I would do Cape May. Stay there 2 nights.
Go on the ferry from Lewes then drive back the long way. Pick a stop on the way home to have lunch and a break.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you mean driving from the DE beaches to the other location?

If so then I would look at Philly, Cape May, or camping right on the beach at Assateague to see the wild horses (4 year old would love that). All of those would be an easy drive home too.

OP here; I was referring to 3-4 hour drive from the DE beaches to a potential other location.

I hadn't considered Assateague. We're not a big camping/outdoorsy family; if that's the case, is Assateague a good option for us?

Can you get a pop up tent and fake the outdoorsy part for one night?

DH took the kids to Assateague when they were little and it was by far their favorite camping experience. You camp right on the beach and the wild horses run around. Your son is just the right age to be wowed by this. The guides there offer a program for the kids to earn a badge and there will be other kids there to play on the beach. I highly recommend it for a 4 year old.

Anonymous wrote:Do you mean driving from the DE beaches to the other location?

If so then I would look at Philly, Cape May, or camping right on the beach at Assateague to see the wild horses (4 year old would love that). All of those would be an easy drive home too.

OP here; I was referring to 3-4 hour drive from the DE beaches to a potential other location.

I hadn't considered Assateague. We're not a big camping/outdoorsy family; if that's the case, is Assateague a good option for us?

Do you mean driving from the DE beaches to the other location?

If so then I would look at Philly, Cape May, or camping right on the beach at Assateague to see the wild horses (4 year old would love that). All of those would be an easy drive home too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Southern Maryland
- Solomons (Ann Marie Sculpture Garden and Calvert Marine Museum are great for kids!, area with cute shops and restaurants -- and a playground -- along the water)
- the beaches where you can look for shark teeth (Calvert Cliffs, Nanjemoy)
- St. Mary's City (colonial re-enactors, a ship you can go on)

Once on our drive back to DC we stopped at Claude Moore Colonial Farm which is another great place for kids

That must have been a while ago. Claude Moore Colonial Farm hasn’t operated since 2018!

Sorry! I meant National Colonial Farm in Accokeek across the river from Mount Vernon.

Anonymous wrote:My suggestion is to take the ferry to Cape May with your car early in the day. Go to the zoo, walk around town then drive to Wildwood and do the rides/amusements. Leave by 6ish, grab a simple dinner to eat in the car and go to Philly for the rest of the time. There are museums, the market downtown (forget the name), Philly zoo. Stay 2 nights and come back home.

I second the ferry to Cape May, if you can stand another beach town, but I wouldn't drive to Philly from there. The Cape May zoo is great (and free! and has shady spots and giraffes, unlike the Smithsonian zoo). Mini golf on sunset beach, if not too hot. Go to the lighthouse (climb if you're daring). There's almost always something going on around the lighthouse (we've been to native animals shows by a ranger, art market, etc.). For the adults there is a winery and a historic district. Would be great for 2-3 days. We go there every summer for a long weekend and most times don't even go to the beach. There are a few websites that list goings on (https://www.capemay.com/calendar/).

I think Cape Charles is really charming and very kid friendly. Then you could drive home via Richmond.

My suggestion is to take the ferry to Cape May with your car early in the day. Go to the zoo, walk around town then drive to Wildwood and do the rides/amusements. Leave by 6ish, grab a simple dinner to eat in the car and go to Philly for the rest of the time. There are museums, the market downtown (forget the name), Philly zoo. Stay 2 nights and come back home.