From hi-tech thrill rides and water parks to living history museums and zoos, experiences for kids and families in Southern New England never end. Where else can you explore the mysteries of the deep, come face-to-face with beluga whales and sea lions and get to know the brave adventurers who settled this corner of America?
Find out about anything from acting to Japanese life at the Children’s Museum. See bolts of lightning at the Museum of Science. Count the eight duckling statues, from the Make way for Ducklings story in Boston’s Public Gardens. Ride in the unique, 125-year-old Swan Boats or an amphibious Boston Duck Tour.
Clamber aboard the Mayflower II, the replica of the tiny ship that brought the Pilgrims to America in 1620. At Plimoth Plantation, costumed interpreters explain what everyday life was like in the 17th century; Native Americans at Hobbamock’s Homesite carve out canoes.
On Cape Cod, watch a miller grind corn at the 1640 Dexter Grist Mill (Sandwich) or spuds transformed at the Cape Cod Potato Chip factory (Hyannis). Brewster boasts the New England Fire & History Museum, with a diorama of the 1871 Chicago Fire. Go whale watching from Provincetown. The Cape’s home made ice cream stands are legendary.
With its skeleton of a blue whale and the half-scale model of a whaler (children can climb aboard), the Bedford Whaling Museum is entertaining and educational. The Moby-Dick display recalls that author Herman Melville once lived and sailed from Bedford.
With over 80 neatly clipped shrubs, Green Animals is all about topiary, shapes ‘carved’ from live privet. The century-old display includes a couple of cuddly bears, a camel and even a giraffe!
The Roger Williams Park Zoo is rated in the top ten zoos in the USA. Among the 950 animals and 160 species on 40 acres are kangaroos, snow leopards, elephants and cheetah. In the city’s Children’s Museum, youngsters can climb through sewers and see what was cooking in a Colonial kitchen.
At the International Tennis Hall of Fame, see video clips of great players in action, then play on the oldest grass tennis courts in the world! At Astor’s Beechwood, one of the grand 19th century mansions of the rich and famous, costumed staff recreate life above and below stairs. You are a guest...so behave accordingly!
An inspiration to youngsters, the International Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame honors star sportsmen and women who have also excelled academically. New in 2002, the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.
Known for its beaches, this stretch of Rhode Island coast also offers whale watching (from Galilee) and perhaps the oldest carousel in the USA. In Watch Hill, the carved wooden horses, with real tails and manes, have been whirling round since 1879.
Choose from three terrific family attractions. Mystic Seaport is a lively recreation of a 19th century fishing village, with busy crafts people and fine old ships. The Mystic Aquarium has recently combined with Dr Bob Ballard’s Institute for Exploration to present the wonders of marine life as well as the thrill of undersea exploration and archaeology. Nearby, the Mashantucket Pequot Museum is the nation’s largest Native American museum, with a life-size 16th century Indian village.
At the US Navy’s Submarine Museum, in the Submarine Capital of America, compare a model of the world’s first sub, the American Turtle (invented in Connecticut in 1776), with USS Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear sub, the first sub to sail under the North Pole.
The Connecticut River Museum is a treasure trove of ships and shipbuilding lore, including the only working model of American Turtle (see Groton). Side trips: the Valley Railroad steams up to Deep River where you join a river cruise; eccentric Gillette Castle was the home of an actor, famed for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes
Music, math and mirrors are among the displays at the CT Children’s Museum (New Haven). The Eli Whitney Museum (Hamden) reflects the creative genius of the inventor of the cotton gin and a major influence in the Industrial Revolution. See 100 trolley cars and ride the 3 miles of century-old trolley line at the Shore Line Trolley Museum (East Haven) that featured in several movies.
The New England farmyard and South American rain forest are clues that Beardsley Zoo, concentrates on North and South American birds and animals, such as condors, wolves and bears. The Barnum Museum celebrates circus impresario PT Barnum, the founder of The Greatest Show on Earth.
Norwalk’s Maritime Aquarium specializes in what goes on beneath the surface of Long Island Sound. Did you know that one in ten Americans lives within 50 miles of Long Island Sound?
With a history going back to the 1840s, Lake Compounce is the oldest amusement park in America. Top ride is Boulder Dash, voted the world’s No 1 wooden ‘coaster in 2001. By contrast, the Carousel dates from 1911.
Nearly 90 years old, the Bushnell Park Carousel, in the heart of the city, is a working antique. With 48 horses, two chariots and a Wurlitzer organ, a ride is a bargain 50 cents.
As well as helicopters galore, the planes in the New England Air Museum range from a 1909 Bleriot monoplane to a Russian MiG-15
Six Flags New England is one of the Northeast’s most exciting theme parks, with over 20 concerts and events and Superman, Ride of Steel, rated No 1 coaster on the planet by fans. At night, the Glow in the Park Parade features state-of-the-art floats, great music and thousands of sparkling lights. Families love Wiggles World, Thomas Town, New England’s largest water park and the Looney Tunes-themed rides.
Bigger and better than ever is the Basketball Hall of Fame, celebrating the invention of the sport at what is now Springfield College in 1891. Kids of all ages enjoy Dr Seuss stories. See statues of the author and his creations, such as the Grinch and the Cat in the Hat (installed in 2002) at Springfield’s Quadrangle.
With costumed shop keepers, housewives, farmers and craftsmen, Sturbridge Village recreates rural life in New England back in the 1830s. Hugely popular for over 50 years, this is a delightful insight into how people lived in days gone by.
The Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor is unique in the USA, embracing towns like Pawtucket, Woonsocket and Smithfield, plus villages, old factories and countryside on both sides of the Massachusetts/Rhode Island border. A vast range of activities, with regular guided boat trips on the river.
The only museum in the Western Hemisphere dedicated to arms and armor, the Higgins Armory Museum has a collection of 5,000 items, ranging from Ancient Greek helmets to chain mail and suits of medieval armor.
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