It's one of the secrets of parenthood that no one tells you: having kids is

a great excuse for being a kid again yourself. You can blow bubbles, walk

on stilts, swing from the monkey bars in general, have the time of your

life and meanwhile everyone thinks, "Such a wonderful parent!" What

a coup.

Traveling with children is even better. Oh, sure, there are those mad-

dening moments when you're in the middle of nowhere and someone

needs a potty, or your two-year-old crashes--publicly, of course after a

day of Too Much Fun. Not to mention those times when you're ready to

leave Josh and Jessie on the side of the interstate if you hear, "She's on my

side!" one more time. But ultimately the things you'll remember about

family trips (we hope) are the Pleasant Moments: marveling at a gorgeous

sunset, en famille, on a lonely stretch of beach; seeing your daughter's face

when she lands her first trout; watching the little one's gleeful grin as he

whirls past you on an antique carousel.

This book is full of places with special-memory potential. We've

focused on attractions that are uniquely New England, such as boat

cruises where kids can play "lobsterman for a day," places where you can

beachcomb for starfish and horseshoe crabs, old cemeteries where you can

make grave rubbings, medieval castles to visit and play "knight in shining

armor," and places where you can not only pet the animals but help milk

cows and shear sheep. The emphasis is on interactive fun, places where

kids can really get involved in the action, not just watch. And we looked

for places where grown-ups will enjoy themselves. After all, it's your pre-

cious leisure time, too.

Obviously, not every destination in this book will appeal to every

child; you know your kids better than we do. Not every child can handle

a Newport mansion, for example. So we went out of our way to find his-

toric attractions with an element of kid appeal a museum with a trea-

sure trove of old toys, for example, or a landmark house where kids can

play 18th-century games while you check out the antiques. And, for the

sake of balance, we included places that offer no redeeming educational