Where can we go for an easy, quick, cheap, active, romantic, family, summer, winter or fall weekend getaway from New York City? This is the question I get asked more than any other in my life as a travel writer.
So here are 11 ideas for quick, easy and fun mini-vacations all within two to five hours of NYC.
My tip for any trip out of New York is, whenever possible, head out at an off-peak hour, say early Saturday, or Friday after the morning or evening rush. If you head out of town between 3:00 and 7:00 pm on a Friday you will most certainly hit traffic. During the summer weekend traffic starts building by 1:00.
Pack light, but bring layers so you’re ready for any weather. And throw a pair of fancy shoes in your bag just in case your dinner plans call for some dressing up.
I hope I inspire a weekend mini-break for your family soon.
11 Easy Weekend Vacation Destinations For NYC Families
1. Hudson Valley West
New Paltz, 85 miles from Times Square, is a good jumping off point for a Catskils weekend getaway in the spring, summer or fall. You’ll find state parks, nature preserves and sculpture gardens for hiking, walking and picnicking. There are rail trails for cycling. And plenty of farm stands, wineries and cideries close by.
New Paltz has a busy Main Street with lots of restaurant options. But it’s not far to explore Woodstock or Saugerties.
In winter head a north and west of Kingston for nearby ski weekends. Belleayre is my favorite hill but I’ve also heard Plattekill is a good, less-crowded resort.
Stay: I like staying at the Emerson Resort & Spa because it’s a bit of a rare gem in this part of the state: a comfortable, upscale hotel with amenities for families. In addition to large rooms, it has a playground, outdoor pool and hot tub, dog run and — how’s this for unique? — a walk-in kaleidoscope.
Do: Families love the taking a Hudson River cruise that takes you past riverside towns and Hudson Valley scenery while you learn about some of the area’s ample history. Sharp eyes spot birds and other wildlife.
Read More:
• A Catskills Ski Weekend With Kids
• Fun Couple Getaway in Upstate New York
2. Hudson Valley East
Dutchess County is almost my default weekend destination. There is a lot to do in the spring, summer and fall. Wineries, distilleries, farms and green markets complement Gilded-Age mansions with sprawling gardens, FDR’s presidential library and a burgeoning restaurant scene in Beacon and Rhinebeck.
There’s even a waterpark if you just want to relax with the kids and DIA: Beacon for adventurous art lovers.
Poughkeepsie is 80 miles from Time Square, and Metro North stops there if you want a car-free or bike-centered weekend.
Stay: The Inn at Bellefield is an all-suites Residence Inn hotel north of Poughkeepsie. It has a cool lobby, a good breakfast and rooms with living areas and kitchens. It’s convenient to most things we wanted to do in Dutchess and will be even more family friendly when the second wing, which is expected to have a pool, opens.
Do: Discover what makes Beacon one of the Hudson Valley’s hippest towns with a food-centered walking tour that introduces local cheese, chocolate, bread and more.
Read more:
• A Hudson Valley Couple’s Weekend
• A Family Weekend Getaway to Dutchess County
3. Long Island’s Hamptons
The East End of Long Island is way more than raucous summer shares and chichi Hamptons restaurants where you can’t get a reservation.
The North and South forks have beaches, wineries, cideries, farmstands, kid-friendly museums, countless sweet shops, walkable towns and a cluster of affordable family hotels (with pools) in Riverhead, where the forks meet.
I recommend exploring the East End in April and May or September and October. The winter is cold and the summer is too crowded.
Riverhead is 75 miles from Times Square; Montauk is 115 miles.
Stay: We’ve stayed at the Hyatt Place East End in Riverhead a few times now. The rooms have wall dividers between the bed and the living area with its pull-out couch, which gives everyone some privacy. It has two pools, a decent breakfast, good restaurants in walking distance and easy access to both the North and South Forks.
Do: Take your teens on a leisurely bike ride on the south fork and discover some of the area’s best farmstands, beaches and wineries.
Read More
• 28 Fun Things To Do in the Hamptons With Kids
4. Saratoga Springs, NY
The best time to visit Saratoga is in the fall, when you can do some leaf-peeping. But summer is also great, especially if you time your visit to the County Fair that runs from late July to late August.
Eat casual meals at the outdoor green markets and brewpubs like Lago bu Druthers, which is on Lake Saratoga. Take your kids to the site of the Battle of Saratoga, which turned the tide of the American Revolution.
Head to Saratoga Spa State Park to walk, bike ride, play tennis and swim in gorgeous pools. If it rains, check out the Children’s Museum that’s there, too.
Saratoga Race Course is surprisingly family friendly, as is open-mic night at Caffe Lena, a legendary coffee house and music venue.
Saratoga Springs is about 180 miles from Times Square. It’s mostly highway, which keeps the drive under four hours. But plan on two to three nights (or even four) to make the most of the drive.
Stay: We loved the Gideon Putnam for its comfortable rooms, relaxing state park setting and easy acces to the park’s pools and other amenities.
Read More:
Best on Plan for a Great Couple’s Weekend in Saratoga Springs, NY
5. Cooperstown, NY
People usually visit the first time for the Baseball Hall of Fame. But they return for gorgeous Lake Otsego, the walkable Main Street and the friendly, high-quality farm stands and breweries just outside of town.
Spring offers perfect hiking weather and baby animals at the farm museum. In summer, you can swim, kayak and SUP on the lake; fall brings gorgeous Upstate-NY foliage.
Cooperstown is 195 miles from Times Square, and the last third of the drive is on a local road where you aren’t driving at highway speed. This is another place where you’ll want a two-to-three-night stay to break up the driving.
Stay: We were wowed by the Otesaga Resort Hotel. The lakeside setting, spacious rooms with big windows, heated pool and good onsite restaurant made it an easy place to stay with a kid.
Do: Get to know the owner, the family and the history behind the immensely popular Fly Creek Cider Mill & Orchard with a private behind-the-scenes tour.
Read more:
• A There’s Family fun in Cooperstown, even if you don’t love baseball
6. The Finger Lakes, NY
Corning’s Museum of Glass is one of the best and most unique museums I’ve been to. And anyone from 5 to 95 will find something cool to see and do. Corning also has a Main Street full of casual dining and is a half-hour from Watkins Glen, which offers excellent hiking, kid-friendly wineries and a well-regarded race track.
Ithaca has Cornell’s dairy store, botanic garden and art museum, plus an abundance of easy and pretty walking trails that overlook gorges and waterfalls. There is a seriously good locavore food scene downtown and kid-friendly breweries and wineries as well.
Ithaca is 225 miles from Times Square and Corning is 250, making it better for a three-to-four-night stay. If you find it hard to choose between them as your weekend base, stay four nights and spend time in both.
Stay: Ithaca and Corning both have plenty of chain hotels and B&Bs. For a destination hotel though, my pick is the Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel at the foot of Seneca Lake. It feels like a wine country hotel. The bar serves wines made within a few miles of town, the rooms are comfortable and the staff is nice to kids.
Do: If you’re visiting on a couple’s weekend, sample Seneca Lake wines and let someone else drive with a small-group winery tour.
Read more:
• 12 Activities for a Finger Lakes Weekend Getaway
• Why You Want to Stay at the Harbor Hotel in Watkins Glen
7. Mystic, Connecticut
Mystic is 135 miles from Times Square, making a one-night stay doable if you get an early start. But there is enough to do and eat to fill a two-night weekend.
The main attractions are the outdoor Mystic Seaport Museum, a full day in itself, and the large and excellent Mystic Aquarium.
But there’s also kayaking, SUPing and boating on the Mystic River, glassblowing, an adventure park and appealing outdoor clam and lobster shacks.
Mystic town has good dining, cute shopping and very good ice cream.
Stay: You’ll find a hotel brand for every budget along the main road to the Seaport. But I like the Hyatt Place Mystic. In addition to the brand’s suite-style rooms, good breakfast and a decent outdoor pool, it’s a five-minute walk to the shops and restaurants in the Olde Mistick Village shopping center.
Do: Explore Mystic after dark and discover the haunts of its colonial residents on a downtown ghost tour.
8. The Berkshires, Massachusetts
The Berkshires are the New England destination with something for everyone. Outdoorsy families will like the plethora of hiking trails and long rail trail for biking. There are historic homes and mansions, some with beautiful grounds where kids can run around.
Tweens and teens will like Jiminy Peak’s summer adventure park and winter skiing. Art loves could spend a full day wandering around Mass MOCA, a modern art museum in a sprawling former factory.
Quaint Great Barrington, the southern-most part of the region, is 130 miles from Times Square and funky North Adams, is 170.
Stay: We liked the Berkshire Mountain Lodge for the spacious rooms, kitchen and nice pool. Plus, its location just outside of Lenox, is mid-Berkshires, which makes it easy to explore both north and south.
Read More:
• 17 Things To Do With Kids in the Berkshires
• A Fun Summer Weekend at Jiminy Peak
• How Berkshire Mountain Lodge Wowed Us
9. Cape May, NJ
The words “Jersey Shore” don’t necessarily conjure images of gingerbread Victorian homes and quaint pedestrian zones. But this is exactly what you’ll find in Cape May, 3 hours from Times Square.
You’ll also find a lovely long stretch of beach, the requisite fudge shop and some cool opportunities to get out on the water and see wildlife.
If you want the old-school experience of a busy beach with a boardwalk, games arcade and a Ferris wheel, Wildwood is 20 minutes up the coast.
Do: See a different side of the Jersey Shore with a sunset boat tour where you might see shore birds, marine life and other local animals.
Read more:
• 5 Activities for an Easy Cape May Family Getaway
10. Philadelphia
We go to Philadelphia for the weekend fairly often because it’s only 96 miles from Times Square, a 2-hour-drive if you get lucky with traffic. We try to always mix old favorites like the Franklin Institute, the Art Museum and South Philly’s little Italy with something we haven’t done before.
Chefs looking for lower overhead than NYC often head to Philly so it’s food scene is vibrant (reservations are often a must). And you can see where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were ratified.
If you want a car-free getaway it’s easy and cheap to take NJ Transit and connect to SEPTA in Trenton.
Stay: We’ve stayed in a half-dozen Philly hotels, but I think my favorite is the Logan Philadelphia, a family friendly Curio hotel. It has a reasonably sized indoor pool and comfortable rooms. It’s just across Logan Square from the city’s big museums and a short walk from Rittenhouse square restaurants.
Do: Readers love this walking tour of the historic Philadelphia Old City.
Read more:
• 48 Hours in Philadelphia With Kids
• Philadelphia Foods You Have To Try
11. Buck’s County, Pennsylvania
Buck’s County is about 75 miles from Times Square. We spent a night here on a couple getaway, but there are plenty of things to do with kids, too.
Base yourself in New Hope or across the river in Lambertville, NJ for a good choice of hotels, inns and restaurants. There are bike and walking trails along the Delaware River and in state parks throughout the county.
Stop by Washington Crossing Historic Park, which commemorates a certain famous attack by the Patriots during the Revolution. Hop over to Doylestown for its laid-back vibe and the Mercer Museum, easily one of the quirkiest museums I’ve been to.
Stay: For New-Hope-area fun, the Lambertville Station Hotel is a full-service hotel with a river view, bike rentals and family rooms. You’ll love the modern-American food at its adjacent restaurant and your kids will love that it’s a former train station.
Do: Bucks County is also home to Sesame Place, a fun if not restful weekend getaway. The nearby Sheraton Bucks County Langhorne has an indoor pool, a breakfast option and a bar, which you might really appreciate after a long day at a toddler theme park.
Read more:
• A Cool Couple’s Getaway to New Hope, PA
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