Single-day road trip ideas for families near Boston
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Summer is the season for road trips in the Northeast. Check out three awesome itineraries for families looking to get out of Boston for a day.
TO THE NORTH
The basic idea: Take the family to Gloucester for an exploration of Cape Ann and some local sightseeing.
Morning: Get up and head north to the coastal town of Gloucester, known for its deep connection to the fishing industry. It’ll take about an hour along Interstate 95 and Route 128 if you manage to beat the traffic.
Book a whale watch tour around Cape Ann. Some tours start at 8:30 a.m. so see if you can motivate the family to hit the road on the early side. If not, several local vendors offer tours in the early afternoon.
Lunch: Stop by a family-friendly spot for a lunch, like the Causeway Restaurant, Destino’s Submarine Sandwiches or Café Bishco.
Afternoon: Continue to explore Gloucester’s history by visiting local attractions like Hammond Castle, which was built in the style of a medieval castle in 1920s by an American inventor, or the Sargent House Museum, which was built in 1782 as a home to a prominent family and is now a tribute to the city’s history and culture.
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Or if you’d like to explore another coastal town, head north again for about 15 minutes until you get to Rockport. Explore the Rockport Art Association or the Paper House, a real house made of actual paper.
Depending on your timing, and your family’s interest, you might consider catching a show at the Shalin Liu Performance Center, a relatively new music hall with a stunning view of the ocean.
Dinner: If you’ve chosen to remain in Gloucester, you can find some great dinner options including Passports, Tacos Lupita and Lobsta Land.
If you’ve decided to go to Rockport for the afternoon, stop by Brackett’s Oceanview Restaurant, Roy Moore’s Fish Shack or the Blue Lobster Grille.
When you’re done with dinner, get in the car and head south back to Boston. You’ll be home in about an hour, again depending on traffic.
TO THE WEST
Demonstration of candle making at Yankee Candle Village. (Ellen Albanese for The Boston Globe)
The basic idea: Get close to mother nature in Purgatory Chasm and give your sense of smell a treat at a beloved Western Massachusetts institution.
Morning: Pack a lunch and get your trip started by getting onto the Mass. Pike heading west. You’ll get off near Worcester and will head south on Route 146.
Stop at Purgatory Chasm, a rocky gash about a quarter of a mile long with walls as high as 70 feet, and explore the grounds with some hiking and rock-climbing. But please note that some of the rocks are slippery so use caution when climbing.
The kids can enjoy a playground located near the visitor center that includes a merry-go-round, a swing set and a play structure.
Lunch: After you’ve had your fill exploring the Chasm, open your picnic lunch and enjoy the scene.
Afternoon: Pack up your lunch and get back on the road. You’ll continue to head west on the Pike until you get to Interstate 91 and start heading north. This leg of the trip is about 90 minutes.
Stop by the Yankee Candle Village in South Deerfield, a fun outing where you and the family can get a “hands-on, interactive” lesson on candle making. Plus, there are over 400,000 candles available in 200 varieties.
Dinner: Chandler’s Restaurant is located on site at Yankee Candle Village. But if you’d like a change of scenery head a few miles over to Sunderland for a dinner at Goten of Japan or BridgeSide Grille.
Once you and your family are fed get back in the car and head east on the Pike back towards Boston. You should be home in roughly two hours.
TO THE SOUTH
Allow the kids to see animals up close at the Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford.
The basics: Let the kids experience exotic animals and glass art in the same city.
Morning: Head south on Interstate 93 towards New Bedford, a little over an hour away from Boston. Take a tour through Buttonwood Park Zoo, a 120-year-old attraction with about 30 exhibits including mountain lions, elephants, bison, seals and more.
For the more adventurous, the zoo offers “animal encounters” in which a limited number of visitors get the chance to meet with zookeepers and participate in a training session. Check the zoo’s website for availability.
Lunch: Drop by one of New Bedford’s several kid-friendly lunch options like DNB Burgers, the Black Whale or Freestones City Grille.
Afternoon: Give the kids something pretty to look at by exploring the large collection of glass artwork that resides in the New Bedford Museum of Glass. The museum features 7,000 items that span “more than 3,000 years of glassmaking history,” according to its website.
Dinner: When you’re ready to grab dinner, stop by Antonio’s Pizza Restaurant, Waterfront Grille or Pa Raffa’s Italian Restaurant.
Get back on the road and head north back to Boston, about an hour away.
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