Eastcoast of America

[youcannotbeserious]

with a 13YO, 10YO and 12Week baby...

CAnt' face flying to the West coast...

We know NYC too well (but only manhattan - not the surrounding areas) and DH won't go to Florida.

Where could we go?

thanks!

Go to Boston. There's loads to do and if you don't want to spend all your time in the city you could go to Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard or explore Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

go to the maritime provinces in Canada
they are beautiful

Yes, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Gorgeous! We had fab holiday when I was 11 and brother was 13 when our folks drove round these states with us staying at motels. Gorgeous New England!

Boston & Cape Cod

Depends how long you are going for.

Or, if you want a more beachy holiday, North Carolina is meant to be lovely.

I live in Boston and totally recommend the region, loads to do/see, very pretty beaches (cape cod) and mountains/lakes (sunapee, new Hampshire) great food, v v child/baby friendly. Its a wonderful area please ask if you have any questions!

Oohh.. mananny - thanks!

Would be really interested in some recommendations.

Our ideal would be some sort of resort / location which would allow the elder children some freedom, but within reach of a few days out.

Our original destination was san Franscisco, with a trip to LV, but we feel that's too far with a young baby...

Thanks again,

Ok well Boston city itself has some fun things for kids to do:
-Science Museum is pretty interesting

• the Duck Tour (google it) is fun
• whale waching for the day is fabulous
• we have 2 zoos (Stone Zoo and Franklin park) that are ok, nothing like San Diego or london zoos but they are a nice day out
• the Freedom trail is a great walking tour of the old and historic parts of Boston, is stroller friendly and lots to see, places to eat en route
• Salem witch museum is a scarey but fun day out to

As for resorts, the towns of Sandwich and Chatham on Cape Cod are lovely. Pretty, nice beaches, you can rent bikes, renting a 2/3 bedroom cottage ranges from $600-1500 a week in most of the cape, and if you hire a car you can explore the region easily (and petrol is half the cost of the UK!)

Rockport, Maine is a couple of hours from Boston but is a nice seaside resort town, with a mix of hotels and rental cottages. if you want to self cater food is comparably priced to the UK, but the fresh seafood (lobster and scallops mmmmmmmmmmmm are to die for).

I would recommend hiring a car and driving along the coast and spend some time in Boston, then explore the Cape. The kids will love the beach, get them body boards and rent mountain bikes and trust me they will sleep soooooo well at night LOL!!!! And the sea air will help your teeny one grow like a weed too! The twins I look after spend a month at the beach each summer and always come home 2" taller and rounder LOL.

mananny,

We have rented a house in Rockport for a week and another in a place called Onset for another week. So I would be really interested if you can recommend places to eat etc. Hope to go to Boston as well. Have two dds 11 and 18 (at least will be when we are away. Eldest will be interested in good shops.

Can endorse recommendation for the Maritime provinces of Canada. I have family there (St Andrews, New Brunswick) and one year we flew to Boston, hired a car and spent a couple of days driving up there. Lovely scenery and lots of great places to visit.

When we went, they were still in the middle of the Big Dig in Boston, and we were strongly recommended not to try and drive in the city, so we had a limo pick us up and took us out to Salem and stayed there. Great place and lovely food.

Hi Harlot

OK good shops.... now you're talking my language!!!!

• About 45 mins drive from Boston is Wrentham Outlets (google it) and you can buy all kinds of labels at amazing prices.
• In Boston itself there are several good shopping Malls, Cambridgeside Galleria is a huge mall with all the usual stores ie Gap, Benetton, Old Navy, J Crew, Abercrombie and Fitch, Hollister etc. Another Mall is at Copley and the Prudential Center in Back Bay, again nice stores and good food (Legal Seafoods etc)
• Newbury St in Boston has all the labels, Prada, Burberry etc, plus a multitude of little spas and salons for girly mani/pedi afternoons
• Charles St in Boston has some funky retro designer boutiques, one of my personal faves is Flat of the Hill (sells lush smelly candles and pretty bracelets and handmade notecards and all kinds of totally unnecessary and yet ESSENTIAL things to buy)
• Harvard Square, home of the infamous university, has some nice random stores too

As far as driving in Boston goes. Don't do it. people here drive like lunatics and have rightly earned their trademark name "Massholes". Taxis are cheap and easy to find and can be quite frankly as exciting as some of the rides at Six Flags (which is a couple of hours drive from Boston)

Salem is great, the Witch museum is fun. there are plenty of nice places to eat. And LOADS of b and b's too. I really recommend staying at the b and bs instead of chain hotel/motels. The owners (or at least all the ones I've met) have been so wonderful and will chat about all kinds of local stuff and you get a real feel for the place.

Rockport, and nearby Camden, are lovely. As far as places to eat: Bayview Lobsters in West Rockport is good for well, lobsters. Camden Deli in Camden, and Cappys, also in Camden is very good. You'll find all your usual deep fried rubbish every 2 miles should lobster or clam chowder not appeal.
I've not been to Onset, MA but i just googled it and it looks fab (anywhere with antiques AND icecream rates highly in my book). I'm going to add it to my list of places to visit.

Another place to consider is newport, Rhode Island. lotsw of beaches around there. Also there are several incredible mansions you can visit, the summer homes of the seriously loaded from back in the day. Just amazing.

Ok well that should be enough to whet your appetite LOL, let me know if I can help with anything else

You could always come visit me in New Jersey.

You should go to Philadelphia, very cool city with a little of everything. I prefer it to NYC actually.

You could also go farther in to Pennsylvania and check out the Amish Country in Lancaster.

I'm in Caoe May on holiday as I write!

It is about 2-3hours drive south into New Jersey from NYC - so you could do a couple of days in NYC before heading back home.

Alternatively, Lake Naomi in Pennsylvania sounds a lot of fun - children could go to the community scheme and swim, climb, white water raft etc while you take it a bit easier with the baby!

OOohh.. Philadelphia is an idea. I hadn't thought of there.

I bet there are direct flights there too...

So, where would recommend to stay, MKG? My DH likes luxury!!!

Thanks, YCBS

becauseimworthit - my sister lives in St Andrews - I love visiting them when we're home. It seems such an idyllic place for families - their kids are 14 and 11.

The only hotel I've stayed in in Philadelphia is the Double Tree. It's right in Center City. I really like it there. They leave warm cookies in your room when they come make the beds.

Check this page out www.gophila.com/

hana - what a small world! I have an aunt, an aunt and uncle and one of their sons and his family. They live in Charles St and Alexandra Rd/St (not sure which) - just down the road from the Algonquin.

It's such a small place, they're bound to know each other!

How about Washington DC - loads to do and see, easy to get around on Metro and buses