Affordable Family Travel
Albany Day Trips with Kids

Day Trips from Albany with Kids

Posted on by admin

You don’t have to travel far to enjoy some of the best day trips from Albany with kids. I compiled a list of our favorite places to visit when we aren’t doing an overnight trip as well as the numerous places, we have on our bucket list to visit when we have a day off to explore. I included links to itineraries if I have one and will work to continue to add more. Where there isn’t an itinerary, I recommend picking 1-3 attractions. 1 if you think it will take 5-6+ hours, 2 if you think it will take 2-4 hours and 3 if you want to throw in a quick 1 hr attraction. Plan a picnic lunch at one of the attractions can save time and money. Stewarts for some cheap chilidogs (my guilty pleasure) or ice cream is always an option.

Having a good plan and preparing before the day can help you make the best of one day trips. Consider what you will be doing. We often go harder on one day trips knowing we can rest when we get back or that we will have downtime when driving. Consider packing a meal or getting a quick bite during your day excursion and grabbing dinner on the road so you have more time for activities. This can also save some money as well.

How to Save on Day Trips from Albany with Kids

I highly recommend New York State Empire Pass (S) to enjoy our State Parks year-round. If you have a fourth grader you can get a free every kid outdoors national park pass which is currently accepted at many New York State Parks. If you have younger kids and enjoy museums, consider a Family Pass from a local museum that participates in the ASTC (A), NARM (N), or ACM (AC-50% discount) Museum Reciprocity programs. This can save a lot. At the time of this publication the MiSci Family membership $125 a year and not only includes the ASTC Museum Reciprocity (A) but also Empire State Museums Reciprocal Program (E) to other local museums.

Lastly check your local library (L) to see if they offer museum passes that you can check out for free our local library even offers an Empire Pass. The American the Beautiful National Park Pass (F) can be beneficial in a few of these opportunities but I recommend if you are interested in any of the local national park sites try to plan a visit to them, in a year you purchase the pass for a larger national park trip. I tried to label sites with these letters noted in () to identify where passes are accepted. Please note information is subject to change and you should confirm before you visit.

Less than an Hour from Albany

High Falls Conservation Area

Columbia County

Spend a day in with this Columbia County itinerary, Hiking, enjoying outdoor Art and finishing the day at a local winery. If you have little ones the FASNY Museum of Firefighting is a great stop, especially if they are hosting one of their many special events.

  • Art Omi (indoor and outdoor Art instillation) Free
  • High Falls Conservation area (Waterfall Hike) Free
  • Home Range Winery (winery with Farm animals) weekends they may have a food truck and music
  • FASNY Museum of Firefighting E,L
Day Trip From Albany with Kids to the Catskills and Kaaterskill falls
Kaaterskill Falls

The Catskills

There’s plenty to do for a weekend trip but close enough to visit for a day. You will have plenty to fill a 1 day Catskills Itinerary. Lots of Hiking options including the popular Kaaterskill Falls.

Rip Van Winkle Lake

Tannersville, NY

  • Hiking, Kayaking or Fishing and the Beach at Rip Van Winkle Lake
  • Hucklebee trail or Tannersville Bike Trail
Kaaterskill Falls

Hunter, NY

  • Kaaterskill Falls Hiking Trails
  • Mountain Top Arboretum

Catskill, NY

  • Bailiwick Animal Park
  • Old Game Farm- Accommodations and Hiking trails for Guests only at this time.
  • Thomas Cole National Historic Site L *admits 2 adults’ children under 15 free with ID

Kingston, NY

  • Hudson River Maritime Museum L
  • Senate House State Historic Site $7A, 12 and under Free
Saratoga State Park

Saratoga Springs, NY

Saratoga Springs is a town I loved visiting for the day as a teen or in my early 20s. It has a variety of things to do which makes it great for families with a different taste.

  • Saratoga Automobile Museum
  • Saratoga National Historic Park F
  • Saratoga State Park S
  • Congress Park & Carousel, Carousel is for a small fee
  • Saratoga Racetrack
  • National Museum of Racing L
  • Saratoga Performing Arts Center
  • Children’s Museum at Saratoga L

The Berkshires

Hancock, MA

  • Hancock Shaker Village L
  • Hilltop Orchards Home of Furnace Brook Winery and Jmash Cidery and The Taproom at Hilltop Orchards

Lenox, Ma

Stockbridge, MA

  • Norman Rockwell Museum N, $2off AAA, $25+ A, Kids Free
  • Naumkeag public garden and historic home
  • Chesterwood (home, studio and gardens of America’s foremost public sculptor, Daniel Chester French) $16 A, 12 and under Free
  • Berkshire Botanical Garden $18A, 12 and under Free, TUESDAYS: Pay as you wish (on federal holidays we charge full admission) 
  • National Shrine of The Divine Mercy
  • Mission House -A National Historic Landmark, this Colonial-era house and museum and garden
  • Historic New England Merwin House (Museum) $10A, $5 Student
  • Goodrich Memorial- Park 3 Hiking Trails
  • TurnPark Art Space (Sculpture Park)
Berkshire Musem, Pittsfield Ma
Berkshire Musem, Pittsfield Ma

Pittsfield, MA

  • The Berkshire Museum & Aquarium
  • Pittsfield State Forest

Glens Falls

Start your morning off at the World Awareness Children’s Museum stop at Davidson Brothers Brewery for a light lunch and then head to the Hyde Collection Art Museum or the Canalway Trail.

  • World Awareness Children’s Museum L
  • Hyde Collection (Art Museum) L
  • Davidson Brothers Brewery
  • Canalway Trail- Glens Falls Feeder Canal Trail

Howe Cave, NY

Thatcher State Park

New York State Parks Near the Capital Region

There are so many state parks even within an hour of the Capital Region. The State Parks near the Capital Region are a great way to spend a day. Fishing, Hiking, Swimming, and more. A few have nature centers which are great for some learning fun with kids.

MiSci Museum

Visit a museum or Historic Site

5 Rivers Enironmental Education Center

Head on a Hike

  1. Hollyhock Sanctuary
  2. Lawson Lake County Park
  3. Bennett Hill Preserve
  4. Holt Preserve
  5. Hannacroix preserve
  6. Bloomingdale Brooke Waterfall Hike
  7. Moh-He-Con-Nuck Nature Preserve
  8. Huyck Preserve
  9. 5 Rivers Environmental Center
  10. Albany Pine Bush Preserve and Discovery Center
  11. Waterfall Hikes

1-2 Hours From Albany

Dr Suess Museum at The Springfield Museums

Springfield, MA

Springfield  has one of our favorite toddler friendly museums: The Dr. Seuss Museum. It’s part of the Berkshire Museums, but there are several other areas including a science museum the entire family will enjoy. If you have the day kid-free, you can even try his luck at the MGM. We love Six Flags New England, especially the waterpark. In September the Big E Fair is a wonderful event for families. Visit and learn about the various New England States.

Farmers Museum

Cooperstown, NY

A budget Cooperstown with kids 1 Day itinerary can help you plan your day in Cooperstown. Head to the Baseball Hall of Fame for some history or learn about farming at the Farmers Museum.

  • Farmers Museum L
  • Baseball Hall of Fame A $30 7-12 $21
  • Glimmerglass State Park S
  • Fenimore Art Museum L
  • Ommegang Brewery
Fly Creek Cider Mill

Fly Creek, NY

Fly Creek may not be at the top of the most popular places to visit in New York but it’s a wonderful Day trip in the fall for families. Enjoy a Corn Maze, Fly creek cider mill and more.

Flower Bridge

Simsbury, CT

Simsbury, CT is a fun day trip with kids. We made up the Simsbury Triathlon where we Paddle downriver, ride our bikes back along the bike trail and then race across the flower bridge to complete the race. It’s a lot of fun especially if you don’t take it too seriously and take leisurely paddle town the river.

  • Kayak, Paddleboard, Tubing the River
  • Visit the Flower Bridge
  • Bike Trail
  • Hiking Trails
Battenkill River VT

Battenkill River Tubing

Battenkill River Tubing is a wonderful day trip from Albany in the summer. You can opt to book a tour or head up on your own.

Desperado Plunge at Six Flags Great Escape

Lake George Area

  • Fort William Henry Museum
  • Lake Geore Expedition Park
  • Lake George Steam Boat Company or Lake George Waterfront Cruises
  • Six Flags: Great Escape and Indoor Waterpark
  • Million Dollar Beach
  • Shelving Rock (Hike)

Ulster/Dutchess Counties

Saugerties, NY

  • Saugerties Lighthouse * need to visit at low tide to avoid flooded trial great addition to any trip south of Albany that passes by.

Hyde Park, NY

  • Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site F
  • Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site While the entrance fee is free, visitors still need to have a ticket for the tour. Tickets are handed out on a first come, first served basis in the Stone Cottage Visitor Center.
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum L* This pass allows up to 5 people to enter the Roosevelt Museum and Library only. Not valid for the home of FDR or Val-Kill Cottage
  • Top Cottage-Home of Franklin D Roosvelt F
  • American Bounty Restaurant (Fine dining experience brought to you by the students and faculty at the Culinary Institute of America)
  • Beatrix Farrand Garden at Bellefield Free
  • Clover Brooke Llama Alpaca Hike/Goat Walk Farm

Poughkeepsie, NY

  • Walkway Over the Hudson the world’s longest elevated pedestrian bridge, spans 1.28 miles over the Hudson River FREE
  • While not in Poughkeepsie, its actually across the river and north, a great stop either on the way down or back is the Black Creek Preserve with it’s suspension bridge
  • Mid-Hudson Discovery Museum A, Join us on the third Sunday of each month for Family Free Nights. The museum is open until 8:00 pm, and admission from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm is FREE.
  • Locust Grove Estate
  • Bardavon (theater)
  • Adams Fairacre Farms (local grocer but features local products)
  • Mill House Brewing Company
  • Barrett Art Center (art gallery)
  • Benmarl Winery
  • Opus 40 (world-famous sculpture park and museum) $15A, 5+$12

Staatsburg, NY

Newburgh, NY

  • LEGOLAND New York Resort
  • Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site Tours A$7 Kids under 12 free
  • Motorcyclepedia Museum $15 A (doesn’t list kids)
  • The Velocipede Museum
  • Algonquin Park
  • Chadwick Lake Park
  • Downing Park
  • Scenic Hudson’s Long Dock Park (Kayaking)
  • Mount Gulian Historic Site (Just over the bridge in Fishkill) Prices Vary
  • Madam Brett Park (just over the bridge in Beacon)
  • West Point Museum (20 min south) FREE

New Windsor, NY (12 min south of Newburgh)

  • Hudson Highlands Nature Museum $5 AGES 3 AND UP
  • Storm King Art Center L
  • New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site Fee for Tours $5

Redhook/Rhinebeck

  • Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome Air Show & Museum $16-$35, Biplane Rides $150pp
  • Wilderstein Historic Site $18

(N.) Adams, MA

Amhurst, MA

  • The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art L

Visit Museums and Historic Sites

  • Old Sturbridge Village (2hrs West of Albany past Springfield, Ma) $15-$30
  • Fort Ticonderoga $13-$29
  • Hanford Mills Museum (East Meredith, NY) $9, $7 AAA , 12 and under free
  • Amelia Park Children’s Museum L
  • Hildene (Manchester VT) L

Visit a State Park

Many of the State Parks in the Taconic Region and Palisades Region are under 2 hours away. Our state park itineraries usually include 2 activities with a picnic lunch in-between. Things such as hiking, biking, even outdoor games like Bacci ball. We will also bring our inflatable paddle boards and kayaks if that’s an option.

2-3 Hours from Albany

Mirror Lake, Lake Placid

Lake Placid

Just a little over 2 hours away, Lake Placid is a fun day trip any time of year. We enjoy visiting in the winter for activities on the lake. But there’s lots of fun in the summer on the lake and local hiking as well.

  • Ice Skating. Dog Sledding or Toboggan Run on Mirror Lake
  • The Beach on Mirror Lake
  • Saranac Lake Ice Castle (see available dates) FREE
  • Hiking
  • Wild Center (Tupper Lake) L
Day Trip from Albany With kids to Silver Sands State Park, CT
Silver Sands State Park, CT

Silver Sands State Park, CT

Silver Sands State Park is about a 2.5-hour drive from Albany. It’s a great day trip or could be combined with other area attractions for a longer weekend trip. Silver Sands State Park has boardwalks through marshes for wildlife viewing as well as a beach with facilities. The water is shallow and there’s loads of Sealife to explore including tiny hermit crabs.

View from the Water Boston, MA
View from the Water Boston, MA

Boston, MA

Boston is great for a weekend but is definitely worth a day trip if you can only make it one day. It’s easy to do an annual day trip and still want to come back do some of your favorites. We have visited the Museum of Science several times. The Freedom Trail can be a full day trip and a whale watch combo with the aquarium is another great combo for a day trip.

  • Boston Aquarium
  • Whale Watch
  • Museum of Science A
  • Boston Children’s Museum
  • Freedom Trail FREE to walk the trail, some stops have admission costs.
Day Trip from Albany with Kids to Lodi Point State Park, Finger lakes Region
Lodi Point State Park, Fingerlakes Region

The Finger Lakes

The finger Lakes is another great option for a weekend or even a weeklong getaway. But there are plenty of things to do that make it worthy of a day trip. This Fingerlakes multi-day itinerary can give you an idea of what we were able to complete each day.

  • One of the Many State Parks in the Fingerlakes Region
  • Hiking including Wells Falls, Cascadilla Falls and Ithaca Falls Trail.
  • Lively Run Dairy Visit the Animals for FREE Cheese sampling is for a small fee-will add kids for free.
  • Cayuga Nature Center FREE-Pay as you wish Donation
  • Corning Museum of Glass L, A

Syracuse

  • Onondaga County Parks 5 parks and a zoo L
  • Rosemond Gifford Zoo
  • Museum of Science & Technology
  • Destiny USA
  • Erie Canal Museum
  • New York State Fair
Statue of Liberty from the NYC Ferry

New York City

There are too many places to list here. Quite honestly, I am not the best person to speak about this because it’s not my favorite place to visit. Though living so close I have made many day trips and overnights down to the city because, it really does have so much to offer. Some of my favorites are visiting during the Holidays to check out the window displays, the tree at Rockefeller Center and watch the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. As a child I climbed up to the crown of the Statue of Liberty but after the experience in the Eiffel Tower (long waits for the elevators) my kids had no desire to get close to the Statue of Liberty, so the NYC Ferry was a cheap comfortable way to view it.

The biggest challenge will be narrowing down what you want to do in a day. I recommend planning either picking the top 2-3 highlights or picking 1 highlight and other things in the same area. If you decide to take the NYC Ferry, there are 2 pick up and drop off points that you can utilize.

  • Statue of Liberty-Staten Island Ferry is Free, NYC Ferry is cheap and has open top deck
  • Broadway Plays
  • Central Park
  • Empire State Building
  • 911 Memorial & Museum
  • The Museum of Modern Art
  • American Museum of Natural History
  • Grand Central Station
  • Rockefeller Center
Mystic Aquarium

Mystic, CT

Mystic, CT is great for a day trip. The Seaport is large enough that you could spend a full day if you take your time, but you could also start the day there and after lunch head to the Mystic Aquarium. Mystic, CT is also close to Misquamicut beach in Rhode Island which could be combined for a weekend trip or a way to relax after visiting Mystic attractions.

  • Mystic Aquarium
  • Mystic Seaport
  • Misquamicut Beach, RI
Day Trip from Albany with Kids to Point Pleasant Beach, NJ
Point Pleasant Beach, NJ

Point Pleasant Beach, NJ

Google puts Point Pleasant Beach, NJ at 3hrs and 11 minutes so this is slightly over the allotted time, but I had to put an oceanside beach on this list and Point Pleasant is a really great one. In the summer there’s fireworks and live bands on specific nights of the week. There’s the amusement area as well. Or just simply chill on the beach or in the ocean.

Day Trips from Albany with Kids

While this is an ever-evolving post, I tried to compile a comprehensive list of great day trips from Albany with kids to have fun, explore and learn. let me know if you have a favorite place that I missed.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *