My wife and I are expats from Europe living in Northern NJ. We have no family here and we try to fly somewhere during Thanksgiving weekend and Christmas weekend. This year, we would like to keep it local due to upcoming ISEE tests for our 10 year old twins.
That said, what are some nearby places we can go with our kids. Boston, Philly,Baltimore and Washington D.C are out of list as we have been to these cities many times. Somewhere with 3-4 hour driving distance is ideal.
Here are a few ideas off the top of my head that you might research to see if they might work for your family…
Perhaps one of the indoor water parks in the Poconos (ex. Great Wolf Lodge – there are others as well)? Or Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz (I’ve been there in the summer but you’d need to see what activities etc. they offer in the fall)? You can spend a couple of nights in a hotel in NYC (even though you live close, staying over in the city can be a fun experience). Mystic CT may still be OK this time of year – see what is open. Newport, RI is a nice weekend trip but it is probably better to visit there in the summer months.
Or, not kidding, Plimoth Plantation, south of Boston about 4 hrs from NYC. I first saw it as an adult and was spellbound. The kids would get it. It’s a living museum, old settlement where all the village players are completely in character. They’re only open trough Thanksgiving weekend, I think.
We spent one Thanksgiving in Williamsburg VA and it was wonderful. The weather was good and there were many things to see and do without having to even do the major building tours. It may be too late to get a dinner reservation at one of the taverns though (and you will need a reservation).
Thanks all. We decided to do Toronto. We will make a road trip out of it. Appreciate all the responses. We will hit some of the suggested spots later in the spring when the weather gets better.
If you visit Toronto and have time, swing through Buffalo. Frederick Law Olmsted park system; Frank Lloyd Wright homes; world class art museum (Albright Knox). And get some wings at the Anchor Bar, where they were invented. There’s been some impressive revitalization in the downtown waterfront area too.
Good choice. You may want to consider stopping in Niagara Falls for a night on the way to/from Toronto. My S did that trip recently – I didn’t mention it since it was a way longer drive than you initially said you wanted.
Niagra on the Lake on the Canadian side of the falls is a quaint, cute older town. We spent a day exploring it. There were two forts there, which H and BIL also enjoyed looking over. There are several wineries and restaurants there too. If you want to be able to drink freely, go on a tour in a bus and leave the driving to the bus.
I’m with @oldfort. I think Montreal and Quebec City (which actually first came to mind to me for your trip but was outside your distance range by a bit) would be better sightseeing cities for a vacation although I’m sure Toronto would be fine as well.
We did Montreal 2 years ago but we didn’t do Toronto. Seems like a good opportunity to see the Falls as well as Toronto. But you are right, we loved Montreal. It reminded us the cities in Europe. Thanks for your input
We took the girls to see the fall then off to Toronto one summer. We stayed on the US side to see the fall. I got a room with a view of the fall (I thought it was pretty spectacular, but the kids were meh). We had a hard time finding a good restaurant while we were there. We did eat well while we were in Toronto. My kids were a bit underwhelmed with the whole trip.
I think I would opt to come into NYC, go to some nice restaurants, a show, see store xmas windows, and do some touristy stuff.
Read PADDLE-TO-THE-SEA before you go! A book connection always helped my kids appreciate a trip. Paddle goes over Niagara Falls! He also goes through the Welland Canal locks; my kids loved our visit there. Try to be there when a ship is going through.
Every year, we spend a weekend in the city to enjoy the holidays. Restaurants, plays etc. This year, we are doing it the weekend of December 17th, 18th. Like I said, our decision for Toronto was also due to Niagara Falls. This will be a first for us as well. I know it is weird timing but it is what it is. We will try to enjoy both Niagara Falls and Toronto in November.
