offManhattan

Around here, at offManhattan, Earth Day is a year-round mantra that we try and live by, not merely a daylong change of habits. So encourage your children to start on the green path, with earth-friendly habits that will last a lifetime. You will set the right example when you travel to your next vacation destination without a car.

oM readers are already familiar with Woodloch Pines and Skytop Lodge, both terrific choices for your family’s next holiday. Here are five more options in the Northeast, from Mount Tremper to Maine—free lobster dinners and free camp— that promise fun for kids and parents while respecting that most important parent, Mother Earth.

By now, the Callery Pear trees are arching their white blossoms over the streets, and coffee cups are clinking back down into saucers on the sidewalks of New York City. You love this town. Still, this is the year you’re going to enjoy spring or the next season in a distinctly different setting.

Perhaps you’re considering an adventurous outing with a non-profit organization?

Since 1901, the Sierra Club has established itself as a trailblazer in responsible travel. Whether you’re interested in preserving a historic mansion in an outer borough, or trekking in Upper Dolpo, Nepal for a month, there are over 300 stellar trips—186 of which are under $1,000—to choose from.

In his timeless essay, “Once More to the Lake,” E.B. White recalled the “peace and goodness and jollity” of the Belgrade Lakes in Maine. His words still ring true for this author who spent good portions of her childhood summers there at camp, learning to windsurf and hit the bull’s eye with a rifle. Returning to the lakes this fall, no longer concerned with boy cooties and saltine eating contests, I found that in addition to the adventure-filled outdoors there is an entire adult playground in town worth visiting during any season, as E.B. also discovered: the general store and cafés, the charming Bed & Breakfasts, hikes, pristine bodies of water, and those fresh lobster feasts.

The sudden chill in the air may signify summer is really over, but that doesn’t mean you need to cross Northeastern beaches and coastlines off the vacation list until next year. And if your sights are set on witnessing nature’s great fiery conversion beyond Central Park, there are few places more wondrous and worth the trek in fall than woodsy Cape Elizabeth, a quiet coastal hamlet just five miles southeast of Portland, Maine.

Portland, ME is a smallish city with an even smaller town feel, but within its compact size it packs a lot of punch. Whether you’re a sailor or a landlubber, an obsessive foodie or a strategic hunter of antiques and handmade treasures, Portland will keep you busy (and maybe even a little overwhelmed) however long you choose to visit. And despite all you may want to cram into a weekend, the best way to enjoy Portland is to take it slow: savoring the food, lingering over the beautiful wares, and sauntering rather than racing; this isn’t Manhattan.