Mother's Day: Why We Celebrate And Where To Brunch In The Hudson Valley

MID HUDSON VALLEY, NY—In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as a special day to honor mothers. Although Mothering Sunday was a tradition in Europe, the day might never have earned an official designation in the U.S. if not for some determined women. A national celebration to honor all mothers who lost sons in the Civil War was organized in 1870 by poet Julia Ward Howe. Teacher Mary Towles Sasseen promoted the idea of a special Mother's Day in a pamphlet she published in 1893, but it was activist Anna Jarvis who succeeded in lobbying the White House, beginning in 1908.

Today, we honor moms with gifts, flowers and a special brunch. If you're not sure where to take your mom for Mother's Day brunch, we offer a list of local brunch places that earned the highest marks from Yelp reviewers. If you've been to any of these places let us know in the comments below. If we missed your favorites, please let us know.

Hudson Valley

1. The Roost, 3542 Main Street, Stone Ridge

2. Main Street Bistro, 59 Main Street, New Paltz

3. The Poughkeepsie Grind 107 Main Street, Poughkeepsie

4. Phoenicia Diner, 5681 SR 28, Phoenicia

5. Cafe Mio, 2356 Route 44/55, Gardiner

6. Oriole 9, 17 Tinker Street, Woodstock

7. Sweet Sue's Restaurant, 49 Main Street, Phoenicia

8. The Ground Hog, 2703 West Main Street, Wappingers Falls

9. Alex's Restaurant, 1 Market Street, Poughkeepsie

10. Stock Up, 29 Teller Avenue, Beacon

Rockland

1. Strawberry Place, 72 South Broadway, Nyack

2. Art Cafe of Nyack, 65 South Broadway, Nyack

3. Hogan's Nyack Diner, 41 Route 59, Nyack

4. The 9W Market, 243 Route 9W, Palisades

5. Cornerstone Restaurant, 285 North Route 303, Congers

Putnam

1. Countryside Kitchen, 493 Route 6, Mahopac

2. Hudson Hil's Market & Cafe, 129 Main Street, Cold Spring

3. The Freight House Cafe, 606 Route 6, Mahopac

4.Country Kitchen, 564 North Main Street, Brewster

5. Reverie Caffe, 21 Front Street, Patterson, NY

6. George's Place, 36 Gleneida Avenue, Carmel

Westchester

1. Beehive Restaurant, 30 Old Route 22, Armonk

2. Eaterry, 25 Main Street, Tarrytown

3. Cooked & Co, 128 Garth Road, Scarsdale

4. On the Way Cafe, 34 Ridgeland Terrace, Rye

5. The Original Pancake House, 170 Hamilton Avenue, White Plains

6. Stan'z Cafe, 26 Chatsworth Avenue, Larchmont

7. Wobble Cafe, 21 Campwoods Road, Ossining

8. Pondfield Cafe, 3 Pondfield Road West, Bronxville

Enjoy your meal!