You can do the MD part of Assateague and go to the OC boardwalk or Jolly Roger for a couple of hours. A 7 year old would like this.

Anonymous wrote:The Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton is a lot of fun for kids. They can see how farms operated hundreds of years ago, how blacksmiths did their work, and gett to watch cute little baby pigs.

Here’s a link to the website:
https://frontiermuseum.org/

Obviously, only a one day activity, but you could combine it with travel on the way to or from somewhere else. My family did a few day drive that included Luray cavern, Shenandoah park, this museum, and some other places along the way when our kids were maybe 10 and 6.

I found Staunton depressing. Very dull.

Martha's Vineyard! There is a direct flight in the summer.

At 7 ish my kids enjoyed Pittsburgh. Frick home, botanical garden, aviary, incline, international rooms at Pitt.

Winterthur in DE and Longwood gardens has a great children’s garden and fun events for kids.

Anonymous wrote:It's a little far to drive, but I love the Hudson River Valley in NY.

There's so much history here. I would do this as a solo trip I think. My kids would hate the things I'm interested in the area for. And I would need so much help with the itinerary because my interests are so specific.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Homestead
Cape May
Harper's Ferry

The Homestead is crap.
Overpriced, racist, yuck.

We had a great time at The Homestead recently. But I wouldn’t want to go there in late summer. And we’re white so while I didn’t see anything racist happening, I don’t doubt it can be true. But there were a lot of European and Asian families there.

Maine! Definitely Maine.

+1 for Lancaster. And stay here: https://www.amishfarmstay.com/room/airy-hill-ranch-amish-guesthouse/

My kids loved the farm animals

I would stay in or around Lancaster or Philadelphia and go to Winterthur one day. There are several things in those areas I wished I’d done with my kids when they were younger. Seven is a good age for Diggerland which is only 1/2 hour from Philadelphia and also the Please Touch Museum. Near Lancaster there’s the Turkey Hill experience, Strasburg Railroad, and Dutch Wonderland. And I think both Lancaster and Philly have restaurants and sites interesting to adults.

As an actual hidden gem—look at Floyd, Virginia. Music every Friday night—Google Floyd Friday night jamboree. Lots of interesting Airbnbs, a winery with a huge outdoor area to explore. Near Mabry Mill, a historic mill. Can take a day to go to Roanoke, either downtown or to the adventure park. Just a beautiful area.

It's a little far to drive, but I love the Hudson River Valley in NY.

Anonymous wrote:The Homestead
Cape May
Harper's Ferry

The Homestead is crap.
Overpriced, racist, yuck.

Montreal. Quick non stop flight

Anonymous wrote:Assateague is a complete dump. And the beaches are swarming with biting bugs. Avoid at all costs.

Not my experience of this place. Were you camping?

Anonymous wrote:How is CHICAGO a hidden gem?

I was not the one who named Chicago, but I do think it's an unexpected choice for a long weekend in the summer but also a good choice.

It's a city but a very approachable one which is significantly more reasonably priced than NYC. My family went there for a lot of 3-4 day trips when I was a kid and it's honestly the perfect US city for kids to visit on a trip that long.

For me, I would suggest Virginia Beach along the boardwalk by King Neptune.
Durham, NC (approx 4 hours, don't do the drive on a Friday afternoon, do it on a Saturday morning).

The Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton is a lot of fun for kids. They can see how farms operated hundreds of years ago, how blacksmiths did their work, and gett to watch cute little baby pigs.

Here’s a link to the website:
https://frontiermuseum.org/

Obviously, only a one day activity, but you could combine it with travel on the way to or from somewhere else. My family did a few day drive that included Luray cavern, Shenandoah park, this museum, and some other places along the way when our kids were maybe 10 and 6.