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Rating: 
Summary: Too many scattered listings, not enough information
Review: A travel book cannot be all things to all people. This book tries, within the parameters set by the authors, to try to find places unique to New England, that are fun for parents and kids. In this, they do succeed. But because they cover *all* the New England states, each section is necessarily full of capsule information, and no useful maps. (the state map of MA, for example, doesn't even show some of the towns mentioned in the text, or show where sites are located in relation to each other) It's basically a useful list with phone numbers, addresses and hours. The authors assume that the reader will have maps available, since written directions are nonexistent. So, I'm not sure if this a travel guide for native New Englanders, or visitors. Either way, it's damned inconvenient. It did surprise me with some of the selections - like Harvard's Museum of Culture and Natural History and Myopia Polo; but coming from Boston myself, I noticed there wasn't a heck of a lot "new" in the MA section. In all fairness, it's hard to come up with new kid friendly sites in Boston. Most guidebooks cover that territory exhaustively. Restaurants are featured in each section (excellent idea) but no listing tells you how near the eateries are located to sites. Do you need to make special trips to eat out? Another quibble I've got is that many of the sites chosen assume that readers are families with older children. However, it is angled for families going on weekends or vacations together, so I can't complain too much about the limited number of listings for those with toddlers in tow. I sound pretty negative. I bought this book expecting to find lots more listings relevant to my needs (at this time), and am only partially satisfied. However, the authors have done their homework. You can tell that they visited the sites they mention, and that's no small thing. What they do say about the places they visited has a ring of authenticity, and I feel I can trust their word. It's hard work researching (esp with children in tow)...now if only they could fix up the flaws.
Rating: 
Summary: Watch out for outdated information.
Review: I bought this book thinking it would be really great to find some new and different places to take my son. Well we have gone to these new areas but didn't get to do anything because they were out of business. I'm sure that they were all there in 1998 but it is now 2001 and there should have been some updating and checking on these places. I already knew of quite a few places in the book by doing web searches. Save yourself the money and look for places on the web.
Rating: 
Summary: great ideas for places to take kids that you wouldn't expect
Review: Not just the usual suspects, like the Children's Museum in Boston, but some intriguing possibilities, like a lobsterboat cruise in Maine and polo matches in Massachusetts. It's obvious that the authors searched high and low to come up with some inspired, creative choices. This book is a great gift for expectant parents; everybody we've given it to has raved about its usefulness. This is the kind of book you'll reach for, time and time again. We've discovered nearby places like a butterfly arboretum and a museum with real suits of armor, that we didn't know existed. A good family guide for native New Englanders and vacationers alike.
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