Best Summer Day Trips to Take This Year!

Best Summer Day Trips to Take This Year

Summer day trips are great for exploring a new place, learning new things, and enjoying family activities. Whether your family prefers a beach day or a museum tour, there are a plethora of day trip plans to fit every preference!

Read more about places less than a two and a half hour drive away from NYC that you can take your family on a day trip to!

Psst… Here’s where kids can eat free in NYC and on Long Island!

Norwalk, CT

1 hour 30 minutes away from NYC

Only an hour-and-half drive from NYC, Norwalk boasts its Stepping Stones Museum for Children, which offers stellar interactive experiences for children ages 10 and under.

The Maritime Aquarium is also a popular location for families, as they can learn about marine life in the Long Island Sound, have encounters with real-life dragons and jellyfish, and enjoy viewing an IMAX film of their choice.

Fire Island, NY

2 hours from NYC

A 2-hour drive from NYC, the 31-mile barrier island welcomes visitors of all ages to have summer fun. Families can swim at the alcohol-free Ocean Beach and stroll along the boardwalk at Sunken Forest Preserve, a fascinating assortment of vegetation growing between two sand dunes.

The National Park Service also holds its annual Labor Day Sand Creation Contest, where contestants of all ages are welcome to participate. The views at Fire Island are breathtaking, and make way for an immediate admiration for nature!

Riverhead, NY

2 hours from NYC

The town of Riverhead is loved for not only its mega-sized Tanger Outlets, but the Long Island Aquarium, which is home to diverse species of penguins, otters, sea lions, and an impressive coral reef assortment. Children can also have close encounters with stingrays and bamboo sharks at the aquarium’s many touch pools.

Families can then go to Farm Country Kitchen for a healthy and tasty lunch, where they can grab sandwiches, salads, and seafood platters for reasonable prices.

Splish Splash Water Park, also located in Riverhead, is another great stop for families who want to enjoy a pool day with fun water rides and tube slides!

Buck’s County, PA

2 hours from NYC

Home to Sesame Place, Buck’s County is bound to put a smile on your children’s faces.

Aside from encounters with Elmo, children can dig for treasure, make their own race car, and learn how to operate the Delaware Canal system at the Bucks County Children’s Museum.

At mealtime, families can choose from a myriad of dining options at Peddler’s Village. Families who prefer to be active can pitch a tent at the Colonial Woods Family Camping Resort and enjoy a day camping outdoors.

For those who seek a more relaxing, laid-back day trip, the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad offers a 45-minute trip through the countryside on a 1925 steam locomotive.

Cape May, NJ

2 hours 30 minutes from NYC

Dolphins, humpbacks, and finbacks can be spotted from the Cape May Whale Watcher of Delaware Bay. In the unfortunate situation in which no whales are seen, the expenses of the boat ride are returned.

Upon coming back to dry land, families can sit for delicious seafood at Lucky Bones Backwater Grille, a local restaurant named after the hooklike claw of male horseshoe crabs that superstitious sailors once wore around for luck.

Families can enjoy rounds of miniature golf at the Cape May Miniature Golf, and enjoy a cold, sweet treat from Cocomoe’s, its ice cream parlor.

Collina Italiana - Italian Language and Cultural Center

Italian Fun for Kids and Teens! Learning a new language isn&rsquo;t just fun&mdash;it&rsquo;s also great for the brain! Did you know that it can help develop essential skills for life? Studies show that learning a second language at a young age can improve problem-solving, critical thinking, and listening abilities, while boosting memory, focus, and multitasking skills. Children who are fluent in multiple languages also demonstrate increased creativity and mental flexibility. At Collina Italiana, we make learning fun with stories, games, activities, and conversation. Each class blends art, storytelling, singing, and dancing to keep kids engaged. For older children, our classes focus on grammar and vocabulary, providing the tools they need to learn and practice Italian in a small group setting, all while having fun with a variety of resources. Kids love exploring the stories behind our cultural traditions, adding a rich, hands-on experience to their language learning journey. &nbsp; &nbsp;

New York Society of Play Summer Camp and Classes

Summer Game Camp There are many who do not feel safe sending their children back out into the world with summer camp, this year. To serve those parents and keep the children connected and stimulated during this challenging time, we are offering NYSP Digital Summer Camp. The name of the game with NYSP Summer Camp is community. We have made a large effort to make our camp feel like a living space, with features including &ndash; - Role-Playing games familiar and new, led by our master storytellers! - Enriching electives such as Chess, World Building, Character Acting, Crafts, Drawing, and more! - Discussion and media screening rooms during lunch! - A digital campus! - Moderated chat hours! &nbsp; Join us for a summer of games, friends, and more! Mon - Fri 10am - 2:30pm &nbsp; Roleplay Expeditions: Dungeons &amp; Dragons No experience is required to join one of our Dungeons &amp; Dragons games. Our game masters have pre-made character sheets, so you'll be able to start playing the game right away! We adapt the rules of traditional Dungeons &amp; Dragons to make them more approachable to children of various ages. Battle in dungeons, search for relics, and make new friends in our one-of-a-kind Dungeons &amp; Dragons workshop!&nbsp; &nbsp; Public games meet once per week, with different groups every time. Private games meet 1 to 2 times per week with the same group of kids. Since the players and the storyteller in the group are consistent, this enables us to tell epic tales of adventure together! &nbsp; Dungeons &amp; Dragons Junior No experience is required to join one of our drop-in Dungeons &amp; Dragons games. Our Dungeons &amp; Dragons Jr. game provides a D&amp;D storytelling experience without character sheets. Battle in dungeons, search for relics, and make new friends in our one-of-a-kind Dungeons &amp; Dragons workshop! A great way to introduce young children to D&amp;D so they can eventually move onto the main game.

Broadway Dance Center Children and Teens

With more than 35 years of experience, Broadway Dance Center Children &amp; Teens provides young movers ages 3-18 with exceptional training. BDC delivers the finest all-around dance experience for students by offering a wide variety of styles and levels, performance opportunities, and the highest caliber dance instruction that only New York City and BDC Children &amp; Teens can provide. This studio is so much more than a training course for young dancers; it is a diverse, family-friendly community for budding creatives. It has an exemplary faculty who follow the vision to not only develop a dancer&rsquo;s love and ability in dance, but to do so in a nurturing and supportive way.