We are tentatively planning our travels in New England and the East Coast. We are very excited – as we’ve never visited this area and we can’t wait to soak it all in. I won a Willy Wonka sweepstakes a few years ago and the grand prize was a trip to New York City – it was amazing and our only time on the east coast . . .
We think we’ll be in western Pennsylvania by the first part of September and then up to Rochester, New York to visit my cousin (maybe see Niagara Falls) and then head to the East coast by mid-September. From there we want to take our sweet time heading south through New York, Philadelphia, Maryland, DC and Virginia. . . .ultimately ending up near Florida in December!
We like to plan by asking for suggestions and then we add those recommendations to a personalized Google map. We then try to make route decisions based on what we want to see and do. Jeremy has a history degree and is a social studies teacher when he’s teaching full-time – so we’re VERY interested in the extensive history and hope to focus a lot on this.
Will you help us? We are looking for:
- State parks or campgrounds (or RV parks)
- Museums or historical landmarks
- Restaurants or regional treats
- Family-friendly attractions or entertainment
- Festivals and special events (September – October)
Also we’re wondering what the weather will be like? When do you typically get snow? We want to stick around for the fall colors but don’t want to deal with a lot of storms and especially NOT snow. . .
Please leave comments on this post and help us decide where we should go? Thank you!
We travemed to Willamsburg VA and loved it. Also went and did the tour of the Mint in DC .. very cool to see where money is made. Also try and take in a show if at all possible in New York. Its amazing !
If you make it to southeastern Connecticut, you should stop in Groton, CT, the Submarine Capital of the World!! You can tour a real submarine and check out a great museum (both free). That area (Groton/New London/Mystic) has lots of history and tons of great mom and pop food places. As a bonus you can eat at Mystic Pizza (from the movie). Also check out Mystic Seaport, like a 19th century town with a ships to explore and museums. There’s a great aquarium in Mystic as well. The whole area is lovely! We lived there for 5 years and LOVED it!
My son and I really enjoyed the canal boat tour and the industrial revolution history at Lowell, MA. The Boot Cotton Mill Museum was excellent. We also loved all of the Freedom Trail in Boston and the Whaling Museum in New Bedford.
My husband is from Pennsylvania and we have gone over a few times to visit family. Potter County is a beautiful area (it is referred to as Gods Country because of its beauty). The Allegany river begins in Potter County, the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon is beautiful too. Gettysburg is a must. It can easily take all day. Also, make sure you go to Niagara Falls in New York! That is another all day activity. It is free to get into the falls, but the Maid of the Mist does cost (and is worth every penny!)
Alleghany state park near is very near the border of ny and pa that you will he going though. Kinzua bridge is also really neat to see.
I live in NH and can make some suggestions of places you should consider for your visit! Try to plan to be in NH early to mid- October for peak colors. If you want to message me I can give you a list of some fun things to see for you and the kids!
In Vermont, there’s the Shelburne Museum near Burlington (which may require 2 days depending how quickly you tour it). You can tour Ben & Jerry’s in Waterbury. If you’re there during foliage, take a drive over Smuggler’s Notch (but don’t take the Airstream over the Notch, there’s not room to make the turns). The Shelburne Museum is really worthwhile though if you’re up that way. http://shelburnemuseum.org/visit/about-the-museum/museum-story/
Philadelphia, liberty bell, independence hall, NY statue of liberty, Ellis island, metropolitan museum, China town, 5th avenue. Macy’s where thanksgiving parade is. Manhattan is amazing. New world tower area.
I would recommend going to Gettysburg of course in PA and also the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, MD – lots of awesome food, historical nautical stuff and cute shops.
In DC, Arlington Cemetry and the tomb of the unknown soldiers. Virginia don’t miss heading up into the Shenendoah.
If you happen to make it to Syracuse by Labor Day, the NYS Fair is absolutely amazing! It starts this Thursday and runs for 10 days. Labor Day it’s Only $1 to get it and the two kids would be free. Walks along the Erie Canal are always nice, we have a ridiculously large mall, Destiny USA, so if you are passing on a rainy day you can do fun stuff that hardly any other mall/city has. Wonderworks, 5Wits, and several awesome restaurants.
And once you get to CT area, the mystic aquarium is a great stop. 🙂
We don’t usually get snow in Central NY until after Thanksgiving but we have also seen snow on Halloween!! 🙂
Okay this is not exactly what you want to hear, “go further,” but my parents made it up to the Bay of Fundy, where the tide change from low to high is the biggest in the world. They saw the Hopewell Rocks and the Reversing Falls. It’s like a home-school field trip dream, and of all their trips is actually what most contributed to my own desire to pack up and travel with my family.
I agree with Gloria, that the Bay of Fundy area is worth the drive!
Track the foliage which appears north to south in New England. You can enjoy the peak times all over. We “usually” have warm days and cool nights, which is why the leaves turn all the great colors. Plenty of good weather to tour, hike and see it all. You have to go “Downeast”. The coast of Maine is stupendous. Good foliage in the mountains, and the gorgeous coastline. Just hug the coast.Keep turning right down every peninsula. Acadia National Park is the best. Park that RV, and explore. Find every clam shack that you can on piers and back roads and live off of chowder, lobster rolls….perhaps an occasional fried clam !! As the fall progresses you can still catch colorful foliage in the Berkshires ( western Mass. ) and thru Conn. Then proceed to NYC, if it is in your budget. Plenty to do there. If not, then go directly to Wash, DC. Not sure what you do with an RV, but you can figure that part out. Most of DC is FREE !! Smithsonean, great for kids and adults, White House, Capital, and the list goes on. That should get you to Key West for Christmas ??? Though do stop in Charlestown, SC and Savannah, GA. Beautiful cities. Good seafood. Have fun !!!
If you go to New Jersey, my husband recommends the Morristown National Historical Park.
I’m from Mass. and there is so much to do and so much history!
Plimoth Plantation
The Boston Children’s Museum
New England Aquarium
Museum of Science
Salem Witch Museum
Whale Watching
Paul Revere House
Freedom Trail
Faneuil Hall
Fenway Park Tour
Check out Harvard
Cape Cod
Martha’s Vineyard
Nantucket
Have a great trip!
Rehoboth beach Del
The first state
Beautiful beaches and lots of history
My friend Missy told me about your site. I’m a PNW native here on the East Coast. We’ve been here about 13 years. If you are coming to the East Coast, you HAVE to visit Northern New England in the fall. I see there are no Northern Vermont stops, and truly that is a shame. Beautiful pastoral views, rolling hills and very quiet places. Reds, oranges, yellows amongst old New England Churches.
We’re travelers too, we own a 29 food motorhome and we drove 8k miles last spring from coast to coast. So I know all about how important the roads are when traveling with a trailer or camper. I can give you a couple of location roads to avoid. I think most are okay, but here in Vermont we do have some potholes and some country roads. However if you mainly stick to well traveled roads, you should be okay. It’s not mud season anymore. 🙂
If it was me, I’d consider going over I-90 east from Rochester (I-90 is well traveled and good for travel I think) and then in Albany, NY head north. Actually stop in Albany, it’s a neat city too with some neat mansions and local history along the Hudson River. Visit the ‘Egg’ and the NYS Museum, it is awesome! Then head over to Vermont. Shelburne Museum, Ben and Jerry’s Farm Factory Tour, the Granite Quarries in Barre and then head to the Northeast Kingdom. (that’s where I am) Stop at Maple Grove Farms, Dog Mountain, Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium (I may be able to get you complimentary tickets if you want to send me a message) then head east into New Hampshire on Route 302 over to North Conway, NH. There are some great trains there, really scenic rides! Then head East and go over to Acadia National Park. Hands down awesome and Bar Harbor is SOOOOOO beautiful. I have been there about 5 or 6 times. It never gets old. Then head down on I-95 (or if not in a hurry, head down Route 1 for more scenery and to enjoy many coastal towns) to Boston and the scenics you’d like to do down that way.
Seriously, you come all this way in Fall you really need to come north for that foliage. It will blow you away. http://www.vermontvacations.com is a great resource for camping, etc.
That’s what I’d do!
Oops, omit the ‘s’
https://www.vermontvacation.com/
Thanks
Acadia National Park is beautiful. Mt Katahdin in Maine especially in fall is an excellent choice also. We love Maine in the fall.
I’m in Vermont and I highly recommend a stop here in September! Foliage should be great!! Woodstock has been voted the prettiest small town in America in the past! Billings Farm has some fun stuff to and Hildene isn’t too far! We have Silver Lake state park in our town for camping and there are more rounds near the Quechee gorge or you’re welcome to camp on our 20+ acres!
I live in central VA near Richmond. There is so much to do in the area but I agree with other comments you need to do DC you could spend weeks there. Try to plan ahead there are lots of free things but some need reservations ahead. Richmond is nice but if I had to choose I would do WillIamsburg & Jamestown and the mountains. Stanton is a beautiful little town. In central VA we don’t normally get any snow in December but the mountains do so maybe go there first if you are then head south east.
I can’t help with the campground situation, but I will recommend the southern, central part of Pennsylvania. Lancaster County has an Amish population and tours of their lifestyle abound. Depending on the time of your visit, you might enjoy a corn maze or pumpkin patch there. You are also relatively close to Gettysburg with all its Civil War history.
Typical fall weather in Pennsylvania is cool and not especially rainy. A jacket or sweater is necessary in late fall.
Make sure you go to see Niagara Falls! It may be worth seeing it from both the American and the Canadian sides, if you have paperwork to get into Canada! Spectacular!
Yes, both sides! Visually there is quite a contrast.
Definitely go to the Canadian side if you have your passports. Esp. at night the Falls are lit up, so pretty.
I would suggest the NC outer banks…beautiful beaches, light houses, Jockey Ridge, Emerald Isle (see wild horses running on the beach), the aquarium in Wilmington is nice (can also tour the USS North Carolina), and Ocean Isle Beach has some of the softest sand you will ever walk on. There are many historic sites here like the Fort on Ocracoke Island. 🙂 Enjoy the trip!
Are you swinging through Pittsburgh? If not, you should. It’s a fantastic, kid friendly city. If you go, be sure to look into the Heinz History Center, Carnegie Science Center, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens (AMAZING!!!), the Children’s Museum for some play time, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and wait for the polar bear to swim over your head at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium!
New England Foliage is incredible. I’m sure there are maps that tell more, but I know that peak is usually right around Columbus Weekend in Ludlow/Okemo area. I saw someone mention Burlington area – Shelburne Farm is GORGEOUS and the smell of the Ben and Jerry’s Factory is so sweet and delicious!
Be sure to hit Boston on your way down. In between NYC and Philadelphia, don’t overlook NJ. Jockey Hollow/Morristown National Historic Park is really interesting from a historical viewpoint. I remember enjoying a field trip to the Thomas Edison Museum – it might be worth looking into.
We lived in Connecticut on two separate occasions and used to love traveling North up into central Massachusetts. Two of my favorite places are Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts and Yankee Candle Village in South Deerfield, Massachusetts. Sturbridge Village is a living history museum much like Williamsburg. Yankee Candle is, what I used to call, the “Disneyworld” of candles. This is the flagship store for Yankee Candle. It also has a wonderful restaurant. You could spend hours wandering through the store.
If you find yourself going through the Adirondacks, the state campground at Cranberry Lake on rt. 3 is a great place to stop. Many sites are right on the water, so you could rent a boat or canoes, or fish right from your campsite. There is a lot of hiking and geocaching in the area too.
Next day continue on the Tupper Lake and definitely make a visit to the Wild Center. It is a brand new (just 3 years old, I think) interpretive center. This year they just opened a brand new “Trail across the treetops”. I haven’t been yet – it just opened on July 4th – but it looks amazing: http://www.wildcenter.org/
Enjoy!
If you will be near Niagra Falls, don’t miss it. If possible go to the Canadian side; it’s spectacular!
If you like lobster, you must go to Maine….and if you like LLBean, go to their Freeport store; its always open. Try the New England clam chowder.
If you are interested in history, don’t miss Boston. I am from Connecticut; go see Mystic Seaport.
Take the time to see the Statue of Liberty; unforgettable experience…
Find a website that shows fall foliage reports; impossible to tell which state will be best at what time because of the changes in weather.
Most of all, have fun!!
Upstate New York is beautiful. I love the Finger Lakes region. And there is the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
The Adirondack Mountains are one of our favorite places. Lots of beautiful lakes, great campgrounds. One of our favorites is Lake Eaton State Park near Long Lake. http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/24464.html Nice campsites, pretty lake, near Long Lake which has the coolest country store with all kinds of Adirondack-style stuff. Don’t miss the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake. Both the campground and the museum close October 12, so if you’re later than that,
Richmond and Williamsburg, VA are both rich in history! No snow here usually until January or February so you’d be safe with an October/November visit. October is peak for fall colors. The Blue Ridge Mountains are beautiful at this time. Natural Bridge and Luray are also historical and beautiful, both with caverns.
Near Rochester NY is the Genesee Country museum that is similar to Williamsburg but more interactive. I think it is Sept 26, Smithsonian magazine is offering a free day at many places around the country and you can get free tickets for the Genesee Country museum. Also, this summer we went through Shandeoah National park and then to Montecillo. We had a lot of fun and kid friendly. Thank you for sharing your travels, this is on my bucket list someday!
Perfect time to check out “The Big E” Eastern States Expositon in West Springfield. Yankee Candle is also a great place to see
Waterbury Vermont-Ben & Jerry’s ice cream factory tour. And yes, there are free samples at the end!
Concord Massachusetts–Louisa May Alcott’s childhood home.
Plymouth Massachusetts — Plymouth Rock of course
There are some Boston-based literary tours that will take you to the Alcott house and Walden Pond, etc that are really interesting! Plymouth rock- underwhelming in my opinion unless you really just want to say you saw it. 🙂
I live in Western Mass, and our foliage in the fall is amazing. There is a big fair mid September to early October called The Big E( you can google it for all info) we also have state campgrounds you can check out through reserve America.com. I am a mom of four so feel free to email me. I can give you lots of must see things in my area that are free or rally inexpensive.
I lived in Maine in the late 70’s and I loved Baxter State Park. I love nature so that park has the beginning or end of the AT which goes from Georgia to Maine. I also think there is so much nature in Maine that can’t be missed. I love Acadia National Park, I think the coast of Maine is what you all should see also.
I grew up in Western Mass and most of my family still lives there. Definitely plan to do Old Sturbridge Village for history. Amherst/Northampton area is great for history/art/restaurants- with kids, the Eric Carle Museum is fun and not too overwhelming. The Berkshires are gorgeous! Boston is super walkable and you just can’t hide from the history- plan to walk the Freedom Trail and you’ll see great things and end up in the North End for amazing Italian food. Must take the time to go to Maine- Oqunquit is my favorite!
If you’re in/near western ma in sept/oct check out the Big E or even my small hometown Belchertown Fair! And definitely stay in NE through October for the foliage!
Dearborn, MI Henry Form Museum & Greenfield Village – I went when I was 12 and enjoyed seeing the Wright Brothers & Edison Labs and spiked my interest in science http://www.thehenryford.org/index.aspx
Battle Creek, MI – Kellogg’s factory tour
Niagara Falls – I think the island on the US side is enough but you could make it a whole day
Philadelphia – Liberty Bell Center & Philadelphia Mint
LL Bean store in Maine
Old Sturbridge Village in MA https://www.osv.org/
NYC – American Museum of Natural History & Statue of Liberty
DC- White House, Capital, Washington Monument,. National Museum of Natural History – (You could spend a whole week here @ all the sights)
Someone above mentioned The Henry Ford Museum if you are passing through the Detroit Michigan area. Not sure of your itinerary but admission is free on Monday Sept 7th. Great savings for your family!
Also, if you are traveling through Toledo, Ohio you must go to the Toledo Zoo, eat at Tony Pakos, and maybe catch a Mud Hens baseball game downtown. be aware though….lots of road construction in the downtown area!
Oh wait! The Toledo art museum also has a great free exhibit called Play the you must check out!
I have good suggestions for the Detroit metro area too! Feel free to email me!
When you get to Maine…the whole coast is wonderful…full of amazing views, food and people. If you have a chance to visit Bath, Maine, be sure to tour the Bath Iron Works. Your kids would probably enjoy seeing how ships are made…there is a christening the end of October that is open to the public. Check out their website for info and also dor a dress code (due to safety issues.) Our kids loved it! Washington DC is great for FREE fun and education. There are many museums, the zoo, etc. that are free. Our kids especially like the Air & Space Museum (both of them), Museum of American History and Museum of Natural History.
One additional comment – in Freeport, Maine, be sure to visit the LL Bean stores. There is the main store, the outdoor gear store, the home store and the outlet store. (The outlet store is across the street and down a block or so.) And your kids can have their picture taken with the “big boot” outside the main store.
When you are ready to go to New York City I would suggest you try this for lodging. When we made the trip we “camped” in our motorhome at Croton on the Hudson. It was a county or regional type park and it is located less than a mile from the train station.
We camped there and then took the train about a 40 minute ride into New York City. It takes you right to Grand Central Station and from there you have public transportation to anywhere you want to go. There is not much in the way of camping in the city and you surely don’t want to drive towing the trailer. Also plan ahead there are a couple of tunnels you can not drive through if you have propane on the trailer.
It worked out so well for us and we got to enjoy New York which I thoroughly loved.
All the other commenters pretty much said it all as far as what to see. I would add:
The Naval Academy in Annapolis
The Vermont Teddy Bear Factory
The Cemetary near the Granite Quarry in Barre, Vermont
The Cabot Cheese Factory Tour
The Harley Davidson Tour near Gettysburg, PA
The Hershey Factory in Hershey, PA (the street lights are in the shape of Hersheys Kisses)
Definitely Williamsburg and Jamestown
Have fun on this great adventure.
I loved the Corning Glass museum in Corning NY so much that I’ve gone 3 times over the years. Nice town & restaurants too. We even blew our own glass ornaments. Great for an entire day. We stayed at a sheep farm B&B which was great fun for the kids to meet & feed the sheep.
http://www.corningfingerlakes.com/
I have not seen anyone mention hurricanes so I will, the season has just begun for the easy coast. You will have plenty of time to get out of the way of a coming storm as long as you are keeping a check on the local news b weather. Most of the time it can be mild but not and then a big one comes by and does a lot of damage.
East coast not easy!
– Acadia NP has nice easy trails for the kids, bike routes, a tea house and a nice starting point if you’re going down the coast to see lighthouses.
– We wanted to go to the Bay of Fundy but ran out of time. If you’re willing to visit Canada, Montreal and the St Lawrence ares were beautiful.
– leaf peeping in NH, VT, upstate NY (Adirondacks were pretty cool). There’s lot’s of scenic routes throughout the NE. I think their foliage is way more beautiful than the NW.
– Just about anywhere you go in the 13 colonies, you’re gonna have rich American history to teach your kids. Wow! They are gonna rock American History in jr high.
– Have you thought of visiting the Amish in Ohio?
I wanted to add that if you’re in Montpelier VT, we enjoyed high-end dining at a reasonable price at the culinary institute http://www.neci.edu/restaurants/. We had a great experience, and have since tried to visit other culinary school restaurants in other cities. Definitely a treat. My other advice from my college roommate – don’t get hoodwinked by those lobster shacks in Maine. Make sure that you know exactly what price you’re paying for your lobster when you order from live tank operations.
We loved Niagara Falls on our cross country trip. We had bikes, so boondocked our small RV at the Casino a few blocks away on the US side, biked over to Falls, hiked the trails. The next day we crossed with our bikes through Canadian Border crossing at the bridge, biked over for even a better view in front of the huge visitors center where you pay for Lady of the Mist rides and other attractions (there is a US boat ride – the US wear blue paunchos and the Canadians red – funny to view from top). Your kids need to be confident on their bikes, or you may just want to walk over – will need passports.
If you are baseball fans, try to go to Cooperstown for Baseball Hall of Fame- there’s a KOA we used about 10 miles north. The kids would probably enjoy the pioneer village/farm that is halfway up the lake on the West side. There’s also a cider mill attraction nearby that’s fun for kids.
When you get to Florida, you have to get over to Crystal River on the West coast, to swim with the manatees – they provide wetsuits and snorkel gear – we used River Ventures which were very professional. You can actually touch them with the palm of your hand – they love to be scratched. Its important the kids be quiet and not scream, or stand up – need to be confident snorkellers. We found going on the early morning trip allowed us to see them sleeping on the bottom by 72 degree springs, then wake up to come interact with us.
Just got home to the northwest after a family reunion in Connecticut with a ten year old. Some highlights included free museums at Yale- uncrowded art gallery and rare books including Gutenberg Bible and Audubon… Also enjoyed the walking tour and a bells concert in a courtyard.
Beyond New Haven, we would recommend Mystic Seaport Museum.
Also Plimoth Plantation and the Mayflower 2 in Massachusetts.
And for a fun change of pace, the PEZ factory tour in West Haven. Your tour fee come back to you in the form of a $2 coupon and a scavenger hunt prize 🙂
Mystic is a fun place for an afternoon. In Pennsylvania we like visiting Hershey (heading there in October this year ourselves) and about an hour from Hershey is the Crayola Factory – it’s more of a fun family activity center than factory, but our kids enjoyed it and it was fun to do lots of craft projects and let THEM handle the mess!
When you get to FL or the Midwest, I’ll chime in again! Have fun!!!
Washington, DC – visit the Smithsonian museums…so many great ones.
Maryland/Virginia shore – a cool park is Assateague Island to see the herds of wild horses.
http://www.nps.gov/asis/index.htm
Skyline Drive, Shenandoah – great fall folige, also stop at Luray Caverns – really cool
http://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/driving-skyline-drive.htm
http://luraycaverns.com/
Boston is amazing! If you won’t be spending a lot of time there I would recommend taking a Duck Boat tour ( seasonal so check to see if they are running) or a trolley tour. You will see the whole city and learn a lot of history in a short time. Mikes Pastry And Regina’s Pizzaria in the North End. Free to climb the Bunker Hill Monument, incredible view of the city, and tour the USS Constitution. From there take the $3 commuter ferry to the aquarium. Short ride but my kids always say it is their favorite part of the day. Aquarium is great but pricy. From there walk to Fanual Hall. Shops and food. Take the T or walk to Boston Commons. There are the duck statues from the book Make Way For Ducklings. Ride the swan boats if they are still running, seasonal. Depending on the weather $15 ferry will take you out to Boton Harbor Islands. My kids love the island with the fort. Part of National Parks so they get a stamp in Passport and a badge. Harvard Natual History Museum is a gem.
I live in NH and it is truly beautiful here! The coast is 17 miles, I would recommend driving north to Portsmouth. Great Seacoast town to explore. Seacoast Science Center is fun and quick for kids. Forts and beach to explore. New Castle Commons has great playground and beach area.
As for the mountains I would drive up 93 to Franconia. You can buy a pass to the Flume and Cannon Mountain. Worth the money. With little kids it would be hard to see as much on your own. The Flume is an incredible hike with a lot of scenery. A lot of bang for your buck (and energy)! Short drive to Cannon Mt to take the gondola to the top. Make sure to hit the Basin. Free short hike to a cool water carving. Driving across the Kengamagus Highway (completely spelled wrong! And not sure if it would be fun with a trailer) will take you to North Conway. Lots of things to do there. Diana’s Bath Hike is fun for kids if it’s warm enough to play in the water. I have 4 kiddos and these are some of our favorite things! Feel free to message me if you want ideas or restaurant suggestions. Or if you want to meet up for lunch! Thanks for sharing your adventures with us!
It looks like you will be passing through Ohio near Maumee Bay State Park. Nice campground, no idea on prices since I am local. They have an inland swimming pond and a boardwalk through the Black Swamp area.
If you’re going to NY, you might want to see West Point. Your historian husband will be quite happy.
When I was in high school (a long time ago!) I toured the USS Constitution in Boston and to date I think it is my favorite historical tour/exhibit I have ever been to. We were fortunate to have a guided tour with guides in character/costume from the time period the ship was in battle. I have heard that they do not always offer those tours. Of course, the whole Red Line in Boston is neat. Loving reading about your travels!
We lived in MA for 10 years and MD for 3 years, and we traveled from Maine through Virginia, so I’ve seen many of the places people mentioned.
Since all my favorites were mentioned, I tried to think of places we enjoyed that might not necessarily attract the attention of tourists.
In Acton, MA: The Discovery Museums are really fun for kids, especially for homeschooled kids after school starts 😉 http://discoverymuseums.org/
In Providence, RI: Another really well designed children’s museum http://www.childrenmuseum.org/
In Danvers, MA: If you visit Salem, make sure you visit this site, too – http://www.rebeccanurse.org/
In Frederick, MD: Frederick Gymnastics Club has a fabulous setup (huge!) and they have homeschool open gym three days a week. There’s a Costco and a large food co-op (https://www.commonmarket.coop) nearby, so one parent can shop while the other does the gym http://www.frederickgymnastics.com/open-gym/
In Annapolis, MD: My kids loved their trip with Pirate Adventures on the Chesapeake http://www.chesapeakepirates.com/
In MD: Walk along part of the C&O Historic Park – multiple entrances and visitors centers from one end in Cumberland to the other end in Georgetown. Make sure to book a canal boat ride! And view the Great Falls of the Potomac from the Georgetown end. http://www.nps.gov/choh/index.htm
In Germantown, MD: My kids were pretty small when we lived near here, so the 7-acre Adventure Playground terrified me because it’s huge and has multiple areas, but man, did they ever enjoy it here! The pool here is great, too, with slides and a leisure pool, http://www.montgomeryparks.org/facilities/south_germantown/index.shtm
Hope that helps!
As your coming down the new york state thruway….before you head east into mass. And conn. You must stop and see West Point Military Academy!!! Lots of history, lots to see and maybe even catch an Army football game!
Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge Mass, Science Museum in Boston, Rocky Point Chowder House by TFGreen Airport (my husband ate here as a child, 40 years ago and again in 2005), 295 Road in Rhode Island because it goes thru the Blackstone Valley, Beach in Wickford, Portland Maine market downtown. .