Summer in New England,
with kids.
A New England summer, for us, starts with the girls climbing the rocks by the tide pools at Long Sands while Nubble Lighthouse sits across the water. We live on the New Hampshire seacoast, right on the Maine border, so the beach is our default. The rest of the season goes to the mountains, a lake and, when we can, Vermont. This is the version we would plan for any family, with the parts we haven't done marked plainly.
A New England summer,
at a glance.
If you have one week, pick one of these and base yourself there. Moving every night eats the long summer days you came for.
| Where | The summer draw | Best base | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|
| NH and southern Maine coast | Long Sands, Ogunquit Beach, Wallis Sands | York Beach or Ogunquit | Our home turf |
| White Mountains | Story Land, hikes, the Cog Railway | North Conway | Done with the girls |
| Lakes Region, NH | Mount Major and its lake views | A day trip, or Gilford | Both girls hiked it |
| Vermont | Lake Champlain, recreation paths, Quechee | Stowe, Burlington or Woodstock | Kyle grew up there |
| Acadia and Bar Harbor | Cadillac Mountain, Sand Beach, carriage roads | Bar Harbor | Biggest payoff in Maine |
| Cape Cod | Beaches, ice cream, arcades | One Cape town | Not with the girls yet |
Hours, parking fees and reservation rules change every season, so check each park's or town's own site before you go.
When is summer in New England, and when should families go?
Think of it as late June through Labor Day. July and August have the warmest water and the most things open, and they are also when beach towns are at their busiest.
The weeks around Labor Day are our favorite stretch. That is when we usually end up at Wells Beach, with plenty of sand and the end-of-summer light. If your school calendar allows a late-August week, take it.
Book early: the 2-bedroom rentals with a real kitchen in beach and mountain towns are the first to go for July and August. If you know your week, book it in winter.
What are the best New England summer family vacations?
These are the four we would build for a family asking us, in the order we would suggest them for young kids:
- A beach week on the southern Maine coast, based in York Beach or Ogunquit. The easiest summer week there is with small children.
- A White Mountains week in North Conway, with Story Land if your kids are young and a short summit hike if they are older.
- A Vermont week around Stowe or Burlington for lakes and bike paths, or Woodstock and Quechee for a slower one.
- A long weekend in Acadia, which is too far for a day but worth every hour of the drive.
Each one gets its own section below.
The beaches: York, Ogunquit and Rye.
Our beach days repeat the same three favorites. Long Sands in York comes first: a bathroom right on the beach, takeout and several ice cream shops across the road, and tide pools that keep the girls busy for hours. In Ogunquit, the girls walk the Marginal Way in the morning and spend the rest of the day on Ogunquit Beach. And just over the line in New Hampshire, Wallis Sands State Park in Rye is the easiest beach day we know: reserve the state-park parking spot for the day, and there are bathrooms and a small store.
The water is cold, even in August. Plan on wading and wave-jumping rather than long swims. Our best beaches in Maine for kids guide has the parking details, where we eat and the bigger beaches further up the coast.
Parking, honestly: at Long Sands the road meters run about $4 an hour and fill early. Get there before about 10am. After that, the lots cost about $20 to $40 for the day.
What is there to do in the New Hampshire mountains in summer?
We go up to North Conway and stay over with the kids. Story Land, a theme park built for younger children just up the road in Glen, is the summer headline. We took both girls when they were under 6, and it is seasonal, so check its calendar first. Dinner is Tuckerman Brewing or Moat Mountain Brewing Company, both kid-friendly, and the village is fun to walk.
For a hike, Mount Major is where we send families first. It is technically in the Lakes Region, south of the White Mountains proper, and both girls have climbed it. The reward is a real summit with wide lake views, on a trail young legs can finish. We have also ridden the Mount Washington Cog Railway with the girls, and summer is when it runs all the way to the summit.
Our North Conway with kids guide has the full base-town plan.
Is Vermont good in the summer with kids?
Yes. Kyle grew up in Wallingford and we go back constantly to see his family, and summer and fall are our two favorite Vermont seasons. Summer is the easy one with kids. The days are long, Lake Champlain is warm enough to enjoy from the shore, and the recreation paths in Stowe and Burlington are at their best.
We have done Stowe, Burlington and Lake Champlain, and Woodstock and Quechee, with the girls. Pick one of those areas and stay put. Our Vermont with kids guide splits them up by what each is good for.
Is Acadia worth the drive in summer?
It is. We have taken our girls to Bar Harbor and Acadia, and of the Maine places we know, it has the biggest payoff: big views that don't demand a big hike. Plan two full days at minimum. Driving up Cadillac Mountain needs a vehicle reservation in season, so book that before you go. The rest is in our Acadia National Park with kids guide.
What about Cape Cod in the summer?
We haven't taken the girls to the Cape yet. Kyle knows it well from before kids, and summer is the season he would pick: lots of beaches, ice cream shops, arcades and outdoor restaurants, with a real New England feel. His one warning is the traffic. There is only a two-lane road on and off the Cape, and it gets very crowded, so plan your arrival and departure around it. Our Cape Cod weekend guide is the research version.
How far is each summer base from Boston?
Drive times are from Boston, since that's where most readers start. Portsmouth is about an hour, and Ogunquit is about 1 hour 25 minutes. North Conway is just under 3 hours. Woodstock, Vermont is about 2 hours 35 minutes, and Bar Harbor is about 5 hours, which is why Acadia is a long weekend and not a day trip. Summer Friday afternoons add time to every one of these.
Where should a family stay for a New England summer week?
Somewhere you can walk from. In York Beach that means walking to Long Sands and skipping the 10am parking race. In North Conway it means walking into the village for dinner.
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A coast base and a mountain base, both places we have stayed
The two summer bases we use most are the beach towns just over the Maine line and North Conway. The two hotels below are ones we have stayed in with the girls. For a week, a 2-bedroom rental in either town is what we would search first.
Where we stayed for a night away with the girls: two indoor pools and an outdoor pool.
Our last stay in North Conway, and one we would book again. It is a hotel, not a rental, so ask for a room that fits four.
Links open Vrbo or Expedia for 2 adults and 2 kids with no dates set, so prices change once you add dates. Summer weeks book up early. See every stay on our approved list.
What families ask us.
Where should a family go in New England in summer?
Our own summer is the beaches just over the Maine line, a mountain weekend in North Conway, a lake hike like Mount Major, and Vermont, which is one of our two favorite Vermont seasons. Acadia and Bar Harbor are the long-weekend trip with the biggest payoff. Cape Cod is the classic, but we haven't taken the girls yet.
What are the best New England summer family vacations?
A beach week in southern Maine based near York or Ogunquit, a White Mountains week based in North Conway with Story Land for young kids, a Vermont lake and recreation-path week around Stowe or Burlington, and a long weekend in Acadia. Pick one base and stay in it rather than moving every night.
When is the best time for a New England summer trip with kids?
July and August, for the warmest water and everything open. The weeks around Labor Day are quieter, which is when we usually end up at Wells Beach. Book rentals early for July and August, because the good 2-bedroom places in beach and mountain towns go first.
Is the ocean warm enough to swim in New England in summer?
In Maine and New Hampshire it is cold even in August, so most kids wade, jump a few waves and then play on the sand and rocks. Tide pools, a calmer river side at Ogunquit Beach, and lakes like Lake Champlain are how our summer days actually go.
How crowded is New England in the summer?
Beach towns and Cape Cod are at their busiest. At Long Sands in York the road meters fill early, so we get there before about 10am, and the lots after that run about $20 to $40 a day. On the Cape, plan your drive around weekend bridge traffic.
How far are New England summer spots from Boston?
Portsmouth is about an hour from Boston and Ogunquit about 1 hour 25 minutes. North Conway is just under 3 hours, Woodstock, Vermont about 2 hours 35 minutes, and Bar Harbor about 5 hours. Summer weekends add time to all of them.
Keep planning.
Planning something further afield?
The Boston-to-Europe family flight guide: which routes run year-round, the order we book things in, and how far ahead to buy for a school vacation week.
Plus our 12-page field guide, free: where we stay, what we pack, and the eSIM, VPN and insurance we set up before every trip.
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