Summer Travel: Family

Get a Moo OnVermont: When you desperately need to unplug the kids from the PlayStation, Billings Farm & Museum might be just the ticket. With 70 Jersey cows in its herd, the dairy farm introduces visiting children to the pleasures of rural life through demonstrations and hands-on programs. Summer options include Time Travel Tuesdays, in which youngsters pitch in with chores and play old-fashioned games, and Ice Cream Sundays starting July 18, in which they can help churn cream into dessert. 5302 River Road, Woodstock, 802-457-2355, http://billingsfarm.org

Welcome to SeussvilleMassachusetts: Beloved children’s author Theodor Geisel – a.k.a. Dr. Seuss – grew up in Springfield, and much of the city’s architecture inspired his fanciful tales, including a real-life Mulberry Street, the castle-like Springfield Armory National Historic Site, and the Zoo in Forest Park, where his father was zookeeper. Yertle, Horton, the Lorax, and the Grinch are rendered in bronze alongside a life-size depiction of the doctor himself in the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden at the Springfield Museums. While there paying homage, check out the new giant Lego sculptures exhibit at the museums (it opens June 16). Springfield Armory National Historic Site, 1 Armory Square, Springfield, 413-734-8551, http://nps.gov/spar; Zoo in Forest Park, 302 Sumner Avenue, Springfield, 413-733-2251, http://forestparkzoo.org; Springfield Museums, 21 Edwards Street, Springfield, 800-625-7738, http://catinthehat.org

Monkey BusinessVermont: Who says you’ve got to go to California to commune with tall trees? Located in the Northeast Kingdom, Twin Pines Recreational Tree Climbing takes adults and kids 12 and older high into the canopy to climb ropes and lay in a hammock. In one three-hour course, participants as young as 5 climb trees up to 60 feet high. 299 Maple Lane, Danville, 802-684-9795, http://newenglandtreeclimbing.com/vermont.html