USA East

After a relaxing week at the beach in South Jersey I’m feeling very chilled out. We often “vacation” by returning home to Europe. It’s a flurry of jet lag, suitcases, visiting family and staying in lots of improvised guest rooms. We needed a real break, an easy journey from home, …

It seems that sitting on a tour bus and having an informed guide point out a city’s sites is no longer enough for the average tourist. Nowadays bus tours must have a theme – some might say a shtick – not to mention a really cool bus.   The tour must …

I was carrying a very tired four-year old who wasn’t ready to leave Philadelphia’s Please Touch museum even after a full rainy day there. She clutched my neck, leaned up and whispered urgently in my ear, “Mommy! Can we come back to Philadelphia again one day?” The City of Brotherly …

On previous, childfree trips to Newport, Rhode Island, we grooved in the hot sun at the famous Folk Festival, kayaked Narragansett Bay, slurped raw clams and drank a lot of beer. These activities weren’t likely to go over well with Tiny Traveler, age 4.5, so I wondered what we would …

My favorite way to honor July 4th is to spend time on Cape Cod, the place where our nation ostensibly began. As a food writer from Queens, NY with family roots on the Cape and a teen son who will try just about anything I feed him, I love to eat on Cape …

Dutchess County is a no brainer for a family weekend getaway. It’s a quick two hour drive from New York City and parts of New Jersey and Connecticut, so with a reasonably early start you can make the most of your short vacation. And with a wealth of attractions from …

The Florida Keys*, especially Key West, are known for eccentric, talented characters with a bit of a wild side (think Ernest Hemingway and Humphrey Bogart in Key Largo). For some people Key West is one big party that goes on and on and on. But the Keys have a quieter side …

As soon as we heard we would be traveling to Pittsburgh this spring for a family event, Rich and I knew we wanted to visit FallingWater, the spectacular Frank Lloyd Wright home in rural Western Pennsylvania. But did we dare bring our 8YO along to look at a house—even a …

A family event provided us with a weekend family getaway in Pittsburgh, a city new to both Rich and I. We liked its energetic vibe, its Carnegie- and Mellon-funded arts and culture institutions and its wealth of family activities. The wedding we traveled for took place in the city’s Oakland …

What You’ll Find Here • All our resources for a visit to New York City in one easy place including hotels, sites to see, local suggestions and holiday advice. • Also check out other stories that mention New York City including those on Taxi Cabs, where to see spring flowers, family museums, and …

My family has settled in to New York City from the UK. While we love the city, its winters feel eternal to us. To escape brutal February we jetted with the two kids and my parents to Marco Island, the largest of Florida’s Ten Thousand Islands along the well-named Paradise …

North Carolina has a lot of fun family activities. The state is bigger and has far more different geography and attractions than I ever would have imagined. And almost any region can offer up good ideas for vacations with kids. In no particular order, here are ten cool things to …

When venturing out with kids it’s important to know where you’re going and what you’re likely to do. But in New York City the more important questions are, where are you going to eat and what are you going to have? Here are 5 kid-friendly destinations in NYC that my three kids …

We went to Williamsburg, Virginia to explore American history in a hands-on way. But there’s only so much kids are willing to learn on summer vacation.  If we didn’t break it up with some non-educational fun we would have had a rebellion of our own. Luckily, the area increasingly has …

The Outer Banks of North Carolina has a lot great things to do and ways to get outdoors beyond just going to the beach. We did out best to check out all of it on our visit. Here are some of the outdoor activities that we think kids will love …

For more on NYC see our At A Glance page. New York, like most major cities, has tourist attractions you really do have to the first time you come. But once you’ve completed that to-do list it’s nice to get away from tourist central and see a city the way …

There are places that you visit with a long list of things to do and see. And then there are places you visit because you like the vibe and you’re happy to mostly wander around and soak up the place. Charleston is the latter type of city for us. We …

Philadelphia has quite a dining scene. Big-name chefs, restaurants the New York Times will tell you must try–if you can get a reservation—and a long list of beloved local foods. Despite not planning in advance to book those hard-to-get reservations, we managed to eat pretty well and find plenty of …

I like revisiting certain places periodically as Tiny Traveler grows. Seeing the evolution in her interests makes these trips more memorable. Nearby Philadelphia is one of these places. Over spring break we decided to see how age 7 compared with her visit at age 4. Read About Philadelphia with preschoolers and Our favorite …

The forecast was rain but we decided to risk it: a 24-hour jaunt to Pittsburgh to catch part of a three-game series between the Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals. Of course, as soon as we hit the Steel City limits, a deluge of rain hit us. We pulled into …

Here is more about Hyde Park and Presidential Libraries I was invited on a press tour to visit Hyde Park, the Roosevelt Library, Eleanor Roosevelt’s Val-Kill estate and famous Top Cottage this past spring. It’s the first time I’ve accepted a press trip without bringing my daughter along. But I was very curious …

I was doubtful about all the hype I’d heard about Rochester, NY. Then I visited* with my family for a long weekend! Rochester is very affordable, filled with cultural gems, and home to one of the best children’s museums in the country, the National Museum of Play.  Don’t let the lake-effect snow …

Visiting Florida? Read about Marco Island. Raising kids in Florida has been a blast for us. As huge animal lovers, we’ve really enjoyed having access to Florida aquariums, which number among the best in the country. In fact, you can visit all three of the aquariums listed below in three …

Kiawah Island is an easy side trip from Charleston. The cozy beach communities just outside of Charleston are often overlooked for higher profile Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head. But Kiawah Island has beautiful, low-key beaches and fun that is family oriented without being kid-centric. Kiawah Island has the advantage of …

Most of us only know the Hamptons, NY  from watching Sex and the City, which focused on adult summer pursuits. So it’s not surprising that parents often ask me what there is to do out there with kids. The East End of Long Island is an ideal mix of  rural farms, …

To say I love Cape Cod is an understatement. My family has returned here more times than  I can count. I have my favorite haunts, the places I need to return to every time we visit. And now, married with two children, of course my husband and sons have their …

A few years ago, I decided it would be a brilliant idea to bring each of my husband’s three young nieces to New York City for a week when they became tweens. There are so many fun places to go with kids in NYC. I looked forward to giving them …

Here is why you need to come to Brooklyn for a day during your next New York City visit: It’s quieter than Times Square and the pace is slower than in Manhattan. Restaurants are less crowded (mostly) and less expensive and people are friendly. It has historic neighborhoods full of …