Downeaster With Kids: A Trip Plan for Every Stop
The Downeaster is a string of small New England towns with a train running through them, and about half of the stops have something for a kid within five minutes of the platform: an ice cream counter inside a brick depot, a children's museum beside a playground, a pier, a giant boot. Five trains a day each way means you can get off, play, and get back on without planning your life around it. My mom grew up near the Maine coast and this is the train I wish I had ridden with her. I ride it with my kids instead, usually to Dover, sometimes all the way to the gelato in Brunswick. Below is every stop and what to do when you get off.
By Kelsey Lizee Cecil. Times are from the May 2026 timetable; checked against Amtrak Downeaster and each attraction in October 2026. Hours change; read the "know before you go" notes.If you only have one day
- With a toddler: Portland to Freeport and back.Thirty minutes each way, the platform in the middle of town, the L.L.Bean boot, lunch, and the afternoon train back. Jump to Freeport.
- Ages 3 to 8: Boston to Dover.The 8:50am train, the Children's Museum of New Hampshire five minutes from the platform, the playground next door, and the 2:42pm home. Jump to Dover.
- Summer: the pier at Old Orchard Beach.Sand, the pier, the carousel at Palace Playland, fried dough, and a train that stops a quarter mile from all of it, May to October. Jump to Old Orchard Beach.
Read this before you go
Three things to know. First, seats are not assigned and the conductor cannot sell tickets, so book ahead and be on the platform early to claim four seats together. Second, there is no checked baggage and no changing table on board, so pack light and bring a changing pad. Third, Old Orchard Beach is seasonal, mid-May to mid-October, and the first southbound train of the day skips it even then. Alerts are on the Downeaster page on Amtrak (opens in a new tab).
Tickets, seats, the cafe, strollers and what to pack are all in our Downeaster parent guide. This page is the fun part: where to get off and what to do when you do.
The seasonal platform at Old Orchard Beach closes for the year after October 18. From then until mid-May, trains run through without stopping; Saco is the nearest stop. Wells station construction continues through fall 2026 and may change where you wait.
Stop 1 of 12BONFive northbound a day: 8:50am, 11:50am, 3:45pm, 5:20pm and 10:30pm, plus an 11:25pm Event Night Train after some games and concerts
Boston North Station
The Downeaster leaves from under a hockey arena. North Station sits beneath TD Garden, so on game nights the Bruins are playing right over the tracks, which is the best fact a five-year-old will hear all week. The hall is bright and busy, with a big departure board and a food court. The Museum of Science is a 15-minute walk along the river.
Watch the board flip to show your track, then be first on the platform. Downeaster seats are not assigned, so being early is how a family of four sits together.
Right off the platform
- at stopNorth Station: a waiting hall with restrooms, a staffed Amtrak counter, kiosks, a food court, and the Orange and Green Lines downstairs.
- 15 minThe Museum of Science: the dinosaur, the lightning show, and a Discovery Center for under-8s (admission; check hours).
- 10 minFaneuil Hall and Quincy Market, with the Freedom Trail's red line on the sidewalk.
- 25 minBoston Children's Museum on Fort Point Channel, by the Orange Line or a cab.
Half a day between trains
- Museum of Science before a midday train (2 hours).
- Lunch in the station food court.
- Platform early to claim four seats together.
Make it a full day
For a Downeaster family, the trick is the 8:50am train north: Dover or Durham by 10:20, and the 2:42pm or 2:50pm train back, in Boston before 4:30.
Snack stop: The station food court; Quincy Market if you have time to walk.
Out the window: You cross the Charles with the Zakim Bridge's cables on the left, then Somerville's rail yards and the suburbs.
North Station is not South Station. There is no transfer between them; it is a mile by the Orange Line or a cab. No checked bags on the Downeaster.
Stop 2 of 12WOBEvery train; northbound about 9:08am, 12:08pm, 4:03pm, 5:38pm and 10:48pmour honest take: ride on
Woburn Anderson Regional Transportation Center
A big park-and-ride off I-93, shared with commuter rail and the Logan airport bus. Suburban families board here so they do not have to drive into Boston. There is nothing to walk to.
If you board here, the waiting room restrooms are the last diaper change before New Hampshire.
Right off the platform
- at stopA modern station with a waiting room, restrooms, a kiosk and a huge garage.
- at stopThe Logan Express bus to the airport, from the same building.
Half a day between trains
- Stay aboard.
Make it a full day
Skip, unless this is where your car is.
Snack stop: A small stand in the station.
Out the window: Woods and office parks, then the Merrimack Valley.
Stop 3 of 12HHLEvery train; northbound about 9:38am, 12:38pm, 4:33pm, 6:08pm and 11:18pmour honest take: ride on
Haverhill
An old shoe city on the Merrimack, with the platform on an embankment where the tracks cross the river. Downtown's restaurants are two minutes away, but there is no museum or playground close enough to make this a kids' stop. Look out the window here; get off somewhere else.
The duck race bridge. At the River Ruckus festival in September, thousands of rubber ducks are dropped off this railroad bridge. Tell them as you cross.
Right off the platform
- at stopA platform with a shelter and a big clock in a lattice frame, shared with commuter rail.
- 3 minWashington Street's restaurants and the river boardwalk below the station.
Half a day between trains
- Stay aboard.
Make it a full day
Skip.
Snack stop: Cafes on Washington Street.
Out the window: The Merrimack, wide and slow, as you cross it. Then farms and pines into New Hampshire.
Stop 4 of 12EXREvery train; northbound about 9:59am, 12:59pm, 4:54pm, 6:29pm and 11:39pm
Exeter
A small, pretty town with a famous prep school and a downtown of brick storefronts a half mile from the platform. The Squamscott River runs through it, with a riverside parkway where kids can run and a bandstand in the middle of Water Street. The platform is bare, so this is a stop for a walk and an ice cream, not a long day.
Swasey Parkway along the river: wide grass, a path, ducks, and the old mill falls at the top. Then a cone on Water Street.
Right off the platform
- at stopAn outdoor platform with a shelter; no building and no restrooms, so use the train's first.
- 10 minWater Street: a bookshop, a toy store, bakeries and the bandstand.
- 12 minSwasey Parkway on the Squamscott, a half-mile riverside walk.
- 12 minThe American Independence Museum, with an original Dunlap broadside of the Declaration (seasonal; check days).
Half a day between trains
- Water Street for lunch (1 hour).
- Swasey Parkway and the river (45 minutes).
- The afternoon train.
Make it a full day
Exeter is a half day. Pair it with Dover: get off at 9:59am, do downtown and the river, then the 12:59pm train on to the children's museum.
Snack stop: Bakeries on Water Street and an ice cream counter in summer.
Out the window: Woods and tidal marsh along the Squamscott.
No restrooms at the station. Phillips Exeter's campus is fine to walk through.
Stop 5 of 12DHMEvery train; northbound about 10:12am, 1:12pm, 5:07pm, 6:42pm and 11:52pm
Durham-UNH
A brick 1896 depot with a slate roof and a restored semaphore on top, on the University of New Hampshire campus, and inside it is an ice cream counter. The Dairy Bar has been in the depot since 1965 and sells UNH's own flavors. You get off the train, walk 20 feet, and there is a cone in your hand. For a first ride from Boston, this is the one I recommend most.
The depot looks like the station in the book: brick walls, a slate roof, a signal on the roof. Read that page on the platform, then go inside for ice cream.
Right off the platform
- at stopThe 1896 depot: a waiting room open 6am to 11pm, restrooms, a kiosk, picnic tables under the canopy, and the Dairy Bar (campus hours; check).
- 5 minThompson Hall's clock tower and the campus lawns, good for running.
- 10 minMain Street's cafes, pizza and a bookstore.
- 15 minThe UNH Museum of Art, free, small and quiet.
Half a day between trains
- Ice cream at the Dairy Bar (30 minutes).
- Walk to the clock tower and back (1 hour).
- Picnic tables by the tracks, then the 12:55pm or 2:50pm train to Boston.
Make it a full day
Boston to Durham and back is a whole first-ride day: the 8:50am up, the Dairy Bar, lunch on Main Street, and the 2:50pm home by 4:15. Or ride 8 minutes more to Dover and do the museum too.
Snack stop: The Dairy Bar. Graham Central Station is the flavor to order.
Out the window: Campus, then woods and the Oyster River, then Dover's mills.
The Dairy Bar keeps campus hours and can close on university breaks; check before you promise ice cream.
Stop 6 of 12DOVEvery train; northbound about 10:20am, 1:20pm, 5:15pm, 6:50pm and 11:59pm
Dover
The best stop on the line for kids under 8, and only 90 minutes from Boston. The Children's Museum of New Hampshire is a five-minute walk from the platform, in a riverside park with a playground outside the door, and there is a bagel shop right on the platform. My daughter spent two hours in the submarine and the dino dig and asked to go back the next weekend.
The museum's yellow submarine and the water table, then the playground in Henry Law Park next door.
Right off the platform
- at stopAn outdoor platform with Bubby's Bagel and Deli beside it: restrooms, a kiosk and bagels, mornings only, closed Mondays.
- 5 minThe Children's Museum of New Hampshire, 6 Washington Street, ages 1 to 10 (admission; check days).
- 5 minHenry Law Park on the Cochecho River, with a big playground beside the museum.
- 10 minCentral Avenue downtown: a toy store, cafes and the old mills.
- at stopThe Dover Community Trail, flat, from the station lot.
Half a day between trains
- Children's Museum (2 hours).
- Playground and the river (45 minutes).
- Lunch downtown, then the 2:42pm train, in Boston by 4:15pm.
Make it a full day
The 8:50am from Boston arrives 10:20. Museum, playground, lunch, a nap on the 2:42pm home. Or ride on to Portland at 1:20pm and make it a Maine weekend.
Snack stop: Bubby's on the platform in the morning; ice cream on Central Avenue.
Out the window: Dover's mills, then the Salmon Falls River, which is the Maine line. Tell them when they cross it.
The museum closes some weekdays in the off-season; check the calendar. Taxis are usually at the station.
Stop 7 of 12WEMEvery train; northbound about 10:38am, 1:38pm, 5:33pm, 7:08pm and 12:18am
Wells Transportation Center
The first stop in Maine, and the one families with a beach in mind use, though the beach is not walkable. The station sits off the turnpike, two miles inland, with a staffed building and restrooms. The Shoreline Explorer's Orange Line bus runs year round from the station to Wells Beach, and in summer that is a real plan: train, bus, sand.
Wells Beach by the Orange Line: a long shallow beach at low tide, a jetty to walk, and clams at the harbor.
Right off the platform
- at stopThe Wells Transportation Center, open 5:30am to 9pm: restrooms, a kiosk, visitor information, a host on weekday mornings.
- at stopThe Shoreline Explorer Orange Line bus to Wells Beach and Sanford, year round (check the day's schedule).
- at stopThe Wells Reserve at Laudholm, by cab: easy trails from a farm to a beach (grounds admission).
- at stopOgunquit's Marginal Way, 15 minutes by cab, a paved cliff walk that takes a stroller.
Half a day between trains
- Orange Line to Wells Beach (20 minutes).
- Beach, jetty and clams (2 hours).
- Bus back for the afternoon train.
Make it a full day
Wells for a night: the beach, a motel on Route 1, the Wells Reserve's trails in the morning, and the 12:29pm or 2:24pm train on.
Snack stop: Vending at the station; clam shacks and ice cream at the harbor in season.
Out the window: Pines and the turnpike alongside, then the Saco River.
The Blue Line beach trolley did not run in recent summers for lack of drivers; the Orange Line from the station did. Check the Shoreline Explorer schedule the week you go. Station construction runs through fall 2026.
Stop 8 of 12SACEvery train; northbound about 10:55am, 1:55pm, 5:50pm, 7:25pm and 12:35am
Saco Transportation Center
A mill town on the Saco River with the station downtown, a few minutes from Main Street, and an amusement park five minutes away by cab. In summer Saco is the stop for Funtown Splashtown. The rest of the year it is a brief one: a downtown walk, the falls, and the train on.
Funtown Splashtown in summer: a wooden coaster, a log flume, a kiddie section, and the water park next door. One cab each way.
Right off the platform
- at stopThe Saco Transportation Center: a waiting room, restrooms and a kiosk, shared with the local bus.
- 5 minMain Street and the Saco Museum, small, with kids' programs (limited hours).
- 10 minThe Saco River falls and the Pepperell mills, with Biddeford's mill district across the bridge.
- at stopFuntown Splashtown USA, 5 minutes by cab, summer only (admission; check dates).
- at stopFerry Beach State Park, 10 minutes by cab, quieter than Old Orchard.
Half a day between trains
- Main Street and the falls (1 hour).
- The train 6 minutes on to Old Orchard Beach.
Make it a full day
A summer day at Funtown Splashtown by cab, dinner in Biddeford's mills, and the evening train.
Snack stop: A bakery on Main Street; the Palace Diner across the river is tiny and famous.
Out the window: The Saco River and the mills, then marsh and pines to the coast.
The 4:30am southbound skips Old Orchard Beach, so Saco is the beach stop on that train. Funtown closes by late September.
Stop 9 of 12ORBSeasonal, May 18 to October 18, 2026; every train but the first southbound; northbound about 11:01am, 2:01pm, 5:56pm, 7:31pm and 12:41am
Old Orchard Beach
A train that stops a quarter mile from a pier, an amusement park and seven miles of sand. From mid-May to mid-October the Downeaster pulls in beside the Chamber of Commerce building, and you can walk to the beach with the stroller in five minutes. Palace Playland has a carousel, a Ferris wheel and kiddie rides right on the sand. It is loud, sticky and perfect, and my son calls it the pier train.
Walk out the pier over the water, then ride the carousel at Palace Playland with the ocean behind you.
Right off the platform
- at stopAn outdoor platform; the Chamber building beside it has restrooms and a kiosk, 8:30am to 4:30pm in season.
- 5 minThe beach: seven miles of sand, lifeguards in summer, a long shallow stretch at low tide.
- 5 minThe pier, with food stands and arcades out over the water.
- 5 minPalace Playland, late May to early September: a carousel, a Ferris wheel, kiddie rides (pay per ride or wristband).
- 5 minPier fries, fried dough and taffy, all within a block.
Half a day between trains
- Beach and the pier (2 hours).
- Palace Playland (1 hour).
- Fried dough and the train 25 minutes on to Portland.
Make it a full day
From Portland it is 15 minutes: the 11:48am southbound reaches the beach at 12:03pm, and the 5:56pm or 7:31pm northbound brings you back. Or stay in a beachfront motel and swim again in the morning.
Snack stop: Pier fries; the stand with the long line is the right one.
Out the window: Marsh and cottages, then a glimpse of the sea on the right as you leave for Portland.
Trains run through without stopping outside mid-May to mid-October; the 2026 season ends October 18. Palace Playland's season is shorter than the station's.
Stop 10 of 12POREvery train; northbound about 11:25am, 2:25pm, 6:20pm, 7:55pm and 1:00am
Portland Transportation Center
Maine's biggest city, and the station is a quarter-mile walk from the best children's museum in northern New England. The Children's Museum and Theatre of Maine moved to Thompson's Point in 2021, beside the station, and on its second floor is a real Downeaster exhibit kids can climb aboard. The Old Port, with the lobster boats and the cobblestones, is a short bus or cab ride.
The Downeaster exhibit inside the museum, where your kid gets to be the conductor of the train you just rode.
Right off the platform
- at stopThe Portland Transportation Center: a waiting room, restrooms, a staffed counter, a snack stand, and the Metro bus outside.
- 5 minThe Children's Museum and Theatre of Maine at Thompson's Point, ages 0 to 10 (admission; check days).
- 5 minThompson's Point's lawn on the Fore River, a skating rink in winter, food trucks in summer.
- at stopThe Old Port, 10 minutes by bus or cab, and the Casco Bay ferry to Peaks Island, 20 minutes each way.
- at stopPortland Head Light at Fort Williams Park, 20 minutes by cab: a lighthouse on the rocks and a huge lawn.
Half a day between trains
- Children's Museum (2 hours).
- Lunch on Thompson's Point.
- The train 30 minutes on to Freeport, or back south.
Make it a full day
Two nights. Day one: the museum and Thompson's Point. Day two: the Old Port, the Peaks Island ferry, a lobster roll on the pier. Day three: the hop to Freeport and home.
Snack stop: The station stand; a brewery with pizza on Thompson's Point; the Holy Donut in the Old Port.
Out the window: Leaving northbound the train backs out of the branch and reverses, so your seat now faces the other way. Then Back Cove and the Presumpscot River.
The station is on a branch, and trains to Brunswick reverse here, adding 15 minutes. It is two miles from the Old Port; not a downtown walk with kids.
Stop 11 of 12FREEvery train; northbound about 11:55am, 2:55pm, 6:50pm, 8:25pm and 1:30am
Freeport
The platform is in the middle of town, steps from L.L.Bean, which never closes. The flagship has a giant Bean boot out front, a trout pond inside, and more taxidermy than a natural history museum. Thirty minutes from Portland, and the ride my daughter asks for when we are in Maine: train, boot, lunch, train.
The giant boot. Every kid climbs on it for a photo, and inside, the trout pond and the stuffed moose keep them busy for an hour.
Right off the platform
- at stopAn outdoor platform in the center of town; no building or restrooms. L.L.Bean has restrooms a few steps away.
- 2 minThe L.L.Bean flagship: open 24 hours, 365 days, with the boot, the trout pond, and free kids' activities on summer weekends.
- 5 minMain Street's outlets, a toy store, an ice cream shop and the library's children's room.
- at stopWolfe's Neck Woods State Park, 10 minutes by cab: flat trails to the water, ospreys, tide pools.
- at stopThe Desert of Maine, 10 minutes by cab: a dune field with a kids' trail (seasonal, admission).
Half a day between trains
- L.L.Bean and the boot (1 hour).
- Lunch on Main Street (1 hour).
- The 1:08pm or 5:58pm train back to Portland.
Make it a full day
Freeport by train is a half day; Wolfe's Neck or the Desert of Maine by cab make it a full one.
Snack stop: Ice cream on Main Street; L.L.Bean has a cafe inside.
Out the window: Pines and the Harraseeket marsh, then the Androscoggin just before Brunswick.
No restrooms at the platform; use L.L.Bean's. Trains are a few hours apart, so check the return time before you wander.
Stop 12 of 12BRKEvery train; northbound arrives about 12:10pm, 3:10pm, 7:05pm, 8:40pm and 1:45am
Brunswick Maine Street Station
The end of the line is a college town with a free Arctic museum, a wide green, and a Maine Street made for walking with a stroller. Bowdoin College is a quarter mile from the platform, and its Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum has a real dogsled, a kayak and polar bears that stop kids in their tracks. The gelato on Maine Street is the best in the state. My dad would have loved this stop: a quiet town, a river, a museum about explorers.
The Arctic Museum's sled and the polar bear, free, then gelato, then the green.
Right off the platform
- at stopAn outdoor platform with a visitor center beside it: restrooms, a kiosk, information, 9:45am to 4pm daily.
- 5 minMaine Street's toy store, bookstore and Gelato Fiasco.
- 5 minThe Brunswick Mall, the town green, with a gazebo and a playground.
- 10 minThe Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum at Bowdoin, free: sleds, kayaks, polar bears, Inuit art (check hours).
- 10 minThe Bowdoin College Museum of Art, free, with stone lions out front.
- 15 minFort Andross, the old mill on the Androscoggin, with a cafe and a walk to the falls.
Half a day between trains
- The Arctic Museum (1 hour).
- Gelato and the green (1 hour).
- The 12:55pm or 5:45pm train south.
Make it a full day
Brunswick for a night: the museums, the mill and the river, dinner on Maine Street, and the 6:30am train if you want Boston by 9:50. By car, Harpswell's Cribstone Bridge and a lobster roll on Bailey Island are 40 minutes away.
Snack stop: Gelato Fiasco; Wild Oats bakery for sandwiches and cupcakes.
Out the window: Arriving, the train crosses the Androscoggin and slows past the old mills. The line ends here, facing Maine Street.
The visitor center closes at 4pm, so evening arrivals have no station restrooms. After the 6:30am southbound, the next train is 11am.
Small towns, short hops
This is not a train for scenery. It is a train for getting off: a depot with ice cream, a museum with a submarine, a pier with fries. My kids have never once asked what we are going to see out the window on the Downeaster. They ask which stop has the boot and which one has the sub, and whether we can do both. Some days we can.
Next in this series: the Northeast Regional, which leaves from the other Boston station and runs south to New York and Washington, and the Acela, the fast one. Every route is on the Train Trips With Your Kids page.
Downeaster trips with kids: questions parents ask
How long is the Downeaster from Boston to Brunswick?
About 3 hours 20 minutes end to end, with five trains a day each way. Boston to Dover is about 90 minutes, Boston to Portland about 2 hours 35 minutes, and Portland to Freeport 30 minutes.
Do kids pay on the Downeaster?
Kids 2 to 12 pay half the adult fare, and one child under 2 rides free on each adult's lap. Seats are unreserved, but you need a ticket before boarding; the conductor cannot sell one.
What is the best Downeaster stop with kids?
Dover. The Children's Museum of New Hampshire is a five-minute walk from the platform, with a playground in the park beside it and a bagel shop at the station. Durham, one stop before, has ice cream inside the depot.
When does the train stop at Old Orchard Beach?
Mid-May to mid-October only; the 2026 season ends October 18. Every train stops there in season except the first southbound of the day. The pier, the beach and Palace Playland are a quarter mile from the platform.
Is there food on the Downeaster?
Yes, a cafe car on every train with snacks, sandwiches and drinks, and you can eat your own food at your seat. Durham's Dairy Bar, Dover's bagel shop and L.L.Bean's cafe are at the stations.
Which Downeaster stops should we skip with kids?
Woburn is a park-and-ride and Haverhill is a platform by the river with nothing for kids close by. Wells and Saco need a bus or a cab to the beach. The trip is Durham, Dover, Old Orchard Beach, Portland, Freeport and Brunswick.
Sources and how I checked
- Amtrak Downeaster timetable effective May 18, 2026, Amtrak Downeaster station pages and rider FAQ, and Amtrak station pages
- Children's Museum of New Hampshire, Children's Museum and Theatre of Maine, Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, Palace Playland, Funtown Splashtown, L.L.Bean: hours and admission as posted October 2026
- Shoreline Explorer (York County Community Action) schedules and WGME reporting on the Blue Line suspension; Old Orchard Beach Chamber of Commerce
- Great American Stations and Wikipedia station articles for addresses and station history, cross-checked with Amtrak
Hours, prices and bus routes change. I update this page when they do; if you spot something out of date, tell me.