New England Family Road Trip Highlights (and Must-Haves for Surviving Travel with Kids!)
We’re just back from an incredible week exploring New England, and I’m so excited to share the highlights! I took about 10,000 photos—so paintings are sure to come—but in the meantime, I wanted to share some of our favorite spots and road trip tips in case you’re planning a trip up north.
Also, I’m not quite ready to face the massive laundry pile waiting for me, and I’ve decided that compiling this list doesn’t count as procrastination if it helps us both. You get our favorite places and kid-friendly recommendations, and I get to relive the trip a little longer.
Lake Champlain sunset from Downtown Burlington
Family Road Trip Must-Haves (Tested on 3,600 Miles with Kids)
This summer we’ve put 3,600 road-tripping miles on our new Nissan Armada (which I’m obsessed with and highly recommend), and here’s what made all the difference for a smooth road trip with kids:
Let’s be real: on our road trips, the kids mostly zone out to shows, we listen to podcasts, and when we pass something beautiful, I unplug their headphones and point. It works for us.
Headphones (we’ve learned that all pairs need to be the same or one kid will have super loud sound and another will hear nothing)
3-way headphone splitter (we’ve got 3 kids, so this is a must)
Extension cable (especially for third-row riders—ours is 6 ft)
IPad mount for the car (we use a center-mounted version to reduce seat envy)
IPad (make sure it has a headphone jack or you bring an adapter!)
Our New England Family Itinerary
DC → Boston, MA → Bar Harbor, ME → Burlington, VT
Each destination had something special, but Burlington has my heart. Vermont is magical, and Burlington strikes the perfect balance between kid-friendly and grown-up enjoyable. That said, Bar Harbor was a close second! Boston is always a great city, but since we live in DC, I’ve realized that vacation feels more like a vacation when we’re not in a big city.
Our travel style: My husband plans the big activities in a shared Google Doc, I fill in restaurants and fun extras (restaurant planning is where I shine), and unless we’ve booked timed tickets or reservations, we treat the doc like a flexible guide.
Below are our favorite hotels, restaurants, and activities—organized by city. Hope it helps with planning your own travel!
Boston:
Duck Boat Tour (I wasn’t sure what to expect but I LOVED IT! Kids loved it too, and even got to drive the boat!! Our guide was hilarious and we learned so much, highly highly recommend if you find yourself in Boston.
I want to add that I know touristy things feel so cringy sometimes, and often make you doubt how worthwhile they might be, but many things are touristy because they’re worth seeing/doing! That said, I firmly believe that 90% of touristy restaurants can and should be skipped!
Museum of Science (Duck Boat pickup/dropoff is here and it’s definitely worth a visit, kids or no kids! Very cool exhibits and lots of interactives.)
We stayed at the Residence Inn in Cambridge. The location was great, easy access to the T, and a Residence Inn is always a winner when traveling with kids. Our kids think that whether there’s free breakfast downstairs is how you judge a hotel’s quality lol.
Bar Harbor:
Acadia National Park, obviously. You can’t go to Bar Harbor without hitting the park! We did the Cadillac Summit Loop, amazing views, you need to get a reservation for Cadillac Road in advance, though so make sure to do that! We also did the Jordan Pond Hike. It was sooo beautiful and an easy hike, so I’d definitely recommend it. My kids complained about the length (I think it’s about 3.5 miles all in?) but I had some nerds gummies in my bag and gave them “power ups” as needed to get through! Jordan Pond also has a restaurant (reservations recommended!) known for its popovers. We missed it and opted for something near our hotel instead, but let me know if you try those popovers!
Diver Ed’s Dive in Theatre this is an activity specifically for those of you visiting with kids, but if you are, then it’s not to be missed! It was such a hit. Ed and his wife run the boat, along with their 3 Newfoundlands, who roam around looking for ear rubs, and it’s such a fun outing. In about 90 minutes, Ed and his wife, “Captain Evil/Edna” teach you all about marine life in Bar Harbor. Ed scuba dives off the boat to find creatures he can bring back to the boat, and even brings a camera down so that you can follow along as he scours the seabed. While Ed us underwater, “Edna” narrates his adventure and teaches us about what he’s seeing and what they’ve seen in the past. Once Ed’s back on the boat, the pair quickly covers any pinchers on the creatures he’s brought up, and the kids get to hold and touch anything they want. The whole experience is really fun, educational, and filled with fart jokes. It was a highlight of the trip for our kids who are 5, 8, and 10.
Mount Dessert Bakery Great coffee and pastries. We ordered on their website each morning on our way out for the day, so we were grab-and-go customers only, but it was yummy and efficient!
Side Street Cafe We went for lunch with the kids and got in quickly. Great food and service, and they had little bags of playdoh for the kids so everyone was happy!
Thirsty Whale Tavern I had a great blackened fish sandwich here our first night in Bar Harbor, and they’ve got a lovely back patio, what more could you want?
West Street Cafe OMG the mussels. Everyone’s food was excellent and definitely the best blueberry pie we had all week!
The Loft Good cocktails and food, I had scallops over mushroom risotto that was excellent, and my daughter loved her cucumber sushi roll from the kids menu
Shermans Book Store We all could’ve spent hours in here. Excellent book selection, big toy section for kids (not junk) and journals and art supplies as well!
Crooked Porch Coffee Another place I wish I had more time in. Excellent coffee and I’ll be dreaming about their strawberry rhubarb scone for a long time. The blueberry muffins and warm biscuits with butter and blueberry jam were insane as well. It’s also located in the same little complex as a winery and restaurant that I wish had been open when we visited. Another trip for us, but I’d suggest stopping in if you’re able!
Lunch Bar Harbor another place where we ordered on the website and grabbed before a hike… great food!
Bluenose Inn Great location and very family friendly. Had an indoor and outdoor pool, board games in their lobby lounge, and our room was more like an apartment, even with a washer/dryer! The rooms and lounge do feel a bit dated, but overall it was a great experience and I’d stay there again!
Cadillac Mountain Summit
Burlington, VT:
Hotel Vermont I could write a love letter to this hotel. Beautiful rooms (we were initially in a suite and moved to a double/queen because we extended a night and both were lovely and well equipped), local art everywhere (ask about the painting behind the front desk!), there is so much attention to detail throughout the hotel — coffee mugs in your room made by local artists, coffee/water/ice station near the elevators on each floor that are such a delight, and a little notebook and pencil by the bed for those middle of the night ideas — the restaurant downstairs is great, I could go on. Just stay here.
Ben and Jerry’s tour it’s just a thing you have to do. There are samples though, don’t fret.
Farmhouse Tap and Grill A sure thing. Great food, great drinks. This place turned me into a fan of steak tartar 10+ years ago and I can report that it is still phenomenal
Shelburne Farms Such a special place, especially for city kids like ours. Tons of hands-on activities, cheese-making demos and samples, and petting/grooming farm animals. There’s also a great shop with local products so don’t miss that.
Old Brick Store We had phenomenal sandwiches and coffee here after Shelburne. Excellent food, great selection of wine/beer and gourmet grocery, and lots of very cool home and body items to collect or gift to those back home. Get the miso pb cookie if they have it!
Vermont Green FC really fun if you can catch a game! There were also free samples of Cabot Cheddar and Ben and Jerry’s that my kids went back for about 1000 times ;)
Petting the calves Shelburne Farms
I hope this guide is helpful! I’m already craving half the things we ate and wishing we could rewind the week. If you visit any of these places, please let me know what you think—or send your own favorites my way!
xox,
Tara