{"id":34341,"date":"2012-12-24T12:08:08","date_gmt":"2012-12-24T16:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/?p=34341"},"modified":"2025-09-01T22:21:36","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T02:21:36","slug":"top-family-getaways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/34341\/top-family-getaways\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Mommy Bloggers Pick Top Family Getaways Near NYC"},"content":{"rendered":"

We asked our favorite New York-based family travel writers where they like to go for weekend getaways. These travel experts shared some great destinations and terrific tips that they\u2019ve learned through extensive travels with their own children. Read on to get some ideas on how to ease the anxiety and boost the fun level on your next vacation.<\/p>\n

Kyle McCarthy | Family Travel Forum<\/strong>
\n\u201cMy favorite family weekend getaway would have to be Washington, D.C.<\/a>  We are fans of Megabus<\/a> and Bolt, and these services are so cheap and easy that they make it a pleasure to travel to nearby cities. As it\u2019s a business city, you can often get a good hotel deal on the weekend. We like to eat at Ben\u2019s Chili Bowl, the very colorful old hot dog place that President Obama likes. It\u2019s on U Street NW in a funky neighborhood filled with thrift shops. We like to thrift shop together because you can usually find something cheap to buy and it makes a good souvenir. Another great area for shopping and eating is Eastern Market, which has lots of unique craft vendors.\u201d
\nTravel Tip:<\/strong> \u201cSince we travel with our teenaged son (and you have to bribe teens to go anywhere with their parents), we try to book ahead for one good restaurant meal, or reserve tickets to a ball game or other teen-friendly event.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kim Orlando |<\/strong> TravelingMom<\/a> | TravelingDad<\/a> <\/strong>
\n\u201cOne of my favorite weekend getaways is Lancaster, PA. It is truly a world away from New York and packed with fun things to do. The drive is easy and the many farms along the way make it scenic. In the fall, we enjoy the five-acre corn maze and festival at Cherry Crest Farm.<\/a> Pretzel making, carriage rides and chatting with the Mennonites are all memorable cultural experiences.\u201d 
\nTravel Tip:<\/strong> \u201cAlways stay in a hotel that has an indoor pool if traveling with kids, teens or tweens. It is a great place to burn off end of day energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Train

Nancy Friedman<\/strong> | From Hip to Housewife<\/strong> | fromhiptohousewife.com
\n\u201cThough it is a bit pricey, we love Mohonk Mountain House. There’s nothing high tech about Mohonk, and therein lies the beauty. Excitement is tea and cookies on the wrap around porch. Snow shoeing or ice skating in the winter, or just jumping in the lake in the summer. Time seems to have stood still there since the days when President Taft vacationed there. There are great hikes at every level, an indoor swimming pool in the winter, and a spectacular new spa you can use while your littler kids participate in their camp. All of it nestled in a stunning natural setting.\u201d
\nTravel Tip:<\/strong> \u201cAs the kids have gotten older, they do tend to get a bit jaded.  I’ve found that the new KidzVuz<\/a> app is a great way to keep them engaged. It lets them make videos from wherever they are, keeping them thinking about what they are seeing, and experiencing it with an eye to reporting. The app lets them make videos on site and submit them directly to the KidzVuz site. They love it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Judy Antell | Veggie Mom<\/strong> 
\n\u201cWe love car-free getaways to Philadelphia. You can take Amtrak, Bolt or Megabus<\/a>, or NJ Transit to SEPTA. The city\u2019s small size makes it manageable for families with little kids, and there\u2019s an Embassy Suites right near the museum district. The Franklin Institute and Philadelphia Museum of Art<\/a> are always on our list, as is eating our way through Reading Terminal Market. When the kids were little, we always went to the Please Touch Museum<\/a>. Now that they are older, we\u2019ve gone to the Constitution Center, galleries in Northern Liberties and the new National Museum of American Jewish History<\/a>.\u201d
\nTravel Tip: <\/strong>\u201cAs a family of avid bikers, we always try and rent bikes wherever we travel to. It is a great way to get to know the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charu Suri | Butterfly Diary<\/strong> | butterflydiary.com<\/a>
\n\u201cOne of my favorite weekend getaway destinations is Cape May, NJ<\/a>. We took baby Erika there when she was just three months old. Stay in a bed & breakfast right in Cape May and visit the Victorian Homes, five-and-dime stores or walk along the beach and you’ll be pleasantly transported into another era.\u201d
\nBaby Travel Tips: <\/strong>\u201cMake sure you pack the familiar comfort toys, have bottles of formula or milk ready in the diaper bag, and of course, your stroller and car seat all prepared before the trip. Call the hotel in advance and ensure a crib is waiting in the room. Always take 3-4 extra sets of clothes with you when you travel. Start with small trips and expose the child to being flexible, but make sure that the temperature of your destination is not too far off from your origins, especially if the little one doesn’t have all the immunizations yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kimberly Coleman| Foodie City Mom<\/strong> 
\n\u201cRocking Horse Ranch<\/a> in Highland, New York is our current favorite destination for a family weekend getaway. There really is something to entertain everyone. We went during the winter, so we primarily enjoyed the cold weather activities. While my husband and I went horseback riding, we checked the kids into day camp (which is included with their \u201call-inclusive\u201d package). Skiing, snow tubing and an impromptu snow fight were other highlights. You don\u2019t need a car to get there. You can reach it by Metro North or Amtrak and if you call Rocking Horse Ranch 48 hours in advance they provide guests with complimentary pickup service from the nearby Poughkeepsie train station.\u201d
\nTravel Tip:<\/strong> \u201cDon\u2019t overschedule. While it is helpful to have a loose \u201cto do\u201d list, be certain to leave yourself some \u201cwiggle room.\u201d Honestly, the most memorable moments tend to happen in those unplanned moments. Have a sense of humor about family travel. There is no need to stress out about everything being perfect. Inevitably, something will probably go contrary to your well laid out plans. That is life. However, if your mindset is that you are going to enjoy this special time with your loved ones, then you will!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We asked our favorite New York-based family travel writers where they like to go for weekend getaways. These travel experts shared some great destinations and terrific tips that they\u2019ve learned through extensive travels with their own children. Read on to get some ideas on how to ease the anxiety and boost the fun level on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":43550,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1508,747,902,753,315,328,907,332,748,316],"tags":[293,483,110,117,418],"class_list":{"0":"post-34341","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-amtrak-getaways","8":"category-bus-2","9":"category-cape-may","10":"category-car-2","11":"category-day-trips","12":"category-hudson-valley-new-york-destination","13":"category-pennsylvania-2","14":"category-philadelphia-2","15":"category-train-2","16":"category-weekend-getaways","17":"tag-budget-friendly","18":"tag-family-friendly","19":"tag-historical-sites","20":"tag-horseback-riding","21":"tag-ocean"},"acf":[],"mv":{"thumbnail_id":43550,"thumbnail_uri":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/family-travel-e1381782057822-300x130.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34341"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34341\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}