During the first week of October, we're planning 2 days to drive and see the country around Boston.
Any suggestions of which way to go and what to do? We are a family of four with a 7 and 9 yr. old and two grandparents.

I took my daughter to Glouster, where we ate lobster outdoors, right beside lobster boats, and then we went to Cape Ann to a public beach, where the water was very cold, but she loved it anyway.

BAK

I agree, Cape Ann!!! Rockport is fun, lots of shops, great photo opportunities (give each child a throw-away camera and have your own contest for whocan get the best vacation photo- you'll be in a great area!) The perfect storm is on video, "watch the book," then take them to Glouster and eat grilled swordfish! While in the Gluster area we sure to see the Beauport House - 40 rooms of 18th and 19th cent. art/furniture or if that is not their thing go to The Hammond Castle Museum which features an 8,200 pipe organ (they do a great job,especially with kids, on the tour). Also not far from Rockport is the house made out of newspapers (odd but neat!) - Be sure to include the Woodman's for the original fried ipswich clam!

After seeing the North Shore on one day, I'd go south on the other day and take my kids to Plimouth Plantation. They are surely going to study the Pilgrims in elementary school sometime, and they could then relate it to a real place. It's a wonderful experience to see how some of the first settlers lived. In town you can also see the Rock (totally underwhelming I'll agree) and the Mayflower which is actually very interesting to see how small the ship was to carry so many people. Many other things to do around the area as well, and within an hour's drive of Boston.

You can also GO WEST to Sturbridge Village -- the leaves along the way should be reaching full color in October so you'll have beautiful viewing along the road. Sturbridge is an historical reenactment village like Plimouth Plantation, but in Plimouth the "interpreters" represet the actual settlers and "speak" in the langauge of the day. Sturbridge folks just tell like it was back in the day.

Your coming at an extremely popular time...leaf peeping and I can guarantee the road to Sturbridge will be pretty crowded. but go anyhow..it may be an hour to two hour drive from downtown Boston... Nobody has mentioned staying in the Boston area and taking them to the Children's Museum, the Duck Tour, doing the Swan Boats, the Science Museum or the Freedom Trail..

All of the above are good suggestions. There is also the Concord-Lexington area west of Boston. Historical sites and houses. It all depends on what your interests are.

Hey Judy-our family will also be traveling in the Boston area the same week and we will be staying in Salem and Boston both.Whale watching was something that has not yet been mentioned-we are traveling with a 3 year old and a 14 year old so we thought that would be fun.Have a great trip.

If you spend some time in Boston, children love the museum of science and there is also the children's museum. In Lincoln there is the Audubon
headquarters and the Decordova Museum.And our own Zoo here now has a few temporary adorable Koala bears and a Butterfly place.

You do know it's spelled Gloucester, right? And anyway, you want to "do" Rockport maybe more than Gloucester, although it's moving to see the statue looking out to see -- and a good lesson to see "real" fishing boats in a real fishing community.

Don't forget Marblehead on the North Shore -- have a great cup of chowder at the Barnacle on Front St. (overlooking Marblehead Harbor), poke around the old streets in the old part of town and maybe go see the original painting "Spirit of '76" in the Town Hall.

But if going west, Concord/Lexington are fun and I second, even more, the DeCordova museum -- the grounds more than the museum itself for the kids.

While in the area, however, don't overlook Longfellow's Wayside Inn, the Old Grist Mill, and the Mary-Martha Chapel altogether in Wayland (is it Rte. 2 or Rte. 20 -- I'm having a senior moment?). It's a charming, beautiful site complete with mill pond, and you can get a nice, sort-of-historic meal at the Wayside Inn itself, which will keep the kids from getting too itchy about the quaintness of it all.

Inadvertant typo! "Statue looking out to SEA!" at Gloucester. Sorry.