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

Lawrence Krowdeed /Unsplash
From a car-free island in Michigan to a wild-horse barrier beach in North Carolina, these family-friendly ferry routes are the summer adventure you didn’t know you needed.
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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?
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 that works whether your youngest is 2 or 12. You board right at the waterfront, grab a coffee from the onboard café, and watch the Seattle skyline shrink behind you while the snow-capped Cascades stretch out to the east. On clear days, Mount Rainier makes an appearance that’ll stop you mid-sentence.
What makes this especially great for families: the Kids Discovery Museum is a short walk uphill from the Bainbridge ferry terminal—no car needed. Older kids will like poking around the walkable downtown for ice cream and bookshops. And if you bring the car, you’ve got hiking trails and beaches within a quick drive.
- Duration: Approximately 35 minutes
- Cost: Walk-on adults $9.85 one-way, kids 6-18 discounted, under 6 free. Cars additional.
- Reservations: Not required for walk-ons; vehicle reservations available
- Season: Year-round
Pro tip: Take the ferry over in the morning, spend the day, and time your return for sunset. The views heading back toward Seattle at golden hour are unreal.
2. Anacortes to Friday Harbor (San Juan Islands), Washington
The San Juan Islands are where Pacific Northwest families go when they want that island-vacation feeling without a passport. The ferry from Anacortes winds through a string of evergreen islands, and if your kids are lucky (and patient), they might spot orcas, bald eagles, or harbor seals from the deck.
Friday Harbor itself is a charming, walkable village with a whale museum that’s genuinely interesting (not just “interesting for kids”—actually interesting). From there, you can hop the free inter-island ferry to Lopez, Shaw, or Orcas Island, each with its own personality. Orcas Island has Mount Constitution and some of the best views in the state. Lopez is known as “the friendly island” because everyone waves at everyone, which honestly might be the most wholesome thing you encounter all summer.
- Duration: Approximately 60-75 minutes
- Cost: Walk-on adults $14.65 one-way. Cars additional. Inter-island ferry is free.
- Reservations: Not required for walk-ons; vehicle reservations strongly recommended in summer
- Season: Year-round, more frequent in summer
Pro tip: If you’re driving on during summer, make your vehicle reservation weeks in advance—this route fills up fast. Walk-ons have a much easier time. Arrive 30–40 minutes early regardless.
3. Edmonds to Kingston, Washington
This one is the perfect low-key day trip for families who don’t want to plan a whole production. Park in Edmonds, let the kids run on the beach before boarding, then take the 30-minute ferry to Kingston—a tiny waterfront town with a candy store, a crêpe shop, and a park right by the dock where kids can burn off energy before the ride back.
It’s not a destination vacation. It’s a “we need to get out of the house and do something that feels like an adventure but requires almost no planning” situation. And those are the days that end up being surprisingly great.
- Duration: Approximately 30 minutes
- Cost: Walk-on adults $9.85 one-way, kids discounted
- Reservations: Not required for walk-ons
- Season: Year-round
Pro tip: Check the ferry schedule before you go—departures are roughly once an hour, so timing matters.
Midwest & Great Lakes ferries
4. SS Badger: Ludington, MI to Manitowoc, WI
The SS Badger isn’t just a ferry. It’s a four-hour, 60-mile cruise across Lake Michigan on the last coal-fired steamship on the Great Lakes—a National Historic Landmark that also happens to have bingo, a movie lounge, a video arcade, and a snack bar.
The crossing connects Ludington, Michigan—a gorgeous beach town—with Manitowoc, Wisconsin, home to a maritime museum worth a stop. (Note that it’s closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.) You can bring your car, your RV, even your bikes. And because it’s four hours on open water with Lake Michigan stretching out in every direction, it genuinely feels like an ocean voyage, not a commuter shuttle.
- Duration: Approximately 4 hours
- Cost: Walk-on adults $79 one-way; round-trip Great Lake Getaway from $112/adult with 2 kids free per paying adult
- Reservations: Strongly recommended
- Season: Mid-May through Mid-October
Pro tip: Book a stateroom ($61 each way) if you have little ones who might need a nap—or if you just want a quiet place to hide for 20 minutes. No judgment. The round-trip Great Lake Getaway package is a solid deal for families who want to make it a day trip.
5. Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island, Michigan
Mackinac Island is what happens when someone designs a family vacation destination and removes everything stressful. No cars are allowed on the island—none—so you get around by bicycle, horse-drawn carriage (seriously), or on foot. The ferry ride over takes less than 20 minutes, but it feels like crossing into a different century.
Once you’re there, the vibe is pure Americana: fudge shops on every corner, a massive Victorian-era hotel with the world’s longest porch, bike trails that loop the entire island, and the kind of unstructured exploration time that kids don’t get enough of anymore. It’s a screen-free utopia (by happy accident—cell service is spotty).
- Duration: Approximately 16-25 minutes
- Cost: Adults $30-50 round trip, depending on operator; kids discounted
- Reservations: Strongly recommended
- Season: Mid-April through late-October
Pro tip: Two ferry companies operate the route, and both are solid. If you’re departing from Mackinaw City, some crossings pass under the Mackinac Bridge, which is a fun bonus. Rent bikes on the island and ride the 8-mile perimeter trail as a family. There’s a reason it’s been ranked the top biking spot in the entire world–it’s flat, scenic, and doable with kids of almost any age.
Northeast ferries
6. Boston to the Harbor Islands, Massachusetts
Most people don’t realize that Boston has its own national park—and it’s a quick ferry ride away. The catamaran from Long Wharf zips you out to the Harbor Islands in about 15 minutes, which is barely enough time to get through the snack bar line.
Spectacle Island is the crowd-pleaser for families: supervised swimming on a sandy beach, five miles of walking trails, and a visitor center with a café. Georges Island has Fort Warren, a Civil War–era fort that’s basically a giant stone playground for kids who like to explore (so, all kids). And the ferry ride itself offers one of the best views of the Boston skyline you’ll find anywhere, plus the oldest continually used lighthouse site in the country.
- Duration: Approximately 15-20 minutes to first stop
- Cost: Adults $25 round trip; kids $16
- Reservations: Strongly recommended
- Season: May through October
Pro tip: Pack a picnic. The island café options are limited and you’ll want to eat outside anyway. Bring layers too—it’s always breezier on the water than it is on the mainland.
7. Cape May, NJ to Lewes, DE (Cape May-Lewes Ferry)
Here’s a route that’s as practical as it is scenic. Instead of driving three hours around the Delaware Bay to get between the Jersey Shore and the Delaware beaches, you take a 85-minute ferry across. Your kids get a boat ride. You get to skip the traffic. Everyone wins.
The ferry itself has upper decks with panoramic views, a snack bar with surprisingly decent food (the cheesesteaks have fans), and enough space for kids to wander without you losing them. Dolphins are common in summer, which will buy you approximately 45 minutes of goodwill from even the most “are we there yet” child.
- Duration: Approximately 85 minutes
- Cost: Adults $14 one-way; kids 6-13 $6; under 6 free. Vehicle additional $55+
- Reservations: Strongly recommended
- Season: May through October
Pro tip: On the Cape May side, the terminal area has a restaurant and a gift shop that’ll keep you busy if you arrive early. Make vehicle reservations in advance during summer—especially on weekends and holidays.
Southeast ferries
8. Hatteras to Ocracoke Island, North Carolina
A free ferry to a remote barrier island with wild horses and the kind of quiet, untouched beaches that make you feel like you’ve discovered a secret? Yes. This is real, and it’s one of the best-kept family travel deals on the East Coast.
The vehicle ferry from Hatteras crosses the Pamlico Sound to Ocracoke Island, where Ocracoke Village feels like the Outer Banks of 30 years ago—small, unhurried, and full of charm. The village is walkable and bikeable, with local seafood spots, a harbor where you can watch fishing boats come in, and beaches that are blissfully uncrowded. There’s also a seasonal passenger-only express ferry that drops you right in the village—ideal for day-trippers who don’t need a car.
- Duration: Approximately 60-75 minutes
- Cost: Free (vehicle ferry). Passenger-only express ~$5/person one-way (seasonal)
- Reservations: Not required for vehicle ferry (first come, first served); avoid midweek mid-mornings in summer
- Season: Year-round (vehicle ferry); Memorial Day–Labor Day (express passenger ferry)
Pro tip: If you’re taking the vehicle ferry in summer, avoid Tuesday through Thursday mid-morning departures—those are peak day-tripper hours. Early morning or late afternoon crossings are much easier. And absolutely plan a sunset on the water if you can swing the timing.
9. Beaufort to Shackleford Banks, North Carolina
If your family wants a true adventure—the kind where you pack your own water and there’s no gift shop, just a wild, wind-swept barrier island with feral horses—Shackleford Banks is it. This undeveloped island is part of the Cape Lookout National Seashore, and the only way to reach it is by a short passenger ferry from the Beaufort waterfront.
The Banker Ponies are the headliners here. Believed to descend from shipwrecked Spanish mustangs, they roam freely across the beaches and maritime forest. Kids will be transfixed (remind them to keep a safe distance—these are wild animals, not a petting zoo). Beyond the horses, there’s world-class shelling, ghost crabs to chase at the waterline, and the kind of empty, gorgeous beach that barely exists anymore on the East Coast.
- Duration: Approximately 10-15 minutes
- Cost: Varies by operator; typically ~$15–20/person round trip
- Reservations: Recommended; book online in advance
- Season: April through November
Pro tip: This is a pack-it-in, pack-it-out situation. Bring sunscreen, water, snacks, and shade (there isn’t much). There are no facilities on the island. It’s not a full-day outing for most families with young kids, but a few hours on Shackleford Banks will be a core memory for everyone.
West Coast ferries
10. San Francisco to Sausalita/Tiburon California
You can drive across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito in 20 minutes. Or you can take a ferry across the bay, cruise past Alcatraz, watch the bridge get bigger and bigger until you’re practically underneath it, and arrive in a waterfront town where the ice cream is excellent and the Bay Area Discovery Museum is waiting to entertain your kids for hours. The choice is obvious.
The ferry from the San Francisco Ferry Building is a ride that impresses every single time, even for locals. Sausalito is the more popular stop (art galleries, restaurants, the Discovery Museum), but Tiburon is our sleeper pick for families—it’s less crowded, the waterfront path to Blackie’s Pasture is stroller-friendly, and the candy store on Main Street will close out your trip on a high note.
- Duration: Approximately 25-35 minutes
- Cost: Varies
- Reservations: Recommended; book online in advance
- Season: Year-round
Pro tip: The Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito is a must if you have kids under 10—it’s tucked right under the Golden Gate Bridge with outdoor trails, water play, and building activities. Also: the ferry sells beer and wine. For the adults. Obviously.
How to plan a family ferry trip: What you actually need to know
Book early (especially vehicles)
Walk-on passengers generally have an easier time, but if you need to bring your car, reserve your spot well in advance—particularly for summer weekends on popular routes like the San Juan Islands, SS Badger, and Cape May–Lewes. Some routes, like Hatteras to Ocracoke, don’t take reservations at all, so plan to arrive early.
Timing matters more than you think
Mid-morning departures on popular routes are the most crowded. If you can swing an early morning or late afternoon sailing, you’ll have a better experience all around. Bonus: evening ferries often come with sunset views.
Dress in layers
It’s always cooler and windier on the water than on land. Even in July. A light jacket and a hat go a long way toward keeping everyone comfortable—especially on the upper deck, which is where you want to be.
Pack snacks (and a plan for motion sickness)
Most ferries have snack bars, but options can be limited and overpriced. Bring your own provisions. If anyone in your family gets motion-sick, stay on the upper deck in fresh air, look at the horizon, and consider kid-friendly motion sickness remedies before boarding—not after.
Walk-on when you can
Many ferry destinations are walkable, bikeable, or have local transit on the other side. Walking on is cheaper, less stressful (no vehicle lines), and gives you the full “we’re on an adventure” feeling. Check whether you’ll actually need a car at your destination before assuming you should bring one.
Let the ferry be the destination
Not every trip needs an ambitious itinerary on the other side. Some of the best family ferry days are round-trips where the ride itself is the main event. The SS Badger, the Hatteras–Ocracoke crossing, the San Francisco Bay—these are all experiences that stand on their own, even if you just turn around and come back.
Summer doesn’t have to start with a boarding pass and a bag of overpriced trail mix from the airport Hudson News. Sometimes the best family trips are the ones where you can see the water, feel the wind, and let your kids just… look at something big and beautiful for a while. A ferry ride does that. And unlike a flight, nobody’s going to ask you to put your tray table up right when your toddler finally fell asleep.

















































































