Wingaersheek Beach, Gloucester - Who needs to drive to Maine or the Cape for a great beach day? Wingaersheek in Gloucester is one of the best kid-friendly beaches around. There is plenty of beach space to spread out and play games. And since the beach is protected, the waves are perfect for young children. Come at low tide when families can walk out to the sandbar and look for sand dollars. Wingaersheek also has wonderful rock outcroppings where children can spend hours walking over the rocks and exploring tide pools. Beach parking ranges from $15 - $25 and can be very crowded on beautiful weekends or even midweek. Plan to arrive before 10:00 AM. The beach has a decent snack bar and bathrooms. Kid Comment - I love climbing on the rocks, but the beach doesn’t allow boogie and skim boarding.
Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester - Good Harbor Beach is another great family beach in Gloucester. Parking here may be more ample than at Wingaersheek, but it's still at a premium. The beach is wide-open, and includes plenty of sandy space for everyone. In addition to swimming, other activities include walking out to Salt Island at low tide and riding the “river” from the marshes. As the tide turns, float from the marshes, under a bridge and into the ocean. Amenities at Good Harbor include a snack bar, outdoor showers, and public restrooms. Parking costs range from $20-$25. Kid Comment - There are perfect waves for boogie boarding, but they don't allow skim boards.
Edaville USA, Carver - For small children, the Edaville Christmas Festival of Lights is a magical way to usher in the holiday season. The Edaville raiload snakes for five miles through cranberry bogs decorated with lighted holiday displays. All together, there are 7 million holiday lights in the shape of such things as candy canes, nutcrackers, wild animals, Noah's Ark, and a pirate ship. Edaville also has a small amusement park. There is one section with darling little rides for very young children and another section with traditional rides such as a ferris wheel, carousel, and tilt-a-whirl. Edaville also hosts special events such as a Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine or a Cranberry Festival featuring The Grinch. Kid Comment -- Go inside and play in the large big red ball pit. There are also model trains inside too. www.edaville.com
Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth - The rich traditions of our nation's founding are played out at Plimoth Plantation. Following a brief and engaging introductory film, your journey begins exploring two major communities that came together at Plimoth in the early 1600s. See a Wampanoag settlement with bark huts, dug-out canoes, gardens, campfires, and games that Wampanoag children played. Along a boardwalk and up a hill is a complete reproduction of a 1627 English Village. Around the village and in the thatched houses, you will find English colonist characters depicting daily life during those first harsh winters -- cooking over open fires, splitting logs, tending to sheep, gardening, and speaking in the original dialect. Make sure to leave time to drive into the center of town to see the Mayflower II. Kid Comment -- It's interesting to see how the native people went through their everyday life 400 years ago. www.plimoth.org
Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester - Good Harbor Beach is another great family beach in Gloucester. Parking here may be more ample than at Wingaersheek, but it's still at a premium. The beach is wide-open, and includes plenty of sandy space for everyone. In addition to swimming, other activities include walking out to Salt Island at low tide and riding the “river” from the marshes. As the tide turns, float from the marshes, under a bridge and into the ocean. Amenities at Good Harbor include a snack bar, outdoor showers, and public restrooms. Parking costs range from $20-$25. Kid Comment - There are perfect waves for boogie boarding, but they don't allow skim boards.
Edaville USA, Carver - For small children, the Edaville Christmas Festival of Lights is a magical way to usher in the holiday season. The Edaville raiload snakes for five miles through cranberry bogs decorated with lighted holiday displays. All together, there are 7 million holiday lights in the shape of such things as candy canes, nutcrackers, wild animals, Noah's Ark, and a pirate ship. Edaville also has a small amusement park. There is one section with darling little rides for very young children and another section with traditional rides such as a ferris wheel, carousel, and tilt-a-whirl. Edaville also hosts special events such as a Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine or a Cranberry Festival featuring The Grinch. Kid Comment -- Go inside and play in the large big red ball pit. There are also model trains inside too. www.edaville.com
Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth - The rich traditions of our nation's founding are played out at Plimoth Plantation. Following a brief and engaging introductory film, your journey begins exploring two major communities that came together at Plimoth in the early 1600s. See a Wampanoag settlement with bark huts, dug-out canoes, gardens, campfires, and games that Wampanoag children played. Along a boardwalk and up a hill is a complete reproduction of a 1627 English Village. Around the village and in the thatched houses, you will find English colonist characters depicting daily life during those first harsh winters -- cooking over open fires, splitting logs, tending to sheep, gardening, and speaking in the original dialect. Make sure to leave time to drive into the center of town to see the Mayflower II. Kid Comment -- It's interesting to see how the native people went through their everyday life 400 years ago. www.plimoth.org
North & South Shores with Kids
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