Can anyone suggest a good place for a week’s vacation within a half day-day’s drive of New York city?

My partner (from Germany) at work approached me and asked me for some local input in planning his two week vacation to New York city. He wants to spend the first week in they city, and then drive somewhere within a 1/2 day’s drive to spend the second week in a rented house or possibly a bed and breakfast either on the coast near a beach or in/near a national park with beautiful wooded scenery. He has a 10 year old and a 14 year old and would like to go somewhere with ‘beautiful trees, a state park, or something along the ocean with water sports’. I think he was thinking of something along the tri-state area coastal front, but he also seems receptive to state parks in-state/up-state New York or New Jersey, especially if there’s stuff for his kids to do (hiking, outdoors/water sports, etc.) Beautiful scenery and keeping his kids happy seem to be the priorities. Please send any links of places that you think fit the bill.

Newport RI or much further up the coast the Acadia NP ME area which is just spectacular
btw even in summer the North Atlantic off the coast of Maine is cold
To shorten the trip both USAir and Delta offer jet service into Bangor -BGR-from LGA
http://www.acadiamagic.com/MountDesert.html
Update Amy S is right
Vermont is an exellent choice if you want fresh water
The lower end of Lake Champlain can be interesting
Try this sitehttp://www.newenglandtravelplanner.com/go/vt/index.html