Forget about playing the license plate game. Don't bother dragging out the Cheez-Its. By the time your kids enter that dreaded "when will we be there?" zone, you're there — ready to bike, hike, or paddle through some of New England's most glorious country.

Pick a weekend; pick any outdoor activity and we guarantee you'll find a place to play within a Frisbee's toss of Paul Revere's house. So, what are you and your brood doing this weekend? Here are six of our top picks, all within an hour's drive from Boston.

Rips and Rapids on the Concord River

"Hold on!" our guide screamed as we hit a 10-foot wall of water.

Hangin' tough on the Concord

We continued lurching up and over mountains of gushing whitewater, attacking rapids with names like Twisted Sister, Three Beauties, and Middlesex Dam(n).

White-knuckled, heart-pumping rafting just minutes from Boston? You betcha. The spring runoff on the Concord River in Lowell, Massachusetts, produces a series of Class III and IV rapids. This urban thrill ride is considered some of the best whitewater rapid running in New England. Why travel further?

We took sopping plummets down the backside of exploding waves — some 50-foot drops — and in between, we floated beneath stone arched bridges and past former mill sites and power canals. Our guide gave us a quick history lesson of the area between instructions of"Paddle! Paddle! Paddle!" "Hold on! Hold on! Hold on!" The trip ended with a paddle into the heart of downtown Lowell and through an 1850s lock chamber, now a National Historic Landmark, where we were lifted 17 feet to a walkway. Then, we did it all again. (Two runs are made per trip.)

Directions to the Bellegard Boathouse, Lowell Heritage State Park From Boston: Take I-95 north/Rte.128 to Rte. 3. Follow Rte. 3 to exit 32 (Rte. 4 in Chelmsford) to the Drum Hill Rotary. Travel 3/4 of the way around, taking a right onto Drum Hill Road. At the third set of lights, bear left onto Wood Street. Cross the bridge over Merrimack River and turn right onto Pawtucket Blvd. The parking lot to the boathouse is on your right.

Contact the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust, (888) 375-1115 for information and reservations. Trips are held Saturday and Sunday in April and May, last about four hours, and cost $75 per person. Minimum age is 12 years.

Move on to Kayaking Great Bay

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Diane Bair and Pamela Wright are authors of 16 guidebooks, including Fun Places to Go with Children in New England. When they're not hiking, biking, climbing, or paddling, they're writing from their Newburyport, Massachusetts, office.

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