an image that just screams Easter is a fuzzy little lamb. There are plenty of these at Willow Pond Sheep Farm. And you can see—and even hold—the lambs on weekends through April 17.

Groups of up to six people receive a 45-minute guided tour. You’ll spend time in the lamb pen, hold some of the young lambs, and learn about how they are born and raised on a working farm. You can also check out the farm store for sheep-related goodies. Farmer Carrie Wasser reminds you to sign up online for the limited spots on the tour, and to keep an eye out for sheep milk yogurt, which should be available at the farm store in the coming weeks. https://www.willowpondsheep.com/lamb-tours

Beer and Flowers…

Every weekend at Gardiner Brewing Co. is jam packed. There is live music every Saturday and Sunday, starting at 3:30 p.m. Check Instagram for updates, events, and more weekend tunes. https://www.instagram.com/gardinerbrewingcompany/

And right next door is 118-year-old Wrights Farm. The farmstand has perennials and annuals in store as the weather warms up, starting around mid-April. The stand is open every day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with an array of farm-raised meats and other delectables like homemade fudge and doughnuts. http://www.eatapples.com/

…And Burgers

Burgers are back on the menu at Mountain Brauhaus. As it gets warmer, co-owner Ilka Rouff Casey hopes to be open for midweek lunch at this Gardiner landmark, since 1955. (Current hours are 2-8 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, 12-8 on weekends, closing at 7:30 on Sundays.) The pandemic put a damper on a lot of things, but at least now you can have a burger with your pretzel, spaetzle, schnitzel, und Franziskaner.

And If You Feel Like Staying Home…

…Let Gardiner come to you. Jodi Whitehead at Uptown Attic puts on Uptown Attic Live a couple of Thursdays per month. Dates in April are April 14 and 21 at 7 p.m. live on Facebook. Join the Uptown Attic Live group on Facebook and be a part of the show. https://www.facebook.com/groups/519002645481612

“It started during the pandemic,” Jodi says, “and now we keep doing because people love interactive online shopping from home.” Watch out, QVC!

And watch out for more spring events in Gardiner as they happen. Activities start to bloom like daffodils as it warms up. Be sure to contact GAB and let us know if there’s something we missed that Gardiner should know about!

GARDINER GAB