USA family summer holiday trip - but where?

[Travelfoodi]

We are planning a trip to the US for 10-14 nights during the UK summer holidays end of July or August. We are a family of four (kids aged 6 years and 1 year).

I have heard that Boston is a good option with kids. However there are no direct flights from Manchester where we are and I feel it is a bit of a pain having to either drive to London and stay there or fly to Dublin first. There are direct flights to New York. We are wondering whether to stay in New York for a couple of nights before going somewhere more geared towards young families like Boston.

I have heard that there are some picturesque sights/beaches up the East coast but honestly don’t know where to start. We would be happy to do another domestic flight if necessary.

We do want to have a more laid back holiday for at least half of it. Young kids and bit cities don’t exactly bode well.

My questions are:
• where is good to go with young children in the US (ideally near New York) that doesn’t require too much heavy travel?
• what type of accommodation would you recommend?

Things we like as a family:
• beach, walks, picnics, amusement parks, child-friendly museums, parks
• good food
• bit of downtime
• bit of shopping

I would also like to note that we aren’t too fussy about where we go, as long as we won’t get too bored. The main thing for us is getting to experience some of the US which we have always dreamed of. We aren’t well travelled and want to tick a trip off the bucket list.

I wouldn’t go to DC this summer, or any of the big blue cities. There is effort to create political unrest and as tourists you are likely to be staying where it happens. You would be unlucky to get caught up in anything but it could really affect your break if you do.
If this is for next year then hopefully you only have the weather to worry about.

I know you said the US, but it is SO HOT. Wondering if you have considered Canada at all. I think there are direct flights from Manchester to Montréal. The temperature will be a lot better and there is a lot to do.

Thank you this is so helpful. Do you recommend anywhere to stay?

We went to Cape Cod last July. I’d did lot think it was busy at all. We always got a table at a restaurant, could park our car easily etc. NY was very, very hot but we still had fun. If you can definitely go via Dublin.

This seems rather contradictory. Global warming but go in a few years time? You can’t see why I should go with my baby but you went with a baby? No one knows what the future holds, you don’t know all my personal circumstances, and I would rather live my life how I choose…

It’s a long expensive trip somewhere hot with a baby. I was there seeing family. I wouldn’t recommend it as a holiday if you can go somewhere else. Re global warming, save a flight by going somewhere nearer while your baby is completely unaware of his surroundings and fly when it’s to get somewhere he’ll appreciate.

It’s not that long a trip to the east coast at all! It’ll be quicker than if they drove to Cornwall.

I grew up in New England, not far from Boston and always had a summer holiday on the Maine coast. I would spend a few nights in Boston then head north and stay somewhere around York, Ogunquit or Wells. From there you could do a day trip to Portland and Kennebunk Port (I personally I would skip Kennebunk Port but it’s madly popular). There’s a small amusement park at Old Orchard Beach (which my parents wouldn’t take me to 😂 )

Lots of cute little towns in that region- I particularly like Cape Porpoise.

The Maine beaches are really nice but freezing cold sea which somehow I never minded as a child!

*Kennebunkport. One word, don’t know why auto correct insists on two

Just to say I recently flew to the US and customs were much easier than they used to be, no queue, breezed through. I wouldn't be adding on a stop over in Dublin if I didn't have to.

I am from Maine, but live in Sheffield. We fly to Boston from Manchester every summer via Dublin. It’s easy, and really nice when you’re tired from the long flight to just come out of terminal C in Boston like a domestic flight.

Boston is a great few days with family- Aquarium, science museum, children’s museum, walking the freedom trail.

i am biased Maine is fab for families- beaches glore, definitely recommend the road trip up to Acadia.

One benefit of going via Dublin is that if the US immigration people deny you entry because you once liked it when someone wrote something not very nice about Donald Trump on Facebook, you just miss the plane, as opposed to being taken to an ICE detention facility for an indefinite period without access to a lawyer if the same thing happens at a US port of entry.

Fly from Dublin to Chicago, then head to Michigan.
Or fly Dublin/ NYC/ Detroit.

Hire a car, explore the gorgeous resort towns of the Michigan coasts. You'll find beautiful sandy beaches, pony trekking, hay rides, lots of festivals (cherries, blueberries, etc), spectacular dunes, quaint little towns with ice cream parlors, water parks, petting zoos state parks and recreation areas, a very family friendly and un-touristy place to bring small children.

Spend some time in Ann Arbor and Detroit for shopping, urban adventure.

July and August weather is usually ideal for outdoor fun.

Fly back from.Chicago. Get a decent sleep on the plane.(it's a 7+ hours flight to Manchester. Aer Lingus does direct flights iirc, and maybe United too.

There is an amusement park about 165 miles from NYC, in Hershey, PA. There are mountains in PA, a Great Lake (Erie), other amusement parks, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, state parks, zoos. You could easily spend 7-10 days seeing sites and then, of course, in NYC, the Twin Towers Memorial, the FAO Schwartz store, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Empire State Building, Coney Island. If it gets too political, head up to Cape Cod and the Boston area. From there you are not that far from Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, etc, with beaches and mountains around.

Believe it or not, there are a lot of things to do in most states. I live in Ohio and am still learning about places in my state (like spending the night in a cave that has been redesigned into a 5-star room). We have Cedar Point, covered bridges, Hocking Hills, waterfalls, Kings Island, several zoos, R&R Hall of Fame, children's museums, Lake Erie. Just as one could spend a couple of months or ten exploring all the UK has to offer, the same is really true of the USA. The summers can get hot and humid (in the NE, South, Midwest) and dry and desert-like in some other parts, Nevada, Arizona, Utah. CA usually stays pretty temperate but a lot of political unrest in southern CA.

It just depends what you want to see, how comfortable do you want to be, etc. I know having a baby impacts you decision too.

Whatever you do, have a fabulous time!

Maine is BEAUTIFUL! It's been years(decades) since I've been there but it is so lovely, the temperature is usually very nice and there and the ocean is breathtaking! We went from there to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia then came back down through Montreal, Quebec, into New York.

I wouldn't go - I think your dc are too young and it will end up being such a hassle.

You will need a car so have to sort car seats. There is jet lag, with everyone waking up at 4am!.

It will be really hot. Its a hard trip to plan for a first ever US holiday - the US isn't like Europe with beach holidays geared around AI hotels, its like here so you need to piece it all together yourselves. Lots of people will be at the beach in July/ early August which is the school holidays.

We started doing big US trips when our youngest was 8 and started doing 3 weeks California road trips type things- they loved them. When they were teens we did city trips- New York and DC. Boston is fine - I used to live there- but doesn't have big impressive 'sights'.

At that age your 4 year old is happiest with a pool and a bit of sand so this trip is for you and your dh with compromises to manage the mood your 4 year old. The baby just adds complexity (in the nicest possible way!).

Sorry your oldest is 6 not 4 - it'd still the sane scenario though!

I live near DC. It's not that dangerous, and the bits that are are parts where tourists don't go. It is swampy in summer! There's beach towns all up and down the coast, but they can get insanely busy. The water might be too chilly for ocean swimming for you on the Cape, if you all like to swim. I'm always too cold north of Long Island.

From DC people go to Ocean City (MD; there's also an Ocean City NJ) and Delaware (Rehoboth Beach where Biden goes, and Bethany Beach). Philly and north Jersey go to the Jersey shore, which is tons of towns. Long Island has the Hamptons which can get very pricey and the drive out is hellish. (Also Fire Island, which is neat because there's no cars, but I don't think doable for this sort of trip.) Places might be booked, but check out the vacation rental sites. The beaches are actually very good quality as many of them are barrier islands made of fine white dune sand.

As a veteran of American beach holidays I have to warn you that 1) NYC is the same latitude as Naples. The sun is not a joke here. I've seen Europeans just not realise how far south the main US cities are and get absolutely fried. 2) This is open ocean (except on the north side of Cape Cod, of course) and at many beaches there are rip currents. Do not allow your children in the ocean unsupervised and do not go to un-lifeguarded beaches. They may not be surf beaches, but I've seen children pulled out.

Personally, although I think DC is a great destination usually, things are somewhat depressed now that Trump is in power and would choose Boston or NYC.

Someone mentioned amusement parks: Hershey is one but it's out of the way. There are others like the Six Flags park in NJ (I think not the right choice for littles) and there's a new Legoland about 90min north of NYC, which your kids would be in range for. The Hudson Valley and the Catskills are actually very pretty and a popular getaway spot.

For car seats, you can hire them with the rental car, but that's expensive. Instead, if you are doing a few days without car, one of you can go and pick up the rental car and then drive to a Walmart and buy the seats for less than the rental, and then get the family.

Water temperatures on the Michigan and Huron sides of Michigan are generally around 68-70°F in August. Swimming beaches have lifeguards.

From Manchester to Boston you can fly via Iceland. It's only an hour or so change (admittedly Keflavik Airport is dull even by airport standards). I don't know if they still do it but Icelandair used to allow you to do a stopover in Iceland for a few days.

Spend 4-5 days in Boston then take the fast ferry (hydrofoil?) to Provincetown for a few days on Cape Cod.

If you decide to fly to Boston and then down to the Cape, you could stop at Plimoth Patuxet Museums. It’s a staple school trip for elementary school children and my children loved it as well. Someone mentioned the Boston Children’s Museum- it’s very good.

For somewhere to stay in Boston, I would look at an airbnb with small children as its much easier with nap times etc to have a kitchen and sitting room. I would suggest looking at the MBTA map and choose somewhere you can walk to a T stop on the Green line or the Red line north of the city. But make sure you dont get a ‘walkup’ which is a building without a lift, or you might be hiking stairs with dc and a stroller.

If you book flights with American Airlines, you can book the baby its own seat and use its car seat rear facing on the plane. Its much more comfortable and safer for all.

We did the east coast 2 years ago. It was hot but manageable. However it was soooo eexpensive. DC was great, but that was with 16&18 yo kids who are into American history. Whether you’d enjoy with small children, I don’t know. Similarly Monticello and a base ball game. Honestly given the issues in America right now I’d save the trip for another time.

Have you thought about Canada - fly into Toronto (plenty to do there with kids in the summer) hire a car and drive down to Niagara on the Lake, see the falls, stay in one of the towns with a lake beach (we stayed in Bayfield one year and was perfect for small kids - other family members have stayed in Crystal Beach). Warm but not sweltering, very family friendly and safe.