Fodor's Where Should We Take the Kids: Northeast, 3rd Edition: Fresh, Most-Fun-for-the-Money, Anything-But-Boring Getaways for You and Your Chi ldren, Complete with Family-Friendly Places [Paperback]

Elin McCoy (Author)

Book Description

Series: Fodor's Where Should We Take the Kids?: Northeast | Publication Date: April 27, 1999

STRAIGHT TALK BY A PARENT FOR PARENTS


This cheerful book helps you pick the right destinations for your next family getaway. Loaded with general planning tips, the book profiles big cities, beach towns, and mountain resorts. It also looks in-depth at places of interest by subject.

• Historic Structures and Famous Sites: Forts, Lighthouses, Castles, and Skyscrapers

• Museums, Planetariums, and Halls of Fame: Dinosaurs, Mummies, Witches, and Robots

• Animals and Marine Life: Zoos, Aquariums, Game Farms, and Wildlife Sanctuaries

• Parks Seashores, and Nature Centers: Green Spaces, Wilderness, Big Rocks, and Bogs

• Outdoor Action in the Sun: Treks, Trail Rides, Canoe Trips, and More

• Outdoor Action in the Snow: Skiing, Skating, Bobsled Rides, and More

• Big-Time Sports for Spectators: Hoops, Hits, Hat Tricks, and Touchdowns

• Family Farms, Resorts, and Ranches: Saddle Up, Tee Off, and Lie Around

• Music, Dance, Theater, and the Circus: Brass Bands, Puppets, and the Nutcracker


Family-friendly hotels and restaurants are reviewed and rated with an eye to their appeal to children and their parents. And throughout the guide, symbols highlight each attraction's interest to kids in various age groups. It's a wonderful planner that will help you zero in on the perfect getaway for you and your youngsters for years to come.


About the Author

Elin McCoy's 17-year-old son has traveled all over the Northeast in the course of his parents' research on food and wine, travel, and parenting. McCoy has written three books for children and contributed to the New York Times, Parents Magazine, Reader's Digest, and other publications.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

STRAIGHT TALK BY A PARENT FOR PARENTS


This cheerful book helps you pick the right destinations for your next family getaway. Loaded with general planning tips, the book profiles big cities, beach towns, and mountain resorts. It also looks in-depth at places of interest by subject.

? Historic Structures and Famous Sites: Forts, Lighthouses, Castles, and Skyscrapers

? Museums, Planetariums, and Halls of Fame: Dinosaurs, Mummies, Witches, and Robots

? Animals and Marine Life: Zoos, Aquariums, Game Farms, and Wildlife Sanctuaries

? Parks Seashores, and Nature Centers: Green Spaces, Wilderness, Big Rocks, and Bogs

? Outdoor Action in the Sun: Treks, Trail Rides, Canoe Trips, and More

? Outdoor Action in the Snow: Skiing, Skating, Bobsled Rides, and More

? Big-Time Sports for Spectators: Hoops, Hits, Hat Tricks, and Touchdowns

? Family Farms, Resorts, and Ranches: Saddle Up, Tee Off, and Lie Around

? Music, Dance, Theater, and the Circus: Brass Bands, Puppets, and the Nutcracker


Family-friendly hotels and restaurants are reviewed and rated with an eye to their appeal to children and their parents. And throughout the guide, symbols highlight each attraction's interest to kids in various age groups. It's a wonderful planner that will help you zero in on the perfect getaway for you and your youngsters for years to come.


About the Author

Elin McCoy's 17-year-old son has traveled all over the Northeast in the course of his parents' research on food and wine, travel, and parenting. McCoy has written three books for children and contributed to the New York Times, Parents Magazine, Reader's Digest, and other publications.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Aside form great coverage of all the things to see and do with your kids in the Northeast, this guide also provides tips to make sure getting there really is half the fun.


What's in the Cup

ages 2 to 4


Take turns dropping a coin, key, crayon, grape, or other small object into a hard plastic cup. Shake it, and then see if anyone can guess what's in it.


I Spy

ages 4 to 8


One child starts by "spying" something, such as a red barn, then announces, "I spy something red." Whoever guesses what it is becomes it next. Limit choices to inside or outside the car.


Animal Lookout

ages 4 to 12


Give points for animals spotted; the winner is the person with the highest total when you arrive at your destination. In our version dogs and cats were worth 1 point; chipmunks and squirrels, 2 points; farm animals (horses, cows, chickens, sheep), 3 points; deer, rabbits, and birds, 5 points; snakes, moose, and other unlikely specimens, 10 points.


Collect the Alphabet Game

ages 4 to 12


We compete to see who can find all the letters of the alphabet, in sequence, first. We permit only one letter for each sign, billboard, license plate, and so on, per player. The letters q and z are the toughies.


Pink Toads

ages 4 to 12


"It" must answer any question asked of him or her with the phrase "Pink Toads" without laughing. Other players try to provoke laughter by asking what Its favorite breakfast is or what It always takes to bed with him or her or what he or she most hopes to get for a birthday present. Whoever makes It laugh becomes It for the next round. Gavin and his friends found this a much more hilarious game than John and I did. For the most fun, use other silly phrases, changing frequently.


I'm Taking a Trip

ages 5 and up


To us this is a classic. The first person says, "I'm taking a trip and packing an apron." The second person repeats the sentence and adds an item beginning with the letter b, and so on, until someone forgets one item.


Treasure Hunt

ages 5 and up


With your kids, draw up a list of items to look for along the way. A few examples: a hay wagon, a cement mixer, a black dog, a bridge, and a waterfall. Twenty to 30 items are sufficient; if your kids are older, add in a few hard ones, such as a burned-down house or an auto graveyard. En route, check them off as they're spotted.


Counting Cows

ages 5 to 12


One person counts the cows in fields on one side of the road; the other person counts those on the opposite side; when you pass a graveyard, the person whose side it is on must bury his or her cows and start again. To keep the game manageable, pick an end point -- until you stop for lunch or reach a turnoff.


Round-Robin Story

ages 6 to 14


One person begins a tale, stopping after 10 sentences or an agreed-upon time limit (one or two minutes for little kids, longer for older ones). Then another storyteller adds to it, and so on until the last person has to wrap up a conclusion. We found it fun to tape these and play them later.


Twenty Questions

ages 10 and up


You probably know how to play this game, but if not, read on. One player thinks of a person, place, or thing for others to guess. We sometimes mention one clue, as in "I'm thinking of something inside a house" or "I'm thinking of a place in New York City," to make it easy enough for younger kids. The other players can ask up to 20 questions (only if they can be answered with "yes" or "no") to help them guess.


Ghost

ages 10 and up


Both John and I played this challenging game when we were kids, and Gavin likes it as much as we did then. The first player says the first letter of any word with more than four letters, but without saying the word. The next player adds a letter that would fit in a word he has in mind. Then the next player adds another letter, and so on. The point, however, is to add letters without completing any word. Whoever does (or can't think of a letter to add) is given the letter G. The next time it happens he or she gets an H, and so on until someone completes the word "ghost" and is out of the game. The last player in the game wins.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Fodor's; 3 edition (April 27, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679002030
• ISBN-13: 978-0679002031
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,519,489 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic and unique, June 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Fodor's Where Should We Take the Kids: Northeast, 3rd Edition: Fresh, Most-Fun-for-the-Money, Anything-But-Boring Getaways for You and Your Chi ldren, Complete with Family-Friendly Places (Paperback)

Having spent a lot of time looking for information on imaginative & fun (and sometimes luxury) travel with kids, I can tell you that this is a really unique book. It is comprehensive, carefully researched and well written with loads of practical tips. Some 'travel with kids' books might as well just be bland advertising copy, this one really provides good editorial content, with positive and critical comments. It is a pleasure to read and we will use it for a long time. Fodor's should publish more of these for other parts of the US/world.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful age-related guide for kids, November 30, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Where Should We Take the Kids?: California: Fresh, Most-Fun-for-the-Money, Anything-But-Boring Getaways for You and Your Chi ldren, Complete with Family-Friendly Pl (1st ed) (Paperback)

Very useful book for locals and visitors. We liked the way it gave us recommended age groups and prices. We can now plan ahead places to visit within and on the way to our next holiday area. We have also used it for planning field trips from the school into San Francisco. Easy to use and enjoyable to read.

10 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't tell you how long I've looked for a book like this!, May 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fodor's Where Should We Take the Kids: California, 3rd Edition: Fresh, Most-Fun-for-the-Money, Anything-But-Boring Getaways for You and Your Chi ldren, Complete with Family-Friendly Places (Paperback)

I've been searching for a book like this for several years and haven't found one that fit the bill until now! I had a great time reading it - so well written - and got more useful information than I'll ever be able to use in one lifetime! Thanks so much to the writers and publishers!