101 Family Day Trips and Staycation Ideas Around Hartford | Kids Out and About Hartford <

101 Family Day Trips and Staycation Ideas Around Hartford

 

 

Free activities and splurges that are worth it. The coolest stuff for a staycation in town and road trips for less than a tank of gas from Hartford. Kids Out And About has tons of ideas for family travel, with places to explore, learn, and have fun! Remember, it's always best to follow each link to get details about your visit directly from your destination, since some places operate seasonally or by reservation).

KidsOutAndAbout is America's online guide to everything for kids, teens, and families! If you don't already receive our free weekly e-newsletter, sign up today to make sure you're in the know about free stuff, festivals, classes, camps, vacation ideas, and all the best events near you! 

Explore Gardens & Sculpture Gardens

Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden
Bushnell Plaza Sculpture Garden
Studio 80 + Sculpture Grounds
  Barlett Arboretum 
Lavender Pond Farm
Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory and Gardens
Hollister House Garden
Greenwich Botanical Center
Opus 40 Sculpture Park & Museum
Fort Hill Farms

 

Get Wild on a Hike

  Bluff Point State Park
Devils Hopyard State Park
Macedonia Brook State Park
Pachaug State Forest
White Memorial Conservation Center
Wadsworth Falls State Park
Hubbard Park | City of Meriden, CT
Sanctuary Trail Wood - Connecticut Audubon Society

 

Time Travel Today

  Old Sturbridge Village
Historic Deerfield
Plimoth Plantation
Mystic Seaport Museum
Strawbery Banke Museum
Connecticut's Old State House
Mark Twain House
Dinosaur State Park
Noah Webster House

 

Make Life a Beach

  Friends of Hammonasset Beach State Park
Ocean Beach
Hole-In-The-Wall Beach - Town of East Lyme
Misquamicut State Beach
Napatree Point
Rocky Neck State Park
Sherwood Island State Park

 

Splash into Some Water Fun

  Lake Compounce
Quassy Amusement and Waterpark
Brownstone Park
Indoor Water Park New England
Great Wolf Lodge - Fitchburg, MA
Water Wizz
Breezy Picnic Grounds and Waterslides

 

Spend the Day at a Museum

  Stepping Stones Museum
Niantic Children's Museum
Yale Peabody Museum
Lyman Allyn Art Museum
New England Air Museum
Imagine Nation
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Springfield Museums
The Eric Carle Museum
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

 

Explore These Cities

  Experience Essex
Norwalk
Town of East Lyme
This is Mystic
Springfield, MA
Official Portsmouth
Watch Hill Rhode Island
Providence RI

 

All Aboard Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (and Boats!)

  Essex Steam Train & Riverboat
Danbury Railway Museum
Railroad Museum of New England
Connecticut Trolley Museum
The Shore Line Trolley Museum
New England Air Museum
The Submarine Force Museum - USS Nautlius

 

Grow Some Fun at the Farm

  Lyman Orchards
Strong Family Farm
Silvermans Farm
Jones Family Farm
Fort Hill Farms
Gifts of Love
The Dudley Farm
Flamig Farm

 

Play Ball!

  Hartford Yard Goats
Bridgeport Islanders
Norwich Sea Unicorns
Hartford Hawks
Hartford Wolf Pack
Connecticut Sun Woman's Basketball

 

Treat Yo' Self

  The Collins Creamery
The Big Dipper Ice Cream Factory
Praline's Own Made – CT Ice Cream Company & Ice Cream Parlors
Timothy's Ice Cream 
UCONN Dairy Barn
Fish Family Farm
Ferris Acres Creamery
Old lyme Ice Cream Shoppe
Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream
Arethusa Farm
J. Foster Ice Cream
Buttonwood Farm
Fort Hill Farms
PEZ Visitor Center
Street Food New Haven

 

Connect with Nature

  Indian Rock Nature Preserve
Meigs Point Nature Center
Kellogg Environmental Center
Westmoor Park - Town of West Hartford
Elizabeth Park
Webb Mountain Discovery Zone
James L Goodwin State Forest
Northwest Park

 

Amuse Yourself at These Amusement Parks

  Quassy Amusement and Waterpark
Lake Compounce
Canobie Lake Park
Six Flags New England
Rye Playland

 

Talk to the Animals

  Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo
The Zoo in Forest Park & Education Center
Mystic Aquarium
Maritime Aquarium
Goshen Animals | Action Wildlife Foundation
Lutz Children's Museum
Southwick's Zoo
Zoo NE - Stone Zoo
The Buttonwood Park Zoo

  

Monkey Around at the Playground Destinations

  Wickham Park
Buckingham Road Park
Kids In Motion Playground
Enfield Rotary Accessible Playground
Sandcastle Playground

 

Get Active Indoors

  Stone Age Rock Gym
Launch Trampoline Park
Ron-A-Roll Indoor Skating Center
Whippersnapper's Play Gym
Lessard Lanes

 

Challenge Yourself

  The Adventure Park at Storrs
Empower Leadership
It Adventure Ropes Course
Complexity
Adventure Rooms
New Britain Museum of American Art

 

Take A Spin On A Carousel!

  Bushnell Park Carousel
Danbury Fair Mall Carousel
Charity Carousel
Ocean Beach Park Carousel
The Carousel Museum
Lighthouse Point
Fall River Carousel – Ice Cream at the Carousel
Looff Carousel at Slater Park
Watch Hill Merry-Go-Round & Beach

 

Limiting our list to 101 ideas meant some great destinations may have been left off the list - if there is something you’d like to see added, email your publisher, Debra Ross, at ross@kidsoutandabout.com.


Most of these destinations are within an hour from Hartford. For those that are a bit farther away:

             = Less than 1 hour away

          = 1 to 2 hours away

       = 2 to 3 hours away

   = Just over 3 hours away 

 


 

 

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