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HIT THE ROAD
Five great driving trips, from the Catskills
to Cooperstown.
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| Stone temple: The Mohonk
Mountain House. |
1. Mohonk Mountain House
What kid can resist a castle? This 250-room Victorian
stone behemoth, perched on a high ridge in the Shawangunk
range, overlooking a clear, sparkling lake, looks like
something straight out of a fairy-tale.
Long a New York families’ favorite, the all-inclusive
resort offers swimming, boating, and fishing in cool,
clear Lake Mohonk, hiking and horseback riding on 85
miles of well-maintained trails, plus tennis, croquet,
shuffleboard, golf (on a nine-hole course), and, once
you’re good and tuckered out, a spa. Kids’
Club programs, run by a well-trained staff, keep little
ones entertained with age-appropriate activities such
as play acting (2-to-3-year-olds), nature walks or arts-and-crafts
(4 to 6), and hiking or tennis (7 to 12).
Rooms are appointed with Victorian antiques (some have
working fireplaces and balconies), and many have spectacular
views. The dining room serves a generous buffet for
breakfast and lunch and Hudson Valley–inspired
dishes, such as apple-smoked duck breast, for dinner.
Plenty of kid-friendly choices are available at all
the meals; kids go especially nuts for the Sundae Night
Special, where sweets freaks can assemble their own
masterpieces. After dinner, take in a puppet show and
storytelling hour, or just sit on the big wraparound
porch and let the breeze from Lake Mohonk heal whatever
ails you.
Details: The
Mohonk Mountain House (800-772-6646; mohonk.com) is
about a 90-minute drive from New York. Doubles start
at $358 per night, all meals included.
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| Over the fence: At Cooperstown's
historic doubleday field. |
2. National Baseball Hall of
Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown is more
than a vacation—it’s a rite of passage for
baseball-loving kids.
The home-run attraction is the Hall of Fame Gallery,
with its hallowed bronze plaques commemorating Babe
Ruth, Willie Mays, Hammerin’ Hank Aaron, and 256
more of the game’s immortals. Among the hall’s
acres of memorabilia, two must-sees for New Yorkers
are the locker the Babe used in his heyday and the pitching-mound
rubber Roger Clemens toed when he recorded his American
League–record-breaking 3,509th strikeout. Trading-card
junkies will love the Baseball Cards Room, which boasts
a collection of 130,000 cards dating from 1900, and
anyone who liked A League of Their Own will want
to visit the exhibit on women in baseball (check out
the manual describing what should be included in the
All-American Girls Baseball League Beauty Kit).
Just outside the hall, take in a free game at historic
Doubleday Field, where local teams—from Little
League to semi-pro—play daily, and a pair of pro
squads face off once a year in the Hall of Fame Game,
usually during induction week (in this year’s
game, the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Devil
Rays, 7–5).
The Hoffman Lane Bistro serves French-American fare,
including a tasty meat loaf. For something simpler,
the Doubleday Café offers kids’ favorites
like grilled chicken, burgers, and hot dogs. If you
plan to spend the night, the Otesaga Hotel is a stately
lakefront property, dating to 1909, with elegant period
furnishings and a pretty golf course. At nearby Cooperstown
Fun Park, young sluggers can take cuts in the batting
cage. Cross your fingers and hope it’s the start
of a seven-figure-a-year career.
Details: The
National Baseball Hall of Fame (888-425-5633; baseballhalloffame.org)
is about a four-hour drive from New York. Doubles at
the Otesaga Hotel (800-348-6222) start at $355 per night.
3. The Sagamore
Think of the Sagamore as the antidote to Survivor.
The accommodations couldn’t be more comfortable,
there’s more good food than you could eat in ten
TV seasons, and you can’t possibly be voted off
the island.
Located on a private 70-acre island in the middle of
the Adirondacks’ Lake George, the massive Colonial-style
resort is an all-in-one family escape. Swim, fish, and
kayak in the pretty blue lake, take a spin around the
island on bikes, or try a round of mini-golf (right
on the grounds). The Teepee Club, for ages 4 to 12,
offers horse-drawn surrey rides for the younger set
and puppet making for the 9- and 10-year-olds. Mom and
Dad can hit the links on the Sagamore’s Donald
Ross–designed golf course (one of Golf
magazine’s Top 100 Places You Can Play), swing
a racket on the outdoor tennis courts, buff up at the
fitness center, or wind down in the spa.
Off-island, the Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom,
in the town of Lake George, offers roller coasters and
water rides, while families with younger kids will enjoy
the more mellow Enchanted Forest theme park, also in
Lake George.
The 100 restored rooms and suites in the Sagamore’s
main hotel are spacious and comfortable, decorated with
Colonial-style furnishings. If you prefer a homier environment,
book one of the Adirondack Lodges, with separate bedrooms,
living rooms, and kitchens. The Trillium, the nicest
of the resort’s six restaurants, features New
American cuisine, such as minted gremolata rack of lamb.
For casual dinners (steaks, pasta), hit Mister Brown’s
Pub.
After-dinner entertainment might include a jazz trio
in the Veranda Cocktail Lounge or live guitar music
at Mister Brown’s. Your stay may not end with
a $1 million prize, but you and your family will surely
feel richer.
Details: The
Sagamore (800-358-3585; thesagamore.com)
is about a four-hour drive from New York. Doubles start
at $369 per night.
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| Get a grip: The Claw at Hershey
Park. |
4. Hershey, Pennsylvania
Willy Wonka’s got nothing on Milton Hershey. The
turn-of-the-century candy baron built a real-life chocolate
factory—and a whole town—every bit as sweet
as the fictional one.
In Hershey, Pennsylvania, the rural Central Pennsylvania
hamlet about a three-hour drive from Manhattan, the smell
of chocolate wafts through the air, and the streetlights
are shaped like Hershey kisses. Start with a tour of Chocolate
World, a simulated Hershey’s factory (tours of the
real factory were stopped some years ago), where kids
can see how some of their favorite candy bars are made—from
cocoa bean to wrapper—and, of course, taste a sample.
To burn off the kids’ sugar buzz, head to Hershey
Park, where the newest of the 60-plus rides is the Claw
(an eight-fingered “hand” that swings like
a pendulum and spins like a whirligig at the same time).
Or visit ZooAmerica, the eleven-acre walk-through animal
preserve that was built to showcase Milton Hershey’s
private animal collection and now houses some 75 species
of critters, from alligators and bison to roadrunners
and wolves.
The swankest place to bunk is the Hotel Hershey, with
its Mediterranean-style architecture and views of the
Pennsylvania hills. The Hershey Golf Club features three
eighteen-hole courses (the George Fazio–designed
East Course has hosted PGA and LPGA tournaments), and
the Spa at the Hotel Hershey provides the usual indulgences,
plus chocolate body wraps. If you’re looking for
something more affordable, the Hershey Lodge has a simple
Pennsylvania Dutch feeling—and three pools.
For an upscale dinner, try the Circular Dining Room
at the Hotel Hershey, where the menu features contemporary
American dishes such as Macadamia-crusted mahi mahi
and the dining room has views of formal gardens. For
simpler fare (burgers, dogs, and sandwiches), head to
the Chocolate Town Café, where costumed Hershey
characters (a Kiss, a Hershey Bar) work the room, and
the Maximum Chocolate Overload—a chocolate brownie
topped with hot fudge, whipped cream, and, of course,
a Kiss—is an ideal way to put a cherry on top
of your trip.
Details: Call
800-HERSHEY or go to hersheypa.com
for information and prices for Chocolate World, Hershey
Park, ZooAmerica, the Hershey Golf Club, and the Spa
at the Hotel Hershey. Doubles at the Hotel Hershey start
at $329 per night. Doubles at the Hershey Lodge start
at $209.
5. Boston
Boston isn’t only for business trips on the
shuttle. Our neighbor and rival to the north makes (much
as we hate to admit it) an excellent family escape. The
historic Freedom Trail leads kids straight back to the
Revolutionary War: At the Charlestown Navy Yard and USS
Constitution Museum, the tours of “Old Ironsides”—the
world’s oldest commissioned warship, christened
in 1797—are led by U.S. Navy sailors dressed in
vintage 1812 uniforms. And at Paul Revere’s House,
kids can see where the famous patriot mounted up for his
historic ride.
Before your kids get rebellious, try some modern fun.
The Museum of Science is one of the best of its kind
(check out the indoor lightning storm). For those who
wish to get up-close-and-personal with sea lions, the
New England Aquarium’s live animal show lets kids
take the stage for a big slurpy kiss. Want to see some
big sea creatures? Whale-watching excursions leave twice
a day from the aquarium; sightings of a humpback, finback,
or minke whale—some as large as 70 feet long,
weighing 70 tons—are all but guaranteed.
Even if your kids hate the Red Sox (and if they don’t,
take a long look in the mirror), they’ll enjoy
a game at historic Fenway Park, the Major Leagues’
oldest—and arguably its quaintest—ball yard.
And historic Faneuil Hall Marketplace—once the
site of Colonial independence rallies, and now a bastion
of modern capitalism—offers dozens of shops and
restaurants, including legendary Steve’s ice cream,
one of the originators of the now-ubiquitous mix-in
version of the frozen treat.
The waterfront Marriott Long Wharf, near Faneuil Hall
and the aquarium, is conveniently located and reasonably
priced. Looking for luxury? The Four Seasons faces onto
Boston’s Public Garden and includes one of the
country’s most highly touted city spas.
Todd English’s KingFish Hall is one of Boston’s
most-buzzed-about eateries, featuring seafood specialties
like rare roasted yellowfin-tuna steak, a spit-roasted
seafood skewer, and a New England lobster boil. Fun,
no-frills Durgin-Park, dating to 1827, serves equal
parts traditional New England fare (corned beef and
cabbage, Boston baked beans, Indian pudding) and crusty
Yankee attitude. Be sure to tell them you’re from
New York.
Details: The
Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau (888-SEE-BOSTON;
bostonusa.com)
offers information on attractions, lodging, and restaurants.
Doubles at the Marriott Long Wharf (617-227-0800; marriott.com)
start at $179 per night. Doubles at the Four Seasons
start at $295.
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