Looking for something fun to do with kids this summer? New England is perfect for outdoor summer adventures. Plan a day trip, or week long trip and visit multiple family attractions throughout New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
To help you start planning your summer vacation, here are 101 things you can put on your Summer Bucket List.
101 Things to Do In New England This Summer With Kids:
Pack a lunch and spend the day at a Splash Park
Have a water balloon fight.
Create an obstacle course in the backyard
Eat ice cream from an ice cream truck.
Camp in the backyard and make S’mores.
Make a homemade slip n slide.
Collect sea shells on the beach.
Parents vs. Kids game of Mini-golf
Go on a bug hunt
Make a fort with blankets
Massachusetts:
Get ice cream for dinner at Kimballs Farm in Westford.
Take the family into the wild to see the big cats, rhinos, and zebras at Southwick Zoo.
Walk the Freedom Trail.
Test your agility and balance at Beanstalk Adventure Ropes Course, a one-of-a-kind indoor ropes course.
Go to a Red Sox game.
Book a staycation at Great Wolf Lodge. Fitchburg
Take a step back into history at Plimoth Plantation.
Suit up for an state of the art game of Laser Tag at Xtreme Craze.
Go on an exploration at Purgatory Chasm, and end it with an afternoon picnic lunch.
Go to The Butterfly Place.
Go out on a Whale Watch.
Explore Thomas Land & take a ride on Thomas the Train at Edaville Family Theme Park.
Visit the Civil War sites in Lexington and Concord.
Go on a Cape Cod lighthouse tour.
Pack a lunch and the bathing suits and spend the day at Walden Pond
Take a ride in the Swan Boats in Boston Public Gardens.
Go on the Boston Duck Tour
Visit the sea life at the New England Aquarium.
Hike up Mt. Monadnock
Explore Fall River’s Battleship Cove.
Visit the Eric Carle Museum.
Take a step back in time and explore life in the 1830s at Old Sturbridge Village
New Hampshire:
Take the half-mile trail to visit America’s Stonehenge in Salem.
Feed the reindeer and play the Elfabet game at Santa’s Village
Take a trip to the summit on the Mt. Washington Auto Road
Take a 3 hour round-trip ride on the Cog Railway to the highest mountain peak in the Northeast
Be amazed by the bear show & Chinese Acrobats at Clark’s Trading Post.
Explore the rugged caves and spectacular waterfalls at the Lost River Gorge & Boulder Caves.
Watch your favorite fairy tales come to life at Story Land.
Hike, run, or bike along the scenic trails at Great Glen Trails.
Unleash your inner Tarzan at Alpine Adventures, an aerial forest ropes course.
Visit Cramnore Moutnain Adventure Park.
Take a train ride in Conway
Take a nature walk and see the beautiful waterfalls at The Flume Gorge.
Challenge yourself as you act like a monkey in the trees at Monkey Trunks.
Rent an ATV and “Ride the Wilds” Trail System
Go on a Moose Tour
Take a family photo at Cathedral Ledge – Conway, NH
Discover outdoor fun, bike riding, and navigate the LogJam Maze at Loon Mountain Resort.
Take a trip to Water Country, New England’s largest waterpark.
Fun World, where even parents can unleash their inner kid as they play video games.
Grab a signature stuffed lobster roll and ice cream at The Beach Plum.
See the Fireworks at Hampton Beach.
Take a swim at one of New Hampshire’s swimming holes.
Go for a cruise on the M/S Mount Washington on Lake Winnipesaukee
Connecticut:
Climb the obstacle-filled tower and explore the T. Rex Tower Playscape at The Dinosaur Place.
Touch a shark at the Mystic Aquarium.
Indoor and outdoor activities at the Mystic Seaport Museum
Soar though the air on the Foxwoods HighFlyer Zipline
See history come to life at the Pequot Museum
Visit the US Navy’s Submarine Museum in Groton
Go to Lake Compounce, the Oldest Amusement Park in the USA
Spend the night in a Tipi at Bear Creek
Walk over 80 acres of nature trails at the Stamford Museum & Nature Center
Vermont:
Take the Ben & Jerry’s Factory Tour.
Book an overnight trip to Jay Peak, kids will love the indoor water park.
Go on a Lake Champlain Chocolates Factory Tour
Take a bike ride around Lake Champlain
Rent paddleboards or take a lesson at Paddlesurf Champlain
Take a Hot Air Balloon ride
Attend the Champlain Valley Fair
Explore the exhibits at ECHO
Warrior course, inflatable pirate ship, arts & crafts station at Smuggler’s Notch FunZone 2.0 Family Fun Complex
Rock climbing for all ages at MetroRock
Attend a Lake Monsters Baseball Game
Go horseback riding at Lajoie Stables
Camp at Quechee Gorge
Maine:
Visit Old Orchard Beach.
Spend the afternoon at York’s Wild Kingdom.
Kayak the Kennebunk River.
Visit the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Enjoy a movie under the stars at Saco Drive-In Theater
Go on a whale watch.
Hike and camp for the weekend at Acadia National Park
Attend a L.L. Bean Summer in The Park concert
Head to the Lobster Festival.
Kayak to Fort Gorges
Go ice skating.
Eat a Lobster Roll at The Clam Shack.
Tour Battery Steele on Peaks Island
Travel back in time to vintage Vacationland in a recreated village at Boothbay Railway Village.
Learn about the Maine State Government at the Maine State House.
Go to a Portland Seadogs game
Rhode Island:
Visit the Roger Williams Park.
Go to the New England Basketball Hall of Fame
Visit Adventureland for mini-golf, bumper boats, batting cages, go-karts, and more.
Lace’n up the roller blades for skating at United Skates of America
Stroll the Cliff Walk in Newport
See a show at the Providence Performing Arts Center
Visit the beachfront Exploration Center & Aquarium
Attend WaterFire
