Has anyone done a really great family holiday in America without hiring a car?

[Wupity]

I am thinking maybe trains/ferry’s instead. Would like to do a mix of cities and countywide/beaches. Maybe it is not possible?

Might depend on the age of the DC, but a great trip could be to fly to Chicago, where there are attractions like the Field Musuem and the Cloud Gate (and godawful pizza). Then take Amtrak California Zephyr train through Rockies to San Francisco. Plenty of interesting stuff they’re reachable by public transport including redwood forests and some cold beaches. Then fly back from SF.

Yes!!! We currently live in a very car dependent city without owning a car in the US and go on plenty of trips away without hiring one!

North East would be simplest: Boston > NYC > Philadelphia > Washington DC is a good one! All cities accessible by train and buses!

I’d also recommend long distance train trips across the US! We did the California Zephyr from SF > Chicago which had beautiful views of the Rocky Mountains in the snow! We stopped off in Denver which was great too. We also did a train from LA to Chicago once which had Great views of the desert south west! When we did that there were lots of British people on the trains on holiday!

We had a great holiday (about 4 weeks) in Canada and the USA without hiring a car -

Flight to Toronto
Sightseeing mini bus trip to Niagara Falls (one way)
Train (Maple Leaf) from Niagara Falls to NYC (9 hours)
Train from NYC to Boston (4 hours)
Sightseeing coach tour to Cape Cod
Train (Lake Shore Limited) from Boston to Chicago (21 hours)
Train (California Zephyr) from Chicago to San Francisco (52 hours)
Sightseeing coach tour to Yosemite
Sightseeing coach tour to 17 Mile Drive, Pebble Beach, Monterey and Carmel
Train (Coast Starlight) from San Francisco to Vancouver (~24 hours)
Flight home from Vancouver

Amazing scenery on the trains, waking up in the mountains. Time on train was time to relax between busy times in the cities. We had roomettes for the two nights on the Zephyr but the other two train nights we slept in seats - they are more like airplane size seats than train seats and have plenty of leg room and recline too.

BUT - as others have said Amtrak isn't anything like European train service. In everywhere except the Northeastern states the tracks are owned/operated by the freight companies and therefore if there's a problem at all the freight trains take priority. We were lucky and only had one fairly short delay as well as a bus (rail replacement service).

A tip I picked up from here was to book one of our hotels at the same time as we booked the flight with British Airways. This makes the trip a "package holiday" and it's protected a bit more than just flights etc. I don't know if this is still the case.

Just FYI the ferry no longer goes from Portland to Nova Scotia. It goes from Bar Harbor which is a 3.5 hour drive from Portland.

We've done a few good USA trips with no car.

NYC
Orlando
LA
Las Vegas
Chicago (although rented a car after the city part)

But if you want to leave a city/tourist area then really you need a car.

Driving is easy. Roads are wide, can actually see the real USA.

You can do a lot from Boston without a car. The commuter train will take you to Salem, Concord and some seaside towns like Rockport. Lots to do in Salem and Concord for a day trip. There are good boat trips out of Boston for whale watching and of the harbour islands. There is good public transport within Boston, you definitely don’t need or want a car in the city.
There is a ferry to Cape Cod and once you are in Provincetown there are buses along to the other Cape Cod towns. You can also get a bus to Provincetown from Boston - if you are prone to seasickness take the bus, I cannot emphasise this too strongly! We will never, ever take the ferry again after our last trip.
The train journeys from Boston to Portland and New York are very scenic. Portland is a lovely town with a great food, and especially beer, scene. There are other towns along that train route worth visiting as well.

Can I also add that commuter internal flights are so cheap and easy. So we flew from LA to San Diego for about £30. And then on to Las Vegas for similar. That’s why trains aren’t good.

But beware the luggage allowance. If you’re lugging transatlantic baggage, it will cost you. Pack light.

Then book day trips when you’re in the city. Taxis from the airport. Sorted.