New Haven, Connecticut happens to be a wonderful destination for a family getaway, with something to offer for kids of all ages. You won’t find better family-friendly accommodations in town than The Blake Hotel, which just won best overnight stay/city lodging 2020 by Connecticut Magazine. Simply an awesome home base for exploring this historic seaport city and its many attractions.
Here are just a few ideas for a family vacation in New Haven centered at The Blake!
The Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History (170 Whitney Ave)
One of the country’s great museums, the Peabody has been captivating youngsters since it first opened its doors way back in 1866. The kids will surely start getting excited once they clap eyes on the lifesize Torosaurus statue in front of the venerable institution: a preview of the museum’s outstanding paleontological collection, most famously on display in the Great Hall of Dinosaurs. Throw in fascinating information on Connecticut’s native peoples and the always-absorbing archaeological wonders of the Hall of Ancient Egyptian Artifacts, and you’ve got a place that’ll captivate your whole crew for hours.
Leitner Family Observatory & Planetarium (355 Prospect St.)
The Yale University campus also offers this perennial all-ages favorite. The Leitner Family Observatory & Planetarium expands the perspective of young and old alike with its interpretive programs aimed at that great celestial dome above. Take a virtual tour into the firmament via a planetarium show in the theater, then step outside into the night to ponder stars and planets through the facility’s public telescopes.
Connecticut Children’s Museum (The Children’s Building, 22 Wall St.)
Oodles of hands-on learning and stimulation await your kids at the Connecticut Children’s Museum. The many exhibits include a Musical Room for getting everybody’s groove on, a Linguistic Room modeled after Goodnight Moon’s Great Green Room, a Naturalist Room full of such wonders as a busy ant farm and an observation beehive, and a Logical-Mathematical Room for crunching numbers. The museum also presents a variety of educational programs and leads various field trips.
Lighthouse Point Park Carousel (2 Lighthouse Rd)
A visit to Lighthouse Point Park can be something of an exercise in time travel when you ride the delightful—and time-tested—carousel that anchors the greenspace. Built in 1916, the Lighthouse Point Park Carousel is one of the last of its kind and vintage, and the appeal of its 72 figures arrayed in 20 ranks is pretty much timeless.
It Adventure Ropes Course (40 Sargent St.)
Within New Haven’s Jordan’s Furniture you’ll find the world’s biggest indoor ropes course. It Adventure Ropes Course engages you in an amazing circuit of rope ladders, bridges, nets, catwalks, and more. This is a primo spot for kids’ birthday parties, by the way…
Other Ideas for Family Destinations & Activities in New Haven
There’s so much more to do on a family getaway to New Haven. Fire up young imaginations in the children’s section of the celebrated Atticus Bookstore, take a cruise on Long Island Sound, satisfy everybody’s appetite at one of the city’s truly legendary pizza joints, wander the Yale Marsh Botanical Garden, dance like crazy at the “Music on the Green” summer concerts, and inspire your teenagers with a tour of Yale University. Then come on back to The Blake for the utmost in Connecticut hospitality!