Day trip from Amsterdam in Feb

Do you have Rick Steves Amsterdam, Bruges, and Brussels? He has lots of varied daytrips with full descriptions, including the transportation details. You can then see which ones would suit you, based on the fact that the days will be relatively short, and the weather may be lousy. One great thing about Netherlands day trips is that they need no advance planning; train tickets (except on a few lines) cost the same bought on the day of travel as they do in advance. So, you can see how you feel and what the weather is like, then decide in the morning if you want to go or not.

The Hague is a particularly good choice for bad weather, as its most important attractions are museums and so are indoors.

Personally I liked Delft less than Rick (and others) do. I liked Utrecht, Leiden, and Rotterdam a lot. I didn't go to some of the smaller towns and more rural destinations, but Rick describes these too.

I enjoyed the walking tour we did of Haarlem. If you have a bright day it's an easy train ride and the TI has maps.

Pam

Following is information taken from the "Dutch Day Trips" section of Rick's Amsterdam Bruges & Brussels guidebook (more detailed information can be found in the book, including open times/dates and a wealth of other useful information--I've excluded information pertaining only to Summer months).

Delft and The Hague

Allow a full day to visit the adjacent towns of Delft and The Hague--though either destination makes a fun day trip on its own. Delft is also a fine place to spend the night.
This lovely hometown of the painter Vermeer and the Delftware factory is a delightful place to relax by a canal. For more activity, zip into The Hague, just next door.
The Hague is the big-city seat of Dutch government offers good museums, including the excellent Mauritshuis art gallery, housed until mid-2014 at the Gemeentemuseum.

Museums near Arnhem

Allow an extremely long day to visit the open-air and modern-art museums; you’ll need to leave Amsterdam by 8:00. If you stay overnight near the art museum (in Otterlo), you’ll have more time to fit in the train museum on your return to Amsterdam.
Arnhem Open-Air Folk Museum Holland’s original, biggest, and best open-air folk museum, Arnhem sprinkles traditional buildings from around Holland across a delightful park, and populates them with chatty docents to give you a flavor of old-time lifestyles.

Kröller-Müller Museum:
This excellent modern-art museum has dozens of Van Goghs and a sculpture garden. It’s located on the outskirts of the city of Arnhem, within the vast Hoge Veluwe National Park, which has free loaner bikes you can ride to the museum.

Spoorwegmuseum:
Holland’s biggest and best train museum is located in the crossroads town of Utrecht.

Schokland Museum:
Easiest by car, it takes about a half-day to visit this far-flung sight.
Schokland A former island left high and dry when the surrounding sea was drained, this village is now a museum in the middle of reclaimed farmland.

Edam, Volendam, and Marken

Figure on a day (leaving Amsterdam by 10:00) to visit these picturesque villages, in the region aptly called Waterland. If you have only a half-day, choose Edam.

Edam

In this quiet town, you can mellow out like a hunk of aging cheese. There are no real sights, but its tiny main square and peaceful canals may win you over.

Volendam

A transit hub for the Waterland region, this workaday town has an extremely touristy seafront promenade and a boat across to Marken.

Marken

Once an island, and now connected by a causeway to the mainland, this time-warp fishing village preserves traditional buildings and lifestyles.

The Historic Triangle

Allow a full day for this excursion. Leave Amsterdam for Hoorn by 9:38 (confirm time at station) if you want to have enough time to visit the Zuiderzee Museum before it closes. The Triangle trip is usually offered less frequently off-season; see the Historic Triangle chapter for details.
The Historic Triangle Take this enjoyable trip by catching a steam train in the town of Hoorn to the town of Medemblik, and then sailing on a 1920s-era boat to Enkhuizen to visit the Zuiderzee open-air folk museum.

Enkhuizen Zuiderzee Museum

With an emphasis on seaside lifestyles, this well-presented open-air folk museum is the grand finale of a Historic Triangle day, or can be visited directly from Amsterdam.
Alkmaar and Zaanse Schans Open-Air Museum
Allow a half-day for Alkmaar. Allow a full day to add the open-air museum. Both are described in the Alkmaar and Zaanse Schans Open-Air Museum chapter.

Zaanse Schans Open-Air Museum

Packed with windmills (and greedy shops), this sight is just a quick 15-minute train ride (plus a 15-minute walk) from central Amsterdam.

Agree with Harold about Delft. Mehhhh… Utrecht or Rotterdam if you want something close. At that time of year, I would be more inclined to plan for a lot of cold, dampness and wind and limit anything that requires being outside a lot. The Kroller-Muller is in the middle of a big park and there is a lot of sculpture outdoors - great in the spring and summer, probably not something I would plan for in February. Since you are months away from the trip, you could also think about booking a high speed train now and head over to Antwerp, Belgium. It only takes about 1 hr 15 min to 90 minutes to get there from Centraal on the high speed trains and if you book in advance, the ticket prices can be reasonable. There are local trains that can get you there for cheap, but they take too long (about 3 hours with all the stops and the change once you cross over into Belgium). Antwerp has an excellent cathedral and plenty of museums, shopping and places to sample beer and chocolate. Lots of stuff to keep you busy right in Amsterdam for 5 days or more. But wherever you decide, look at the opening hours of places you are interested in. It's not peak season and opening days and hours can vary. You want to make sure you aren't going on a day when the things you want to see are closed and plan for shorter visiting hours.