101 Family Day Trips from 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!
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Get Wild on a Hike
Time Travel Today
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Old Sturbridge Village |
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Historic Deerfield |
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Plimoth Plantation |
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Mystic Seaport |
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Strawbery Banke Museum |
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CT Old State House |
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Mark Twain House |
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Dinosaur State Park |
Make Life a Beach
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Hammonasset Beach |
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Ocean Beach |
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Hole-In-The-Wall Beach |
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Misquamicut State Beach |
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Napatree Point |
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Rocky Neck State Park |
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Sherwood Island State Park |
Splash into Some Water Fun
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Lake Compounce |
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Splash Away Bay at Quassy |
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Brownstone Exploration and Discovery Park |
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CoCo Key Water Resort |
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Great Wolf Lodge - Fitchburg |
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Water Wizz |
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Breezy Picnic Grounds and Waterslides |
Spend the Day at a Museum
Explore These Cities
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Essex |
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Norwalk |
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East Lyme |
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Mystic |
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Springfield, MA |
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Portsmouth, NH |
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Watch Hill, RI |
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Providence, RI |
All Aboard Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (and Boats!)
Grow Some Fun at the Farm
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Lyman Orchards |
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Strong Family Farm |
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Silvermans Farm |
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Jones Family Farm |
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Fort Hill Farms |
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Community Farm of Simsbury |
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Dudley Farm Museum |
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Flamig Farm |
Play Ball!
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Hartford Yard Goats |
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Bridgeport Sound Tigers Hockey |
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CT Tigers Baseball |
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Hartford Hawks Teams |
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Hartford Wolf Pack |
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Bridgeport Bluefish |
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CT Sun Womens Basketball |
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NE Black Wolves Lacrosse |
Treat Yo' Self
Connect with Nature
Amuse Yourself at These Amusement Parks
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Quassy Amusement Park |
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Lake Compounce |
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The Great Escape and Splashwater Kingdom |
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Canobie Lake Park |
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Six Flags New England |
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Rye Playland |
Talk to the Animals
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Beardsley Zoo |
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The Zoo In Forest Park |
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Mystic Aquarium |
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Maritime Aquarium |
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Action Wildlife |
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Lutz Children's Museum |
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Northwest Park |
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Southwick's Zoo |
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Zoo NE - Stone Zoo |
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Buttonwood Park Zoo |
Monkey Around at the Playground Destinations
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Wickham Park |
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Buckingham Road Park |
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Kids In Motion Playground |
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Enfield Rotary Accessible Playground |
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Sandcastle Playground |
Get Active Indoors
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Stone Age Rock Gym |
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Launch Trampoline Park |
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Ron-A-Roll Roller Skating |
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Timber Gyms |
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Whippersnapper's |
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Glow Cove |
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Lessard Lanes |
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Soarin' Indoor Aerial Adventure |
Challenge Yourself
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The Adventure Park at Storrs |
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Empower Leadership Adventure Center |
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IT Adventure Indoor Ropes Course |
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Complexity (escape room) |
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Adventure Rooms |
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Wadsworth Atheneum |
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New Britain Museum of American Art |
Take A Spin On A Carousel!
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, share it with us on Facebook!
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