Disclosure: This is a sponsored post as Jamie was invited to the Italian Feast. All opinions are her own.
One of the best things about living in Rockland is the abundance of awesome things to do on the weekends. The Italian Feast is one not to miss, and it is gone fast open this weekend only. Weekend hours: 11am to Midnight Saturday, and noon to 9pm Sunday.
Great food, great atmosphere, great music, great time! That basically sums up my family’s experience at the Blauvelt Sons of Italy 5th annual ITALIAN FEAST. If you have any free time this weekend, this is absolutely the event to check out. They literally had something that would appeal to everyone and just the friendliest staff one could imagine
We arrived to a very organized parking situation and were pleased to see that anyone who needs to bring a stroller would be able to maneuver their stroller through parking and the event with no issues at all. (R) and (S) were bouncing up and down as we walked towards the entrance. The delicious smells of all the food surrounded us while we put on our wrist bands for unlimited rides, bounce houses, and slides. (R) couldn’t wait to get to the rides so after some amazing fried ravioli, off the 4 of us went to experience the rest of the event.
Jamie and the kids on the Carousel.
There was plenty of room to push the stroller through the walkways, plenty of seating all throughout the grounds for those who wanted to sit and eat or relax, and plenty of staff walking around making sure that the lines were moving quickly and that everyone was finding what they need. There were also several indoor bathrooms, which I prefer to a port-a-potty (especially for those with children in diapers). The staff was incredible. They helped us get both kids on the rides, buckled them in, let us know which rides we would need to accompany (S) on (R is big enough to ride most alone) and even made an emergency stop on one of the rides when (S) was terrified and crying. The rides are compartmentalized, with the kiddie rides in one spot and the big kid rides across the way which makes it easy to keep an eye on your child.
The family on the Tea Cups.
When (R) and (S) had ridden every single ride possible, we headed over to the music stage and enjoyed a delicious dinner by Joe and Joe’s restaurant. It is also in this stage area that adults can indulge in an adult beverage…and there was an excellent selection to choose from. (R) and (S) were busy dancing to the live music while T (my husband) and I tried to decide what to eat. It was not an easy choice. It all looked and smelled incredible and the line of people waiting was a clear indication just how good this dinner would be. To our pleasure they moved all the customers through the line and got them fed. It was no more than 10 minutes.
From there it was off to play the games, shop the dozens of vendors, and let the kids choose their souvenir. We even noticed black jack tables set up for later that evening.
If I had to describe this event in one word it would be joy. This event just oozes joy. There was not one person experiencing this event that was not smiling. Little kids, big kids, teenagers, parents, adults, staff members, everyone was all smiles and having a blast. It is a fabulous event and worth taking the family to enjoy. And yes, of course we got some zeppoles on the way out.
Weekend hours: 11am to Midnight Saturday, and noon to 9pm Sunday
