10 family-friendly ferry rides worth planning a summer trip around

Flying with kids has never been my idea of a fun time, but these days it’s even less appealing. Between the car seat gate-check chaos, TSA lines that stretch into infinity, and a gamble as to whether or not you’ll even make it to your destination, it’s enough to swear it off completely. (And don’t even get me started on the $47 airport sandwich that no one actually eats.) But what if getting there was actually the fun part? Related 20 fun hotels for kids that are basically vacations in themselves Ferry travel is one of the most underrated ways for families to vacation in the U.S.—and summer 2026 is the perfect time to try it. Unlike cramming into an airplane, a ferry ride gives your kids room to move, something to look at that isn’t a seat-back screen, and that open-water magic that makes even a jaded tween put their phone down for a minute. (I’ve seen it with my own bare eyeballs.) Some of these routes are quick little hops to car-free islands. Others are four-hour crossings that feel like a mini cruise. All of them are worth building a trip around. Here are 10 family-friendly ferry routes across the country, organized by region, that will have your crew saying “can we do that again?” before you even dock. Pacific Northwest ferries 1. Seattle to Bainbridge Island, Washington If you only take one ferry ride on this list, make it this one. The 35-minute crossing from downtown Seattle to Bainbridge Island is the kind of easy, low-stakes adventure t…