Day trips from Boston,
no overnight required.
We live on the New Hampshire seacoast, right on the Maine border, and every trip on this page is one we take with our two girls: the seacoast towns, the southern Maine coast, and a farm day or two every fall. If you are starting from Boston, each one is close enough to leave after breakfast and be home for bedtime. For places worth a night or more, our weekend getaways guide has the full ranked list.
The best day trips from Boston,
ranked by drive time.
Five day trips we actually do with our kids, closest to Boston first. Drive times are approximate, from downtown Boston in normal traffic, since that's where most readers start. From our side of the New Hampshire seacoast, most of them are closer still.
| Destination | Drive from Boston | Best for | Best season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portsmouth, NH | About 1 hour | Prescott Park, Market Square and the downtown shops | Summer for the park; downtown works year-round |
| Hampton and Rye beaches, NH | About 1 hour | A classic beach day, or tide pools at Odiorne Point | July and August for swimming |
| Ogunquit, ME | About 1 hour 15 to 20 minutes | The Marginal Way and a long sandy beach | June through September |
| Kennebunkport, ME | About 1 hour 30 minutes | Dock Square and an easy beach afternoon | Summer, plus early December |
| A farm or orchard day | Varies; plenty are under an hour | Apple picking and pumpkin patches | Late August through October |
Drive times are rough estimates without heavy traffic. Summer weekends on I-95 north can add a lot to the Maine legs, so leaving early matters more than the number in the table.
Portsmouth, NH: an easy day trip from Boston, and the town we're in most.
We go to Portsmouth often with the girls, and they have strong opinions about it. They always ask for Prescott Park, then Market Square and the downtown shops. That is most of a good day right there, and it is all walkable once the car is parked.
Prescott Park sits on the Piscataqua River with formal gardens and open lawn, and in summer it hosts the Prescott Park Arts Festival, an outdoor season of shows and concerts that is free to attend (donations are encouraged). Strawbery Banke Museum, an outdoor history museum of restored neighborhood houses, is right across the street if you want a structured stop. New Hampshire has no sales tax, which makes the downtown shops a little easier on the wallet.
For a rainy day, or when the girls want something hands-on, we point the car at one of two museums they ask for. The Children's Museum of New Hampshire is actually in Dover, about 15 minutes from Portsmouth. The Seacoast Science Center is in Rye, inside Odiorne Point State Park, and pairs naturally with the beach section below.
The full version, with the beaches, what to do when it rains and the big attraction our girls don't ask for, is our things to do in Portsmouth, NH with kids guide.
Hampton and Rye beaches: a beach day trip from Boston.
We do beach days at both with the girls, and they are different days. Hampton Beach is the big, busy one, with a long sandy strand, the boardwalk strip behind it, and Hampton Beach State Park at the south end. Rye is the quieter stretch of coast just to the north, with smaller state beaches such as Wallis Sands and Jenness.
Rye is also where Odiorne Point State Park is, home to the Seacoast Science Center. Its rocky shoreline is known for tide pooling, which is worth timing to low tide.
The state beaches charge for parking in season, and lots fill early on hot weekends. Check the New Hampshire State Parks site for current fees before you go.
Ogunquit, Maine: the Marginal Way and a long beach.
Ogunquit is the first stop over the Maine line that we make a day of with the girls, and our Ogunquit day is always the same two things: the Marginal Way, then the beach. The Marginal Way is a paved oceanfront footpath, a little over a mile, running along the rocks from the village to Perkins Cove. It is an easy walk for kids, with benches along the way, though it has no railings in spots, so hold small hands near the edge.
Ogunquit Beach is a long stretch of sand backed by the Ogunquit River. Summer parking in town is tight, so an early arrival makes the day go better.
Kennebunkport, Maine: Dock Square and an easy afternoon.
Kennebunkport is the farthest day trip on this list and still an easy one with the girls. Dock Square is the center of town: a compact cluster of shops and ice cream right at the river, easy to walk in an hour or stretch into an afternoon. The beaches are a short drive away.
Ogunquit and Kennebunkport are roughly 20 to 30 minutes apart, so you can pair them in one long day. In early December the town runs Christmas Prelude, a holiday festival that makes the drive worth it out of beach season too.
Farm and orchard days: apple picking and pumpkin patches.
Some of the easiest day trips on this list have no town attached at all: a pick-your-own orchard in September, a pumpkin patch in October. There are working farms and orchards within an hour of the city in most directions, and across southern New Hampshire too, so the drive depends on which one you pick.
Apple season runs roughly late August through October, with different varieties ripening across those weeks. Pumpkins are mostly late September through October. Farms post what is ready to pick on their own websites and social pages, and it changes week to week, so check the morning you go. Fall weekends are the busiest days by a wide margin.
More for the season: New England in fall with kids and New Hampshire fall events.
Farther out: better as a weekend.
Once the drive passes two hours each way, we plan a night. Boothbay Harbor is about 3 hours from Boston, and even from our side of the Maine border we plan it as a long weekend, not a day. The full list of overnight trips, ranked the same way, is in our weekend getaways from Boston guide.
An honest note on Cape Cod: it is not a day trip we have done with the girls. Our Cape Cod guide is built from research and years of knowing the Cape as adults, and it is written as a weekend.
What families ask us.
What are the best day trips from Boston, MA with kids?
The ones we actually take with our girls are Portsmouth, NH and the Hampton and Rye beaches, both about an hour away, then Ogunquit, Maine at about 1 hour 15 to 20 minutes and Kennebunkport at about 1 hour 30 minutes. In fall, add a farm or orchard day for apple picking or pumpkins.
Is Portsmouth, NH a good day trip from Boston?
Yes. It is about an hour north, and downtown is walkable once you park. Our girls always ask for Prescott Park, Market Square and the downtown shops. The Children's Museum of New Hampshire is in Dover, about 15 minutes away, and the Seacoast Science Center is in nearby Rye.
Is Hampton Beach a good day trip from Boston?
Yes, at about an hour each way. Hampton is the busier beach with the boardwalk strip and Hampton Beach State Park. For a quieter day, Rye is just north, with smaller state beaches and tide pools at Odiorne Point State Park.
Can you do Ogunquit and Kennebunkport in one day trip from Boston?
You can. Ogunquit is about 1 hour 15 to 20 minutes from Boston and Kennebunkport about 1 hour 30 minutes, and the two towns are roughly 20 to 30 minutes apart. Walk the Marginal Way in Ogunquit, then finish in Dock Square in Kennebunkport.
When is apple picking season near Boston?
Roughly late August through October, depending on the variety. Pumpkin patches are mostly late September through October. Farms post what is ready to pick each week, so check before you drive.
Can you do Cape Cod as a day trip from Boston?
It is not a day trip we have done with our girls. Our Cape Cod guide is written as a weekend, built from research and years of knowing the Cape as adults.
Is Boothbay Harbor a day trip from Boston?
Not really. At about 3 hours each way it is the farthest trip on our weekend getaways list, and we plan it as a long weekend of three to four nights. Our Boothbay Harbor itinerary has the full plan.
Keep exploring.
Everywhere worth a night or two, ranked by drive time.
Our long-weekend plan for the Maine coast, about 3 hours from Boston.
Every drivable guide and article on the site, searchable and sortable.
Planning something further afield?
The Boston-to-Europe family flight guide: which routes run year-round, the order we book things in, and how far ahead to buy for a school vacation week.
We email when we have got something worth reading. Unsubscribe any time.