One Tank Getaways - Family Fun

 
Print  Send this to a friend  shareShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShare this with ShareThis

Connecticut is the perfect place for the quintessential American family road trip this summer.  You don’t have to travel to Africa for an unforgettable safari experience or the Caribbean for a memorable beach vacation.  Family fun is closer than you think! 

SUMMER SAFARI
Mileage to Stamford, CT from NYC 42, Boston 174

  • Stamford Museum and Nature Center, a 118-acre retreat and home to Heckscher Farm, is a traditional New England farm where kids can watch workers milk goats and shear sheep. 
         
  • Silverman’s Farm in Easton is home to buffalo, llamas, and long-horn cattle. You can also pick your own fresh fruit, or feast on homemade pie from the Farm Market.
     
  • Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport features more than 300 animals, including Amur (Siberian) tigers, ocelots, red wolves and prairie dogs. Print out one of several themed scavenger hunts from the website (www.beardsleyzoo.com), and see who can complete the challenges first.

 

 

SPLISH SPLASH
Mileage to Middlebury, CT from NYC 87, Boston 134

  • Young children favor  Quassy Amusement Park with two dozen rides and attractions, including an interactive waterplay area (Saturation Station), the Big Flush Watercoaster, the Grand Carousel, and a white sand beach. 
     
  • School-age children and teens like Lake Compounce in Bristol. The 320-acre park features the only coaster built into the side of a mountain, Thunder N and a ride-packed water park. 
     
  • Kids of all ages New London’s Ocean Beach Park. Fans love the half-mile-long “sugar sand” beach, boardwalk, small carousel, 18-hole mini-golf course, 50-meter Olympic-size pool, picnic areas and onsite restaurants. 

 

 

RAIN RELIEF
Mileage to Norwalk, CT from NYC 51, Boston 166

  •  Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk features 1,000 sea animals, a six-story-high IMAX (imagine maximum) theater, and Ocean Playspace, a soft play area for young children along with harbor seals and sea otters frolic.
     
  • Bridgeport’s  Discovery Museum and Planetarium, where the facilities include the Challenger Learning Center (learn about space exploration) and dozens of hands-on science-related exhibits.
     
  • The Connecticut Science Center, with 150 hands-on exhibits, a state-of-the-art 3D digital theater, four educational labs, plus daily programs and events in downtown Hartford. 

 

 

MAGICAL MYSTIC
Mileage to Mystic, CT from NYC 135, Boston 99

  • Mystic Aquarium/Institute for Exploration allows families to enjoy a sea lion show, meet a beluga whale and don 3-D glasses for a wild ride as an action-packed movie rolls in the XD Motion Theater.
     
  • Mystic Pizza, the family-owned pizza shop that inspired the 1988 movie of the same name, starring Julia Roberts and Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream Shop, by the Mystic Bridge are perfect for a family meal and summer treats.
     
  •  Mystic Seaport, a 19th-century maritime village along the banks of the Mystic River and the onsite Children’s Museum where kids can dress up as sailors and swab the decks.