Tons of Winter Road Trip Fun

Family fun at Great Wolf Lodge. Photo courtesy of the Heart of Massachusetts

Looking for a stress-free February Vacation Week adventure? Head to the Heart of Massachusetts where you can be the kids’ hero with one of these three action-packed itineraries that are easy on the wallet and just a short drive from Rhode Island.

A scene from Old Sturbridge Village. Photo courtesy of Old Sturbridge Village.

Trip 1: Embrace history in Central Massachusetts at Old Sturbridge Village, a recreated 1830s town encompassing 200+ acres and 40 buildings where you can talk to costumed historians as they complete tasks from the past. Or journey through time at the Worcester Art Museum, whose 38,000 artworks include objects from ancient Antioch, European Old Masters, early American paintings, Japanese ukiyo-e prints, and more. Learn about the history of the cosmos—and many of the animals in it!—at the EcoTarium or the history of plants at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill. While you’re there, don’t miss Yeti, Set, Go! where you can hunt for colorful Yetis hidden around the gardens. Get immersed in the Industrial Revolution at the Samuel Slater Experience, where you can talk to holograms, design your own textiles, or board a trolley for a ride down 1910’s Main Street. Visit the Worcester Historical Museum to discover who invented the Smiley face, then step back to modern times to cheer for Worcester Railers Hockey, the Harlem Globetrotters, Monster Jam, or Professional Bull Riders at the DCU Center!

A dinosaur exhibit at the EcoTarium. Photo courtesy of the Heart of Massachusetts.

A demonstration at Elsie Kaye Glassworks. Photo courtesy of the Heart of Massachusetts.

Trip 2: For arts and culture lovers, explore MetroWest Boston and the Danforth Art Museum, a jewel box housing 3,500+ artworks from the 18th c. to today, or see the American Heritage Museum’s immersive exhibits with one-of-a-kind antique planes, tanks, and automobiles, plus fascinating stories of veterans from WWI to today. Make your own art Elsie Kaye Glassworks, Cheryl Cohen Mosaics, or The Umbrella Arts Center, then catch a Broadway show, comic or concert at Hopkinton Center for the Arts or The Center for Arts in Natick, or a fabulous classical or jazz concert with the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra. Foodies love the region’s farm-to-table restaurants like Buttercup, as well as the 18 craft beverage producers like Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers or GlenPharmer distillery—go for a behind-the-scenes tour, tasting, and delicious meal. Keep active kids happy with an aerial class at Earth & Aerial Yoga, jump into a video game at Immersive Gamebox, play high-tech mini golf at Puttshack, or enjoy 50+ mental and physical escape rooms and challenges at Level99. Finish off your visit with a wander through the shops and galleries of the Natick, Marlborough or Franklin Cultural Districts.

An interactive video game at Immersive Gamebox. Photo courtesy of the Heart of Massachusetts.

Trip 3: For the snow bunnies in your family, visit North Central Massachusetts to ski and snowboard down iconic Wachusett Mountain, New England’s most accessible ski resort, then warm up with hot cider and cider donuts at the mountain’s Bullock Lodge. Enjoy cross-country skiing, hiking, or snowshoeing at Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary, Carlson Orchards, Finnish Center of Saima Park or Leominster State Forest. Take a sleigh or horseback ride at Cornerstone Ranch, then skate or ice fish on one of the many frozen lakes or ponds like Asnacomet Pond. Want to get out of the cold? Slip and slide through the region’s only indoor water park, Great Wolf New England, which boasts not only an enormous wave pool, lazy river, water slides, and other wet adventures, but additional fun throughout the resort: battle a dragon while playing MagiQuest, test your skills at the Northern Lights Arcade, challenge the indoor ropes course and come together for nightly Story Time. The kids will declare this the Best. Vacation. Ever.

Snowboarding at Wachusett Mountain. Photo courtesy of the Heart of Massachusetts.

Whatever your reason, whatever the season, the Heart of Massachusetts has something for you! Plan your next adventure at TheHeartofMA.com or download the free visitors guide.