OT - Road Trip MN to Northeast

[MNMum]

I am planning a road trip for August and need ideas. We live in MN and have never been to the Northeast part of the states. I'm not sure where to start! We will be bringing our 10yo, 7yo, 3.5yo, and newborn. So we figure no more than 6-8 hours in the car/day. My husband is in the military and enjoys historical war stuff(but we can only take that in short bursts!) I love little towns with personality. We will probably stay in hotels, maybe rent a pop-up camper. We have about 12 days. This is what I've got so far:

Day 1: Drive to somewhere just past Chicago (we love Chicago, but can do that a differnent shorter trip)

Day 2: Drive to somewhere near Buffalo, NY

Day 3: Drive to somewhere near Boston, MA

My 7 yo old wants to see NYC, so we will at least spend a day there. But probably not go any further south than that.

Any ideas on places that are really family friendly? I'm thinking coastal? I'd appreciate any opinions.

[bunnyslippers]

Newport Rhode Island is really fun and family friendly. There are lots of stores, restaurants, boats, whale watches, beaches, and the famous mansions on Bellevue Avenue that you can tour. There is also a cliff walk where you can walk along the path(it is paved and has a fence), with the ocean on one side and the mansions on the other. It is really a great trip ~ so much to see! We go a bunch in the summer. It is a one-of-a-kind spot. Love love love it!


North Conway New Hampshire is also great. There are two theme parks in the area, one called Story Land and one called Santa's Village. Both are geared towards younger children, so your kids would be able to go on all the rides. North Conway itself is a little village-like town in the White Mountains. It has lots of cute shops and restaurants. It also has an outlet mall and a scenic train and old train station. It is another one of my families favorite destinations.

[VTMom]

Near Buffalo (I think): Crayola factory in Easton, PA. Lots of hands on stuff. I think it took us around 3 hours to go through it.

Boston has all kinds of revolutionary war stuff. In Concord, MA (close to Boston), there's the Minuteman National Historical Park. That's where the North Bridge is with a visitor center. This is the location of "the shot heard around the world". Catch a baseball game at Fenway. There's also the Boston Museum of Science that's a lot of fun. Tons to do in and around Boston.

York, ME: classic small Maine coastal town. There's the York Wild Animal Kingdom which is a small zoo with a couple amusement rides geared towards younger kids. There's The Goldenrod that makes salt water taffy right in the window. Up the coast, less than an hour, is Ogunquit, ME. It has a pedestrian walkway along the coast called the Marginal Way, as well as a beautiful beach. Beautiful.

I second North Conway, NH if you're going that far north. The White Mountains are beautiful. My family goes to Santa's Village every summer.

Camping/hiking/biking/boating in Vermont.

[Sunshine74]

I am from the Buffalo, NY area. There are a lot of things to do around here. One thing I would definitely suggest is seeing Niagara Falls (it is 20 minutes from downtown Buffalo)- even if it is for only an hour of two. There is also Fort Niagara which is 30 minutes from Buffalo. Your husband would definitely enjoy it. An hour east of Buffalo is Rochester. They have the Strong National Museum of Play. It is awesome, and they have areas that appeal to all different ages- all hands on things. And the top floor is a toy museum. And you would enjoy the Village of East Aurora- about 20 minutes south east of Buffalo. They have a children's museum called Explore & More (I have never been there), a five and dime store, along with other attractions.

I have included links for everything I talked about. If I think of anything else, I will let you know.

http://www.niagarafallsstatepark.com/

http://oldfortniagara.org/

http://www.thestrong.org/

http://www.east-aurora.ny.us/visitors/attractions/

http://www.exploreandmore.org/default.aspx

[bunnyslippers]

I love this thread ~ I think it is awesome to hear what areas people think are fun to visit! I have never been to Niagara Falls...and now, I want to go!

[MNMum]

You guys are awesome! I was getting nowhere on this "project" using google - now I'm excited!

[MN Mom]

Ditto on Newport Rhode Island. I went there my senior year for Marching Band to march in their 4th of July parade..It was AWESOME there. The people in Newport are so friendly, and there is so much to do and see! Sounds like a super fun road trip! I need to convince my hubby to take the kids on a trip out east..so much history!

[countrymom]

well if you cross the buffalo border and head 3 hours on the 401 you can come visit me.