March Break ideas in New England?

[oldguy00]

Hey folks, can you recommend any interesting stuff to do, other than skiing, for a family of 4, two adults, a 9yo and a 12yo, in New England in March?
We are on the east coast of Canada, trying to think of somewhere to drive to rather than fly for this year.

Thx!

[echelon_john]

Shoveling snow?

Hard to say with the weather so unpredictable. Not really a great time to plan outdoor activities; equal likelihood of 10" of snow and 65 degrees and sunny.

That said, you could see the sights in Boston; great Children's Museum, Science Museum, the MFA, the Aquarium, good theater, restaurants, etc.

Not an expensive time of year for hotel rooms.

Celtics and Bruins still playing.

[vav]

Mostly what John said. For 9 and 12 yr old, I'd skip the Children's Museum. I'd use Boston as base and go to Newport, RI and Plymouth Plantation for a day trip.

[cash05458]

yep, John is right...city stuff for sure if it's with kids...weather is a total crap shoot here that time of year...out in rural parts where I am it could easily go like the shining with you and the kids snowed in at some nice b/b...have the option of distractions! Boston really is prolly best bet...more than enough for both parents and kids to stay happy...somehow I don't think the one hour tour of ben and jerry's over the week and it's zero outside is going to cut it for any involved...

[buddybikes]

Stay home, save for better time of year, March stinks!

[merckx]

March is a grim month in New England. It is also my preferred month. If I wasn't so busy in March, I would seclude myself in Wellfleet. Great beach walking, many trails to walk, harbors to explore, food to eat, and nothing settles the soul more than a bottle of Suntory sipped adjacent to a hissing wood stove.

The kids will find something to do.

[theboucher]

Lots of good stuff in Maine! Portland has good museums and lots of good food. Plenty of places to sled/snowshoe/fatbike within an hour of there. Half the week in Portland and half in Boston is a winning recipe. Boston's aquarium is excellent.

[DRZRM]

Split a week between Boston and the Vineyard/Cape Cod maybe.

Weather is hit or miss to be outside on the Vineyard or Cape, but stores, restaurants, museums, are generally open. Find a nice place with a spa so you can take the kids on a beach walk and send you wife for a treatment, then switch the next day (we all deserve a spa). Hotels can be like 70% off in the winter.

Boston, lots of good advice already, Science Museum, Aquarium, the Public Market.

[buddybikes]

As someone who lives on the water in RI, wouldn't suggest the cape. Perhaps it's me sitting here waiting for an ice storm/getting depressed right now with lack of sun....

The cape is pretty dead, only people there in March are retires who don't make it to Florida

[mulp]

Not sure if this is in season but I enjoyed whale watching in Gloucester (north of boston)

Eating lobster in Newbury Port is also a nice day trip.

[merckx]

The best time to visit the Cape is when it's dead.

[seahuston]

Maple sugaring season (making maple syrup) is in March and NH has a weekend of events (not announced for 2020 from quick Google) at many different sugar houses. I had a great time driving around from sugar shack to sugar shack seeing the different operations and tasting the product. There isn't much better than the smell of a maple-steam filled room.

[Matthew]

I hear the Patriots will need new video equipment operators. Apply for a job?

[dbh]

Writing this from Boston as we're getting ready for more snow. FWIW, March is when I'm most ready for winter to be done and wished we had taken a few days off to go somewhere warmer. As others have mentioned, the real variable is weather. You could could get slammed with snow or have more mild temps, or both. That said, there's tons of stuff in the Boston area to do as a family (I've got two kids as well), which should keep everyone occupied. Between the Museum of Science, New England Aquarium, various art museums with great children's programming, there's a ton of cultural and educational activities that aren't weather dependent. You could always pop up to one of the North Shore beaches to get your desolate windswept beach walk in, which can be really refreshing if the wind isn't howling. For more $, there's also indoor waterparks in Danvers and on the Cape in Hyannis. We've spent a couple of ski-less long winter weekends at Bretton Woods at Mount Washington. There are a ton of activities there that aren't skiiing, plus the main lodge is spectacular. If you're OK with grey, I actually love the Cape in March. No one is there, it's usually a bit warmer than Boston, the beaches are all free, and accommodation is pretty easy to come by. That said, if the weather turns and being outside isn't an option, it's easy to feel trapped inside. Whatever you do, just make sure you have plenty of snow/warm weather gear.

[oldguy00]

Thanks all, maybe flying to FL is a better option lol

[quattro]

I loved this part... the beaches are all free
Ha, Ha,Ha! No, cars are lined up to get into the parking lots to pay to get on the beach, in March, on the Cape, Ha, ha, ha, I love this! Its Free, come to the beach on the Cape, FREE!
I live outside of Boston and if I could leave this area from November - March I would, the winter here S@#KS! Go to Florida, you'll have a much better time with kids.

[marciero]

I loved this part...
Ha, Ha,Ha! No, cars are lined up to get into the parking lots to pay to get on the beach, in March, on the Cape, Ha, ha, ha, I love this! Its Free, come to the beach on the Cape, FREE!
I live outside of Boston and if I could leave this area from November - March I would, the winter here S@#KS! Go to Florida, you'll have a much better time with kids.

For Maine I'd extend that to June.

[buddybikes]

Since you are in Canada, quick trip to Cuba is probably better than FL. Also Puerto Rico flights are cheap and can find AirBnB in Palmas del Mar.

Unfort you could hit the spring break for college kids so stay away from where they are going