- New York, New York
New York is an exciting place for a family trip. Read about 10 Top Things to Do, including a free outing with a Big Apple Greeter: your own private and personable New Yorker who'll show you around. Teens will like New York Movie Tours, which introduces NYC via well-known movie locations.
- Moose Tours
Kids love to see animals, so you may as well go looking for something BIG. Maine and NH are good spots.
- K-9: Family Vacations with Pooch
Hey, they're part of the family too! Find places where doggies and kiddies can all have a good time.
- New England Pow-wows -every year, many native tribes have special gatherings, and at many of these events visitors are welcome.
- CT: Lake Compounce theme park
Lake Compounce has coasters, waterpark, drop towers, and is also the summer residence of Garfield, who has his own play zone and musical show.
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MA: Cape Codder Resort
Typhoon Lagoon it ain't, but the indoor waterpark at this Cape Cod resort is sure to be fun for families. And of course the miles of beaches outside aren't bad, either.
- MA: Six Flags, Massachusetts
Six Flags New England has plenty of thrill rides and roller coasters; but there's tame fun for little kids as well.
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MA: Cape Cod's Red Jacket Beach Resort
Love Cape Cod, but hate the parking hassles at public beaches? About's Guide for New England for Visitors suggests this place with 700-foot sandy beach; kayak and pedal boat rentals plus parasailing and jet skiing; outdoor and indoor pool; and kids' program in summertime.
- NH: Mount Washington Resort, Bretton Woods
The century-old Mount Washington Hotel, built in the grand old style, is now part of the Bretton Woods ski resort. Features include 900-foot verandah, Kids Camp, outdoor activities, seasonal events such as Thanksgiving weekends. Other lodging at Bretton Woods include an Inn that's National Historic Landmark, as is the Hotel.
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NY: Mohonk Mountain House
Here's another classic family-friendly resort: 90 miles from NYC, a Victorian castle perches on low cliffs by a mountain lake-- a National Historic Landmark, no less, with 2200 acres, 85 miles of hiking trails, lots of outdoors activities. Kids Club runs during summer and occasional weekend throughout the year; theme programs include Haunted Happenings at Halloween, Christmas Gala (kids stay free), and special interests such as hiking or gardening. Check the web site for Kids Stay Free specials offered on certain dates, and other specials.
- NY: Rocking Horse Ranch Resort - in New York state, open year-round with 500 acres in the Shawangunk Mountains, promises "The most fun your family ever had!" A myriad of activities, winter and summertime.
- VT: Bromley Fun Park
In winter, Bromley is merely one of many Vermont ski destinations; in summer, it's home to "Vermont's Largest Family Fun Park" with space bikes, DevalKarts (fueled by gravity, ridden downhill, with excellent brakes!), wildwater rafting ride, lots more.
-some offer an amazing array of activities and kids' programs.
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PENNSYLVANIA: Skytop Lodge
Picture High Tea in a 70-year-old Dutch Colonial stone lodge on 5500 acres of forest; now add a whole bunch of kid-friendly activities, from archery to biking to mini-golf, plus indoor and outdoor pools... and year-round theme weekends. Click Activities to find out about Big Band weekends with hayrides, dance lessons for kids and grown-ups, and a Ballroom Dance; Edgar Allan Poe weekends with a Prince's Ball, Freakish Feasts, a Grand Magic Show, and a scary laughing contest; Charles Dickens weekends in December. Check the web site for Midweek Family Fun Packages offered frequently throughout the year.
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PA: Hershey Park
There's fun year-round at "The Sweetest Place on Earth", three hours from New York City, 1.5 hours from Baltimore. This town has numerous Hershey attractions, most notably Hersheypark, a venerable and top-rated family amusement park started in 1907 by chocolatier Milton Hershey for his employees. Stay at the Hotel Hershey, a grand old hotel on 300 acres.
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More Pennsylvania family resorts:
family getaways in the Poconos, just a few hours away from Boston, Phillie, and New York; from the luxurious to the affordable, all with plenty of activities.
- West Virginia: White-water Rafting -white-water rafting is good clean fun (as in "soaking wet"), and West Virginia's an excellent place for it. A number of rafting outfitters offer trips that welcome families-- even kids as young as four.
