What fun things can I do with my family?

If there is camping, make sure there’s a nice lake close by. There’s nothing like a nice floating dock to jump into the water from. Recipe for success? Air mattress (to float around the lake on), beer (if you drink), barbecue, and sun-tan lotion.

Since you mentioned the Bronx Zoo I assume you might live in. . New Jersey? There’s a place called Raccoon Ridge. You’ll obviously have to look up where it is. But it’s an awesome place. I went there during college for an ornithology class. It’s part of the Appalachian trail.

If you are close enough to visit the Bronx Zoo, how about going to the beach for the day? Take a big picnic, a frisbee or two, other stuff to play with on the sand, and of course stuff to play with in the water.

@zenvelo Do you know any beaches?

Have you taken the boat ride around Manhattan? Or done the sight seeing things in your area? Often people who live there don’t do the touristy things. I took a bus tour of Boston even though I know it well. The tour guide told amazing lies (I think to amuse himself) and, of course, the tourists didn’t know any better.

Tell me where you are @sydneymatilda and I will give a recommendation. There are a lot of good ones in the area.

It does not count as an outdoor thing, but you may be interested in visiting Liberty Science Center

How old are the members of your family?

@zenvelo I live in New York.

@Adirondackwannabe Two adults, a 13 year old, and a 20 year old.

Do you have a GPS? You can go Geocaching wherever you are. And it’s free!

What is Geocaching? @LuckyGuy

If you don;t have a car, you can take the subway to a bunch of beaches that are all within the City. You can go to Rockaway, or Coney Island, or Orchard Beach in the Bronx.

If you have a car and don’t mind the family driving a bit, you can go out onto Long Island to Jones Beach. Or for a big adventure, take a ferry to Sandy Hook Beach at Gateway National Recreation Area. I think you can find a ferry from lower Manhattan near South Street Seaport.

@Mr_Saturn512 We aren’t the greatest fan of hiking, is there other things to do there?

Go to a funpark or an art museum. I went to see the American Impressionist display at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown NY and they had a frigging Monet I had never seen before. It was worth the trip by itself. And I’m going back for seconds. If you’ve never been to Cooperstown it’s worth the trip. I can tell you more if you’re interested.

There are probably a gazillion things you can do within 2–3 hours of where you live. Lakes, rivers, waterfalls, parks, waterparks, beaches, zoos, museums, ball games (major and minor), hikes, bike rides, boardwalks, tubing, rafting.

I suggest you keep it simple. I am personally a big fan of sitting on the beach next to an ocean as opposed to a lake.

If you want a beach, I recommend Sandy Hook! It’s about 45 minutes South of Manhattan and it is an amazing beach. I think it costs $12 or $15 for a carload and you can hang out at the beach all day, and there are lots of cool nature things to do on the bay side of the beach, as well.

That sounds wonderful! What other things can you do at Sandy Hook? @wundayatta

Rock climbing or go hiking some place… Maybe even something like peach picking it is the season right now for peaches.

Do you ride bikes? Ride through Manhattan up to the George Washington Bridge, ride across the bridge into New Jersey, and then ride up into the Palisades!

@sydneymatilda It is like a treasure hunt. Boxes/caches are hidden all over the world. You go to the website Geocaching.com and enter a starting location and it will tell you how many are nearby. In NY there are caches hidden on almost every block and multiples in every park : in a tree, under a rock, in a rock wall. The GPS will lead you right to them. Sometimes there are gifts or trade items inside. You take something and leave something behind or you can just sign the logbook.

Barbeque. Very family-friendly and outdoorsy.

You guys have great ideas!

They have biking and boat rentals and fishing and bird watching and an old fort at Sandy Hook.

I came across this Trip Advisor Web site and was browsing places in NYC. See what you think of this, which is definitely out of the ordinary and got very good reviews.

New York Botanical Gardens

City Island

Staten Island Ferry

Statue of Liberty

Bear Mountain

Palisades Park

For Sandy Hook you can take the SeaStreak ferry from pier 11. Comfortable and quick and you don’t have to mess with the buzz-kill of driving there (Holland Tunnel, spare me!).
Also there is the Sunken Forest on Fire Island. It is a bit harder to get to, take a ferry from Sayville. It is possible to take the LIRR to Sayville and a shuttle to the ferry.