Hi,

Stuck between Lake Placid, Cape Cod, and Newport for a summer (end of August) vacation with two children (7 and 3). We live in central Jersey and would go for three or four nights. I believe Lake Placid and Cape Cod are about 5 to 5-1/2 hours from us while Newport is about 4 to 4-1/2. Any suggestions? Thank you!

Both LP and CC are good optoins. I've never been to Newport so can't comment on there.

LP & CC would be about the same distance (miles) from central Jersey. The route to LP is straighforward and once you get onto the GSP or Rt17 in NJ you're not likely to hit any traffic the whole way. For CC, the traffic and therefore time may vary greatly, with choke points through CT, and the narrow route onto the Cape. That last stretch can back up in summer, both ways.

For both places the devil in the detail may come down to which specific accommodations you are looking at rather than the destination itself.

Cape Cod has sandy beaches and salt water. If that's what you want. The ocean is tool cold and rough for kids - colder and rougher, and the facilities more primitive than what you'd find at the Jersey shore. Bay side is much calmer, and warmer (ish) water. If you stay in a village and have to pack up the family just to get to the beach that can be a drag. I'm not familiar with bay-side / near beach accommodations - maybe others can help.

Lake Placid
Fresh water, of course. In late August any of the lakes will be warm enough for the kids to play in and swim. Not Caribbean warm, but fine for kids of any age. Again, it'll come down to what type of property (hotel, resort, or self catering/air bnb), what amenities you want on property (beach, boats, pool), or are you ok with a rental with no amenities.

Do you want to stay right in town, or is a short drive ok. Since we like to hike (which means driving to nearby trails) and swim in the lake(s), I prefer away from the downtown area & away from Mirror Lake (on which the actual town of LP sits). Lake Placid Lodge, which is 5min drive out of town has rentals, and there are also private residences in that same community for rent on AirBnB or VRBO. You can save a lot by using a VRBO, so it all depends on your budget, and preferences.... If a regular hotel is ok, or you want an in-town hotel, there are a bunch of chain & non-chain hotels right on or near Mirror Lake - Hampton, Best Western, Crowne Plaza. Some or all would have an indoor pool, which the kids would love even on a rainy day. The benefit of a hotel in town/regular chain hotel is that there are likely to be other families, and you'd be less isolated or feel like you're in a cabin in the woods....

Thank you so much for all of the thorough replies. So far looks like it is between Cape Cod and Lake Placid. If I think of any more questions I will be sure to post them.

Newport in August is the height of the season and very pricey. It is height of the season on the Cape and I suppose Lake Placid as well, but Newport is high end. It isn't all particularly a kid kind of place as most of what to see and do in Newport involves touring the historic mansions as well as walking the Cliff Walk for scenic views as well as the architecture. There is also the Tennis Hall of Fame. I've been to Newport twice, once on a business trip and once with my family although my girls were a bit older and they loved seeing the mansions.

I've been to Lake Placid twice and it is beautiful. I think it takes a bit longer to get there as once you exit the Highway, you need to drive on a windy two-lane road which we once did on a foggy night, not much fun doing that. My kids were about those ages first time, maybe a bit older and we did go on a scenic boat ride that took us by several of the "cottages" which others might call mansions although rustic ones. We did also watch the US Olympic ski jumpers train on foam and it is pretty scary how large these ski jump structures are. We stayed I think at what was then a Hilton, right on Mirror Lake. The town itself is cute and walkable. There is a lot of Olympic history also.

Our family spent a week on Cape Cod every August for 7 years, driving very early from DC each year to Brewster. The children were 4/9 the first year. We rented the same house every year and tailored our activities to the children's ages, finding new things to do every year as well as keeping some favorites. Our rental house was not on the water, but we made it work easily.

Neither Cape Cod nor Lake Placid pass my, “Is it worth getting on an airplane to see?” test (no to both), Newport is but probably not a great destination for young children.

The original request was for help to identify a family vacation destiation here in the northeast. Both CC and LP (& the Adirondacks in general) are popular family summer vacation destinations.

Summer Vacation 3-4 hours Driving from central NJ

They aren't flying. They are driving from New Jersey.

I vote for Cape Cod. With the disclaimer that I have not been to the other two places. But enjoyed various places on the Cape (you have to figure out what town(s) you can't just say "Cape Cod" -haha) when I was living in New England.

I agree that Newport is oriented more towards adults however other towns in RI such as Narragansett, Charlestown and Westerly do offer beaches and a less urban atmosphere (and a day trip to Newport is easy). Most cottages rent Saturday to Saturday (as they do on the Cape as well) so you might want to expand your vacation days. There are hotels/motels in the area, but they tend to be either very pricey or very basic.

If you do decide on the Cape, you might consider Falmouth. The water is warmer as you're on Vineyard Sound rather than the ocean.

Either way, you had best get moving, many places will already be rented.

We go to Lake Placid quite a bit to mainly hike, but there should be enough to do for a few days with the kids. We stay at the Golden Arrow, private beach, paddle boards, canoes, row boats, lounge chairs, wide variety of rooms, indoor pool, and right in town. Go to pretty Heart Lake, Olympic sites, Wild Center in Tupper Lake a little over half an hour away stopping in Saranac Lake the way there or back. If you don’t want to stay the whole time in Lake Placid break it up with a night in Lake George on the way there or back.

That would be a way to sort things out. May is kinda late for booking August vacations in popular spots. Maybe look for lodging that is available in each of those three places, narrow down where you'd stay on the Cape. That might shorten up the 'short lie' simply by what are the nicest rentals you can arrange?

In reality, any of your choices would be great. Since you live in central NJ (where I grew up), I suspect your kids have had plenty of beach time on the shore. Lake Placid would be a lot more unique for the family with impressive mountains, vast stretches of wilderness forest and cool mountain lakes. On the other hand, Cape Cod is wonderful for kids, and has a totally different feel from the Jersey shore with vast low tide sand flats, massive sand dunes and thousands of acres of undeveloped beachfront on the National Seashore. I agree that Newport might not be the best for kids, although there are some very nice beaches nearby. It all depends on what you want.

If you choose Cape Cod, I second the suggestion above for staying in Falmouth. It's not as far a drive and there's plenty to see and do for young kids. We vacationed in Falmouth a number of times when my son was younger, and it's a short trip over to Woods Hole too. There are plenty of nice beaches in Falmouth, and also lots of easy hiking in the vicinity.