Summer 2023 Connecticut Bucket List
Every summer, our family makes individual bucket lists of things we want to do and places we want to explore. We usually have a good mix of perennial favorites and new-to-us spots. This week, we thought we’d share some suggestions of things to do in Connecticut this summer (most of which can easily be modified for your neck of the woods). We’re sharing this list now because 1. We always like to be ahead of the game and 2. Some of these activities require reservations that will fill up quickly.
Eight FREE Places to Explore with Kids in New Haven, Connecticut
Probably best known as the home of Yale University and the pizza capital of America (it may be self proclaimed, but we agree!), New Haven is the second largest city in Connecticut. It’s situated two hours north of Manhattan and about two hours south of Boston, right on the I95 corridor. The city of 130,000+ residents has many cultural neighborhoods, rich history, and several family friendly attractions that are FREE to visit.
15 Free Kid Friendly Summer Activities in Boston
I have shared many times that Beantown is my hometown, and I often bring my family “home” to Boston. We have tons of posts on things to do in Boston (our Boston City Guide is a good place to start). Summer is an especially fun time to explore Boston, as there are so many family friendly attractions near the Harbor waterfront. This week, we’re sharing 15 free things to do throughout the Boston area. Some of these attractions are free all year, but many activities cater to the warmer weather.
15 Free Things to Do with Kids in Connecticut this Summer
We officially moved to the Nutmeg State back in 2002 and have enjoyed exploring dozens of its 169 cities and towns, many of which border New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and the Long Island Sound. We’re working on an updated master list of all the places we’ve visited and all of our travel tips for later in the summer, but this index, this list, and this list are good places to start. You might also like our City Guides featuring Mystic and Coastal Connecticut. As summer nears and temps rise, we wanted to share 15 FREE things to do this summer (really, all year, but summer offers some additional perks and better hours) and a few bonus spots we’re hoping to check out ourselves this summer.
13 Things to Do at Bass Pro Shops in Memphis, Tennessee
We spent time exploring Memphis, Tennessee and loved so many places throughout the city- you can read more about our favorite spots in this City Guide.
On an exceedingly hot summer day, we were driving to Mud Island River Park when we passed a giant, 32 story steel pyramid. We were intrigued by the structure and decided to explore. It turns out the pyramid, which was once a sports arena, had been turned into a 535,00 square foot Bass Pro Shops complex, which includes several shops, a hotel, several dining options, and tons of family fun! Opened in 2015, there is plenty to buy- and plenty to see and learn.
2019 Year in Review: 65 Highlights
2019 was a year for the record books. We travelled over 25,000 miles from TopSail, North Carolina to Gloucester, Massachusetts and a ton of places in between those spots. We had a few common themes (you’ll notice them below) and no matter where we travelled, we found friendly locals, rich history, and tons of fun. We’re keeping it short and sweet here with the highlights, but feel free to click on the links for the full scoop and tons of travel tips!