Vacation spots near Boston?

[alleyoop]

We are in Austin, but my hubby has a confrence in Boston in August. Anything within a couple hours of Boston that you can do with 2 little ones? Beach vacation spots where we could get a rental house or condo would be primo! What would you do?

[babymama]

Hey - I'm in Austin too. I guess I knew that you were here too, but forgot until you just reminded me.

I've only been to Boston a few times, but one of those times I spent a day at Martha's Vineyard with my college roommate. we had fun! Next day, we drove up to Kennebunkport - which was also really nice.

Hope this helps!

Lydia
Mama to Santiago, my 2 yr old monster
and new baby girl, Solana, born 12/26/05
I'll figure out how to update my avatar someday!

[kate_s]

Cape Cod is a pretty short drive south from Boston, and has the beach. If you want to go north, Portland, Maine is about a 2 hour drive. And there's tons of stuff to do with kids in Boston itself- the Children's Museum, the aquarium....

Kate
Mom to Owen (11/05)

[pb&j]

I love Marblehead, just north of Boston. Portland, ME is also very nice , w/ nice beaches, and plenty of other things (outlet shopping!) to keep you occupied.

-Ry,
mom to Emma, stillborn 11/04/04
and Max, 01/05/06

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[jhrabosk]

I'm not hugely familiar, but I think Cape Cod is fairly close...from there you can do Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket.

You're also a few hours from NH and VT...not beach, but you could probably find a nice lake spot. Possibly upstate NY as well...

[jayali]

We always spend a few weeks in August at the Chatham Bars Inn in Chatham which is on Cape Cod. Chatham is fairly centrally located on the cape and the Chatham Bars Inn is VERY child friendly. It has great activities and theme dinners for kids and parents. We LOVE it! I also agree that Boston has lots of great kid stuff. My college roommate lives in Boston and she is always doing tons of fun stuff with her kids.

Have fun.

[ctmom]

I agree with Cape Cod. We spend a week in the Eastham/Wellfleet area when we go every summer. Last year we were staying in a not so nice cottage and picked up the Eastham Chamber of Commerce magazine. We found an ad for the cottage we are renting this year and, while we were still there, looked at it. We like Eastham/Wellfleet because it is a little off the beaten path and not as crowded as other parts of the Cape. Although you can go to NH or Maine, the ocean water, imho, is waaaaaaay too cold to enjoy! On the Cape, you have the option of either the bay or ocean. I would contact a few town chamber of commerce office and getting info on rental properties that way.

here are some links...
http://www.easthamchamber.com/Eastham.cfm
http://www.wellfleetchamber.com/
http://www.capecod-orleans.com/

Book soon, a lot of places are already rented for the summer...
HTH!

Mary
dd#1 2/01
dd#2 12/03

[aguinn]

The Cape is a great vacation destination, but I agree with the PP - book now, as many places book a year in advance. Also, if you do plan to go "down tha cape" (as we say up here in Mass), make sure you're prepared for the traffic in getting there - 6 hour nightmare drives are not all that uncommon, even though it's only about 1.5 to 2 hours drive without any traffic from Boston.

If your kids are into Thomas the train, you might also consider going to one of their events. In August, it looks like they are having them in CT and ME, depending on the date. Check this out for more info: http://tinyurl.com/l6jqo. And Edaville is located in Carver, MA - it's an old fashioned family-style train-focused amusement park: http://www.edaville.com.

In Boston, the Children's Museum and Aquarium are big draws, and there are always street entertainers floating around at Faneuil Hall Marketplace (and there's restaurants and a huge food court there, too).

PM me if you have any other questions!

Have fun!
;)amy
momma to DS#1 "Big Brother" (BB) and, finally, DS#2 "Little Brother" (LB)

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"Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see." ~ Neil Postman

[mommy111]

My family lives there so Boston is 'home base'...the Cape is great to go to with kids, weather in August can already start to get chilly in the evening for the kids, though.
We love Nantucket, fabulous beaches, long bike-riding trails that you can take the kids on, very few cars so very safe for kids to walk etc.
If you're looking for something cheaper (but also a shorter distance from Boston) for a day tour or to stay at, Cape Ann is beautiful and has great kid-friendly beaches. Wingershaek(?sp) beach is great for smaller kids, Crane Beach is beautiful for older kids (I think it was voted the best beach in Mass). We would do a day-trip to the beaches when we were kids and stop along the way at the fabulous farms to strawberry or apple-pick.
Definitely look at the Children's museum and the Aquarium.
Hope that helps!

[Sheila]

Also, I don't think anyone mentioned York Beach, Maine, which is just north (maybe an hour?) LOVE IT! The beaches are great and there is a little wild kingdom (zoo) there for the kids. It is also next to Kittery, which has great outlet shopping!

Sheila
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