Is your family starting to think about where you would like to go away this summer on vacation? If you’re situated on the East Coast, you’re more than welcome to choose any of the usual suspects, such as Ocean City, MD, Virginia Beach, VA, or the Outer Banks of North Carolina. But there are also some hidden gems on the East Coast that will provide you with unexpected family-friendly adventures. Check out a few of them below.
Colonial Williamsburg, VA
If your family loves to learn while visiting a new place, Colonial Williamsburg might have everything you’ll want. From the second that you show up in town, you’ll feel like you took a step back into the 18th Century. You can visit Mount Vernon, which was George Washington’s home, or Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello. There are also more than a few Civil War sites in the area. You can unwind and get a stronger sense of American history by booking a trip to Colonial Williamsburg.
Mystic, Connecticut
The New England area is home to so many charming towns that will help you unwind as you seek to escape the hustle and bustle of your everyday life, with Mystic, Connecticut, being one of the best examples of this. It has a historic seaport that is filled with so many old homes and buildings that you can explore. It’s also the home of the Mystic Aquarium, which is one of the best aquariums on the East Coast.
Cape May, New Jersey
If you’ve ever seen an episode of MTV’s Jersey Shore, you might not think that a trip to one of the beaches in New Jersey will be all that family-friendly. But there are plenty of Jersey Shore towns that will prove to be as family-friendly as it gets, and this includes Cape May, NJ. Outside of having great beaches, Cape May also has gorgeous Victorian homes and so many shops and restaurants that you and your family can check out.
Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Does your family love to visit new places and try the local restaurants to see what they’re all about? Then you might want to figure out a way to make your way up to Cape Elizabeth, ME, so that you can check out all the hype about real Maine lobster. You’ll be shocked to see just how tasty Maine lobster is when you sit down to eat at The Lobster Shack in Cape Elizabeth.
If you and your family members also happen to love riding motorcycles, taking a trip to Cape Elizabeth will give you the chance to hit the open road and cruise up and down the East Coast on your way to and from Maine. Just make sure you have these essentials for motorcycle touring before you jump on the highway.
Springfield, Massachusetts
If you and your fellow family members consider yourselves to be sports buffs, you should try to make it to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA, at least once. You’ll be surrounded by greatness from the moment you first walk into the front door at the impressive HOF building. You’ll get the opportunity to see the striking busts of all the basketball players who have been inducted into the HOF in the past, and you’ll also be able to see historic basketball gear that will help tell the story of the NBA’s evolution.
Milton, Delaware
There are craft beer breweries scattered up and down the East Coast that you might want to try to visit with your family as long as everyone is of age and allowed to drink beer legally. The Trillium Brewing Company in Boston, for example, is a wonderful place to visit if you enjoy drinking hoppy IPAs. But one of the best breweries of the bunch is definitely Dogfish Head Brewery, which is located in the Milton, Delaware, area. You’ll be able to taste-test some of the many creative concoctions that Dogfish Head Brewery has been able to come up with when you make a stop at this brewery.
Stoneham, Maine
If your family is feeling especially adventurous, you might want to kick around the idea of staying way up in the trees in a treehouse in Maine. There are many treehouses that you can spend the night in while visiting the various cities and towns in Maine. In The Trees in Stoneham, ME, is one excellent example of a treehouse that you’ll have a blast staying in when your family is looking for an off-the-wall adventure. As an added bonus, it also has disc golf, so there won’t ever be a dull moment while your family is visiting Maine and soaking up everything it has to offer.
Cumberland Island, Georgia
You and your family aren’t going to come across wild horses near many of the hidden gems of the East Coast, but you will most certainly find them when you’re visiting Cumberland Island in Georgia. This island is known for having one of the largest populations of feral horses in the country. It also has more to offer than just horses as Cumberland Island is also home to the Dungeness Ruins, which are the remains of a mansion that was once built by Thomas Carnegie, a member of the Carnegie family that made a fortune by spearheading the steel industry in the U.S.
Each of the locations on this list will provide you and your family with a fun and eye-opening experience. You’ll be able to do things you haven’t ever done before when visiting them, and you’ll make memories that will last a lifetime by the time you’re finished. Start considering where your family’s next big adventure will take you so that you’re able to get out there and see more of the world!