Things to do in New York State
Dec 22, 2010 | 9:56 am
#17
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: New York
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Posts: 230
I also enjoy Fire Island (there are multiple sections, including family oriented), but it may be a bit much with an 11 month old with trains/shuttles/boats. As for other nice areas in NYC metro:
1) Greenport, NY on the North Fork. Beautiful, nice wineries. You can stay at the retro Greenporter hotel and get great cuisine in town. You can also take a car ferry from Orient Point to New London, Connecticut and drive back down to NYC after tooling around Connecticut/ West Chester. Do lunch in Old Greenwich, CT which is charming or go to Foxwoods or Mohean Sun casinos.
2) Monatauk, further out on Long Island is also a beauitful Long Island beach town, with lots to do.
3) NY Finger Lakes region http://www.fingerlakes.org/ for wineries/relaxation/museums/shopping
4) If you wife likes to shop, Woodbury Commons is a famous premium outlets (Dior, Gucci, Prada, etc) http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=7
5) Boston is only a 3-4 hour drive (if you go off-peak)
Enjoy your trip!
1) Greenport, NY on the North Fork. Beautiful, nice wineries. You can stay at the retro Greenporter hotel and get great cuisine in town. You can also take a car ferry from Orient Point to New London, Connecticut and drive back down to NYC after tooling around Connecticut/ West Chester. Do lunch in Old Greenwich, CT which is charming or go to Foxwoods or Mohean Sun casinos.
2) Monatauk, further out on Long Island is also a beauitful Long Island beach town, with lots to do.
3) NY Finger Lakes region http://www.fingerlakes.org/ for wineries/relaxation/museums/shopping
4) If you wife likes to shop, Woodbury Commons is a famous premium outlets (Dior, Gucci, Prada, etc) http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=7
5) Boston is only a 3-4 hour drive (if you go off-peak)
Enjoy your trip!
I would avoid taking the ferry to New London, Connecticut and driving back to the city. The stretch of I-95 thru Connecticut is about as much fun to drive as the M25 at rush hour. Some of the roads on Long Island aren't much better but at least you have options. You can also take a train from Manhattan to Greenport if you don't want to drive.
Dec 25, 2010 | 12:03 am
#19
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: PHL, EWR
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Since other people have recommended locations outside of New York State, it would be silly to ignore the obvious destination: let see...2-3 hours from NYC, child-friendly destination....well why not Philadelphia? Great city to bring the kiddies! Plus the Sesame Place theme park is on the way down from New York if you need a super kid friendly destination! 
Dec 25, 2010 | 1:46 pm
#20
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2000
Location: TPA
Posts: 16,202
OP, beware of distances. A lot of suggestions in this thread are considerably further than 2-3 hours drive (i.e., Rochester, Finger Lakes, Montreal / Vermont), if that is a hard limit for you.
If you must stay within 2-3 hours, Philadelphia is great if you want to see another city, and a lot of popular attractions are kid friendly. But I would recommend taking the train - only a bit over an hour - much faster than driving given the traffic in that part of the country. However, if you drive, you can swing by Sesame Place in Langhorne, PA on the way; very popular with kids.
If you want the countryside or something a bit sleepier, try Bucks County, PA (which is also where Sesame Place is) or the Hudson Valley. That time of year, beware of traffic to the beach areas suggested (Cape Cod, Atlantic City, Fire Island / Montauk) if you will be going at the weekend.
All very good suggestions so far though! Just depends on exactly what you are looking for in terms of excitement and driving distance.
If you must stay within 2-3 hours, Philadelphia is great if you want to see another city, and a lot of popular attractions are kid friendly. But I would recommend taking the train - only a bit over an hour - much faster than driving given the traffic in that part of the country. However, if you drive, you can swing by Sesame Place in Langhorne, PA on the way; very popular with kids.
If you want the countryside or something a bit sleepier, try Bucks County, PA (which is also where Sesame Place is) or the Hudson Valley. That time of year, beware of traffic to the beach areas suggested (Cape Cod, Atlantic City, Fire Island / Montauk) if you will be going at the weekend.
All very good suggestions so far though! Just depends on exactly what you are looking for in terms of excitement and driving distance.
Dec 25, 2010 | 2:02 pm
#21
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Upstate NY
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Posts: 7,035
For an easy ride from NYC, I would suggest Mohonk Mountain House. June would be a lovely time in the Catskills. Put the baby in a baby carrier and there are quite a few trails you can walk.
Dec 25, 2010 | 3:59 pm
#22
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Back to Florida...... bye London
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Posts: 5,454
Take the train to Boston or DC. DC would be my pick. lots to see and do all within walking distance of each other.
http://washington.org/about-washington-dc
http://washington.org/about-washington-dc