jspen

Every year my kids get a week off in April, but my husband can't take time off from work, so we try to plan a weekend getaway. I'm stumped this year for ideas, so am wondering if anyone can offer suggestions? We have 2 kids, 11 & 15. DH doesn't want to fly anywhere for just a weekend, so we're looking at driving or taking the train. We live near Boston.

Last year, we had a great weekend in Newport, RI, and the kids enjoyed the Cliff Walk, walking around town, and using the pool & hot tub at our hotel. Previously, we've taken the train to Portland, Maine for a minor-league baseball game, and another year stayed in a resort on Cape Cod that had an indoor pool and on-site kids activities.

I was originally thinking of NYC for this year, but now my son (the 15 year-old) is going on a school trip there in March. We'd prefer not to go somewhere that's too much colder than where we are already, but am wondering where else we could try? I was wondering about Mystic, CT but am not sure if the Seaport & aquarium would interest a teenager? Any other ideas? Thanks!

tomfuller

Your son may want to go back to NYC to see some things he missed on the school trip.
Mystic does have an Amtrak station if you didn't want to drive.
If you wanted to go further by train, you could go to Philadelphia (30th St. station) or to Baltimore.
Baltimore has the National Aquarium and the Inner Harbor.

Ackislander

If you go the second (non-Patriots Day weekend) it should be fairly nice and warm in Philadelphia,at least by Boston standards, and you can get there by train. Stay somewhere in Center City or the Historic District around Independence Hall. I stayed at a Holiday Inn in that area a while back, and it was fine for a family. I also have stayed at a Loew's in Center City that may have a pool. I used to have a client who put me up at the Rittenhouse Hotel, which may be out of reach for a family, though I sure did think they were a good client! I wanted more of those!

In addition to the historical sites, there are museums (Philadelphia, Rodin, Barnes Collection) and lots of fun food: Reading Terminal Market, South Philly for Italian, and a good Chinatown. There is a battleship on view on the river, and Fairmount Park is a great place to spend a warm spring day.

emalloy

I think the kids would like the Mystic Seaport and Aquarium, both have things to interest adults too. Also the Native American Museum at Foxwoods which is about 20 minutes from Mystic. Do check on hours for the Native American museum as the hours were limited on weekends.

If they like hiking, Bluff Point State Park in Groton is great for that too. Not quite swimming season but go east 10 miles to Misquamicut and/or Watch Hill to walk along the beach if it's nice.

jspen

Thanks, Ackislander--I hadn't thought of Philadelphia. My 15-year-old likes history, though the younger one is a bit less enthusiastic, but I'm sure we could find something she'd be interested in. As for tomfuller's suggestion to do NYC anyway, I did think of that, as my son's trip is a band trip and is mostly focused on seeing Broadways shows & concerts, so we could focus on other things, like museums. I was just hoping for that excitement of visiting a place they hadn't been before... They're good travelers and have already been a lot of places (Europe and Canada, to see DH's family, and California, where my family lives), so they like exploring somewhere new.

Only issue may be that Philly is a bit far for a weekend, but can check it out on Amtrak. Mystic would definitely be closer, so I appreciate those suggestions as well.

janie

How about somewhere in the Berkshires? Great Barrington Williamstown and Lenox are good walking towns with museums that are not that busy at that time of the year.

jubilada

The Berkshires can be really awful weather in April and a lot of their appeal is outdoors, omo.

There is always more to see and do in NYC, the school trip won't have even scratched the surface.