My wife and I are coming to A'dam in late February (our 5th or 6th trip in 10 or so years), and are wondering if there might be a recommended "day trip" that someone can recommend. No puns please :)

Googling around, it seems that most recommendations are for the warm season. We are thinking of someplace where we can rent a couple of bicycles and ride them FAR AWAY from trams and traffic, and maybe see a windmill or two.

All of our visits have been in February or March, so we understand the range of weather and would bundle up - so long as it is above freezing during the day (I'm allegic to bicycles on ice).

Ideas?

You could try Zaanse Schans over near Zaandam. I found it dull personally, but there's windmills and a large modern museum.

Zaans Schan is a good idea.

Alternatively, I often take visitors to Leiden, which is about half an hour from Amsterdam by train. Easy to walk around - and has a windmill in the centre - but possibly a bit too like Amsterdam. There is a bike hire place by the station and it's not too far to get out of town. Alternatively, go to Den Haag Centraal and follow the bike route north towards Leiden.

From the trips in NL that I took two stand out: Marken, a small island near Amsterdam, essentially a live-in museum of how life in Holland used to look. You can rent bikes and ride around the island.

Another fascinating trip was the Delta Works, showing how very seriously the Dutch take water management.

I've also heard good things about Enkhuizen, a small fishing village northeast of Amsterdam....I know they have an open-air historic culture museum open during the warmer months, but I'm sure it's closed during the winter.

~uber.

Hoorn used to be an important harbour in the 17th ("golden") century. http://www.hoorn.nl/main/index.html
It was the seat of the first multinational company in the world: the United East-Indies Company (VOC). The old center of town still breathes the ancient atmosphere with 17th century houses and cobblestone streets.

Alkmaar very much has the same feel, but it's a bit more crowded.
http://www.alkmaar.nl

And of course, there's the aforementioned Zaanse Schans: a village of rebuilt historical houses and windmills, where you can see cheese and wooden shoes being manufactured.
http://www.zaanseschans.nl/EN.html
Come to think of it, Showboat is only a few clicks away from the Zaanse Schans. ;-)

So much for the tourist info. I oughta charge money for this...

You'll have to settle for heartfelt thanks - though if you spot us out and about from late Feb to early Mar, introduce yourself and we'll be glad to buy you a beer.

We'll be easy to spot - a couple of American tourists with a slight coffeeshop glaze in the eyes... I'm sure we'll bump into one another, it being the slow season and all :)

Adventurer

Anytime buddy ;-)

Hoge Veluwe National Park has bicycles to ride for free in the park while cruising to the museum in the center. Great fun if the weather is correct and the art in the museum worthwhile.