My husband, two kids (ages 14 and 11) would like to visit New York and Boston + Cape Cod in August. We live in California. We've been to the cities and the Cape, but not to Connecticutt, Rhode Island, etc, in between the two. We will rent a car. Can you suggest good stops along the way..such as what small towns/cities or pretty natural areas between NYC and Boston are good to visit. We would be happy to see places of historic interest and fun or educational for the kids as well. Also, is August an OK time to go to this area? It's the only time we have this year.

Tina- if you have ANY interest in dinosaurs, I highly recommend a stop just south of Hartfort, Conn:
http://www.dinosaurstatepark.org/index.html
Take note of the list of supplies you should bring if you would like to make a cast of a dinosaor track.

Also in CT, try Mystic Seaport -- historic buildings and ships. Mark Twain's house is interesting, especially if it ties into the kids' English lit requirements.

In RI, try one or two of Newport's mansions and the Green Animals topiary garden and toy museum in nearby Portsmouth. Check out the schedule for the Waterfire celebrations in Providence, they're fascinating, especially for kids.

I'd suggest the Newport mansions also, but with a twist.

All of the mansions are worth touring, and all are owned by historical societies -- except one. I can't remember its name, but it's operated privately (and charges a bit more to get in). The nice thing about it is that it uses actors to play the parts of the mansion's owners, servants, etc., and they'll get the kids into the "act" and give them parts. It's interesting and fun for the kids.

The actors are at the Astors' Beechwood and they are indeed a hoot. Give the kids a little background in advance and they'll have a good time interacting with the cast. Be ready to claim an interesting imaginary name and/or occupation, Mrs. Astor is very concerned with everyone's social status!

http://www.astors-beechwood.com/Home.html

If you are driving to Cape Cod its worth spending a few hours at Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, Mass. Its a living history re-creation of the original Pilgrim colony. I'm sure they have a web-site. I also recommend Mystic, Ct.
August is a nice time to be on the Cape, but its prime family vacation time. It won't be that easy to find vacancies at this point.

Thanks to you all for these great ideas! Now I really want to see Mystic Seaport, and Newport as well as Plimouth Plantation. Hope we can do it all!

In case you do an online search -- it's spelled "Plimoth" Plantation, even though the modern town is spelled Plymouth.

Worcestor, MA has an Armory Museum with all sorts of midevil stuff that kids (esp boys) love. Not much else in the area, but be aware it exists in case you find yourself close-by.
The Astor mansion also has a Murder Mystery evening one or two nights a week. It is a blast! The audience are "guests," and the actors ("hosts") start popping off, and your kids have to run from room to room collecting clues and interrogating their hosts.
I'll also "second" the Cliff Walk in Newport, Mystic seaport, and Plimouth Plantation.
August is prime New England tourist season. You have a great trip ahead of you!

Well, you can't got via both RI AND Worcester, but I agree, the Higgins Armory is lot of fun. Centuries, even millennia, of armor -- this Higgins dude even collected ancient Greek stuff. It's displayed ceratively, too, including stuffed horses with knights on them, all in full armor of various periods. I just love quirky museums put together by eccentric rich folks. It's totally different from Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, another favorite, and yet somehow the same -- a reflection of the founder's enthusiasm.

Make sure it is Plimouth Plantation and not Plymouth Rock, although your 14 year old might find it funny, as mine did, that Plymouth Rock is a gray stone in a mesh cage near the water's edge - and nothing else except a small identifying plaque. August can be hot in New England (and everywhere else!), but Boston tends to go overboard with things to do in July and August since the weather the rest of the year can stink.

Good point, Gail, Plymouth Rock is pretty much a joke -- there's no reason to believe that it's the genuine landing spot, yet years of tourists chipping away at it have left a rather small chunk, which is now in a protective cage! BUT worth visiting is the Mayflower II, my kids were SO impressed with its tinyness and suddenly understood the hardships endured by the settlers.

But Gail I do have to differ with you regarding Boston celebrations and weather. We are not delicate sugarplums who avoid weather! Did we not originate First Night and revive the Marathon, outdoor activities held on Dec. 31 and mid-April?

Yes, Newport, RI. A lot of fun!

Plimouth Plantation is definetely a place to go. Once you pass through the gates, the people there take on an identity from the 1600's and do not acknowledge the present time. It is a working village and you go from home to home visiting with the people "living" there.

We spend the day, and my children could not get enough of it. Enjoy your trip.

There are some interesting submarine and naval exhibits and tours in Groton, CT.

You will probably enjoy Cape Cod in August if you stay mid-week, the weekends get really crazy & crowded.
Take in a whale watch & tour the Cape Cod Potato chip factory.

Fall River MA - shopping outlets for the ladies, and Battleship Cove for the guys. They've got a couple of ships there for touring ... organized youth groups can actually berth overnight.

New Haven, CT. The food is fabulous. Yale is a great place to visit, go to www.yale.edu and navigate around the visitor area. The peabody museum is kid oriented, and the yale art museum has masters on display. The Pilot tennis tourney may be during your visit, so be sure to check the dates! If you stay in the area, you can stay in the middle of downtown or may be better to go for an inn along the shore. August can be downright hot and traffic can be dificult. Plan to deal with tie-ups (this is for the entire trip, not just NH). Avoid the highways at rush hour. have fun.

New Haven, you've got to be kidding! Yes, the Yale campus has lots of interesting things to do but the rest of the city is a junior Detroit. Yale is like an island in the middle of all this urban decay. If you're heading to the Boston area anyway, you might as well visit Harvard instead, at least their campus isn't a fortress.

Late August will be a lot cooler, especially at night, than early August. Once the days start getting shorter, it cools off fast. Also slightly less crowded as kids start facing the reality of returning to school.