Best day trips to take this
summer for NYC residents
BY BRONX TIMES
Best Summer Day Trips for
Summer 2021!
Summer day trips are great
for exploring a new place,
learning new things, and enjoying
family activities. Due
to Covid-19, many facilities did
not operate last year, but are
now up and running again!
Whether your family prefers a
beach day or a museum tour,
there are a plethora of day trip
plans to fi t every preference!
Read more about places less
than a 2.5-hour drive away
from NYC that you can take
your family on a day trip to!
If you’re looking for summer
activities for your children,
check out New York Kids’ Running
Programs, Races, and
Camps in Summer 2021.
Fire Island, NY
A 2-hour drive from NYC,
the 31-mile barrier island welcomes
visitors of all ages to
have summer fun. Families
can swim at the alcohol-free
Ocean Beach and stroll along
the boardwalk at Sunken Forest
Preserve, a fascinating assortment
of vegetation growing
between two sand dunes.
The National Park Service
also holds its annual Labor
Day Sand Creation Contest, to
which contestants of all ages
are welcome to participate.
The views at Fire Island are
breathtaking, and make way
for an immediate admiration
for nature!
Riverhead, NY
Located within a 2-hour
drive from NYC, the town of
Riverhead is loved for not only
its mega-sized Tanger Outlets,
but the Long Island Aquarium,
which is home to diverse
species of penguins, otters,
sea lions, and an impressive
coral reef assortment. Children
can also have close encounters
with stingrays and
bamboo sharks at the aquarium’s
many touch pools. Families
can then go to Farm Country
Kitchen for a healthy and
tasty lunch, where they can
grab sandwiches, salads, and
seafood platters for reasonable
prices. Splish Splash Water
Park, also located in Riverhead,
is another great stop for
families who want to enjoy a
pool day with fun water rides
and tube slides!
Cape May, NJ
Dolphins, humpbacks, and
fi nbacks can be spotted from
the Cape May Whale Watcher
of Delaware Bay. In the unfortunate
situation in which no
whales are seen, the expenses
of the boat ride are returned.
Upon coming back to dry land,
families can sit for delicious
seafood at Lucky Bones Backwater
Grille, a local restaurant
named after the hooklike
claw of male horseshoe crabs
that superstitious sailors once
wore around for luck. Families
can enjoy rounds of miniature
golf at the Cape May
Miniature Golf, and enjoy a
cold, sweet treat from Cocomoe’s,
its ice-cream parlor.
Buck’s County, PA
Home to Sesame Place,
Buck’s County is bound to
put a smile on your children’s
faces. Aside from encounters
with Elmo, children can dig
for treasure, make their own
Children play in a pool. Getty Images
race car, and learn how to operate
BRONX TIMES R 28 EPORTER, JULY 9-15, 2021 BTR
the Delaware Canal system
at the Bucks County Children’s
Museum. At mealtime,
families can choose from a
myriad of dining options at
Peddler’s Village. Families
who prefer to be active can
pitch a tent at the Colonial
Woods Family Camping Resort
and enjoy a day camping
outdoors. For those who seek
a more relaxing, laid-back day
trip, the New Hope & Ivyland
Railroad offers a 45-minute
trip through the countryside
on a 1925 steam locomotive.
Norwalk, CT
Only an hour-and-half
drive from NYC, Norwalk
boasts its Stepping Stones
Museum for Children, which
offers stellar interactive experiences
for children ages
10 and under. The Maritime
Aquarium is also a popular
location for families, as they
can learn about marine life
in the Long Island Sound,
have encounters with real-life
dragons and jellyfi sh, and enjoy
viewing an IMAX fi lm of
their choice.