Central PA Family Fun Report

Ideas for the Holiday Season - 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

I will usually only post about activities I've experienced first hand but there are so many great things to do in the Harrisburg area around the holidays and my family can't possibly do them all AND let you know about them in time for you to do them too so here are a few untested (and some tested) ideas for you:

Christmas Magic - A walk-thru Christmas light display in the York area. (Closed Dec. 24, 25 ) They also have five enclosed heated pavillions with train displays, refreshments and music.

Santa's Paradise Express at Strasburg Railroad, - A 45-minute heated train ride with Santa and music

Dutch Winter Wonderland at Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster and Candylane at Hersheypark in Hershey. (Note: Candylane is not untested - we have been there every Christmas since my 8 year old was a baby.)

You can buy a combined pass for Winter Wonderland and Candylane and save a bit of money if you want to do both parks. Look for discount coupons for Candylane at Giant, McDonalds, CVS. I have not found any coupons for Dutch Winter Wonderland (they may exist).

Sweetlights - a drive thru light display in Hershey. Look for discount coupons at Giant, McDonalds, CVS.

National Christmas Center Family Attraction and Museum, open weekends March and April then daily through the New Year. Features Christmas exhibits, a gift shop and a café.

Several activities at Fort Hunter : (we finally got there in 2011)
"Kids Only" Holiday Shop, Saturdays and Sundays, 12:30-4:30 pm
You need to give the kids the money to shop

"Festival of Trees" Annual Tree Display, Saturdays and Sundays,12:30-4:30 pm
Free

Toy Train Exhibit,Saturdays and Sundays, 12:30-4:30 pm
Free

Christmas at Fort Hunter
This is at the mansion so it's regular admission price for the mansion.

Little Buffalo Christmas Trail, December 17th-December 23rd
A free evening quarter-mile walk through the woods with Santa and Christmas lights.

Little Elves Workshop at The Hershey Story

Koziar's Christmas Village - Bernville, PA
Indoor and outdoor displays. Open evenings. About an hour from Harrisburg.

Santa's Wonderland at Bass Pro at the Harrisburg Mall - a chance to visit with Santa and get a free 4x6 photo taken with him. They also have craft activities.

Ice Cream Social with Santa at the Turkey Hill Ice Cream Experience - Hershey, PA December 17th and 18th. This Ice Cream Social includes an individual chat with Santa, a special gift bag (including one free ticket to the Turkey Hill Experience), an ice cream sundae, and a personal photo with Santa. Admission is $9.95.

If you have any feedback on these suggestions or if you have suggestions of your own, please add them in the comment section.

Christmas at Fort Hunter - Harrisburg, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 13:19:00 +0000

Website: Fort Hunter
Season: Thanksgiving to Christmas
Cost: Mostly free but see website for details
Expected Length of Visit: 1-3 hours
Recommended Ages: All ages

We finally visited Christmas at Fort Hunter in 2011. We visited the day Mrs. Claus and one of Santa's reindeer were there, which is probably the best day to take kids to this event.

Their regular Christmas activities are the toy train exhibit, a Kid's Shop (where the kids can buy gifts alone), the Festival of Trees and there is a mansion tour. The mansion tour is open during the week but the rest of these activities are weekends only. There is only a fee for the mansion tour and of course, if your child is shopping in the kid's shop, they will need money.

There are other events scheduled throughout the season too - plant and craft sales, concerts, Victorian teas, cooking demonstrations that you'll need to check the website for dates and fees since they change every year.

Our outing was nice. There was a bit of a crowd, not too crazy, and it took a while to get to the reindeer. You have to bring your own camera. They don't take any pictures - they just provide the photo ops. There was a gentleman at the reindeer who offered to take pictures with your camera if you wanted everyone in the shot.

While we had to wait quite a while to see the reindeer, we practically walked right up to Mrs. Claus. Then we waited again to view the toy train exhibit. We decided to skip the Kids Only Holiday Shop. My son already did that at school, with less expensive options but the sample prices outside didn't look so bad. I believe everything is under $10 in there.

The train display impressed the boys. It's not the Choo Choo Barn, but it had a similar wow factor. It was hard to see the details in the middle of the wide display, but I'm sure taller folks could see a lot more. I think the boys could have spent a lot more time looking at it but there was quite a line so we had to keep moving. It's probably not so busy on weekends when Mrs. Claus and the reindeer aren't there.

I completely forgot about the Festival of Trees this visit. The boys played at the playground for a while and we went home. We spent at total of $1(on a raffle ticket to win a train). There are opportunities to make donations. They lost my donation when they were out of reindeer food. We got there pretty early - the boys were disappointed.

They also sell chocolate bars, chocolate lollipops, hot cocoa, water and possibly other refreshments.

It was very enjoyable for a low-cost event.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Knoebel's Amusement Park - Elysburg, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 02:02:00 +0000

Website: Knoebel's Amusement Resort
Season: April-September
Cost: No admission. Pay by Ride or they run one-price days often (but you don't need to choose that option). See details here. Note that some rides, mainly the Haunted Mansion, may not be included in the one-price option.
Estimated Length of Stay: You can spend as much or as little time as you want since you aren't paying one large admission. We usually a few trips here every year and spend several hours there.
Recommended Ages: All ages

Knoebel's Amusement Park is another one of my favorite activities. It is a bit of a drive (a bit over an hour away for us) but it is such a good deal. Free parking, no admission, reasonable ticket prices, more than reasonable food prices.

It's the perfect amusement park for anyone who is not able or willing to ride many of the park rides. You pay one price at Hersheypark whether you get on any rides or not. At Knoebel's, you only pay if you ride so parents of small children and grandparents who want to tag along don't get stuck paying just to walk around the park and watch the little ones ride. And if the kids aren't in the mood to ride that day, no loss.

You can purchase books of tickets or pay by the ride. If you buy too many tickets, you can save them for your next visit. If you do happen to be someone who can ride a lot of rides in one day, they do often run a pay-one-price-ride-all-day admission fee but I've found that you have to ride a lot of rides to make it worth it. Check their website for discount days and other special pricing. I did buy the boys an all-day pass the first day they were open after the 2011 flood. They discounted the price but almost every ride was open. There were no lines that day since some roads leading to Knoebel's were still closed. It was a great day and the boys got their money's worth. I used tickets we had leftover from previous visits.

They have a lot of great rides too. They may not have the monstrous attractions that Hersheypark has but they have plenty of good stuff. They have some great coasters - The Twister and Phoenix are great. Since having kids, I haven't had a chance to ride these but I remember them fondly from visits before I had kids. The Haunted Mansion is another favorite. My son came out shell-shocked last year after his first trip through the Haunted Mansion but recently he's been talking about going back in there again. The Carousel is great too. You can still grab the brass ring there.

There are plenty of rides for kids of course. My sons love the go-karts.

Bring your swimsuits if you're into getting wet since they have some nice water rides and a big pool with slides, fountains and sprinklers. We typical stay dry on our visits. (There are additional fees for the pool and slides.)

There are other activities to keep you busy - miniature golf, a mining museum, an Eagle habitat, loads of games, a 4D theater, and an arcade or two.

The food is excellent and not as outrageously priced as some other amusement parks. We love the sit-down restaurant, The Alamo, where you can get a nice full dinner in an air-conditioned restaurant for about what you'd pay for a burger and fries in other parks. They do not discourage bringing your own food into the park. In fact, there are pavilions around the park that you can use for a picnic. Check their policy but I believe well-behaved dogs are welcome.

They also have camping and a golf course so you can even make this a multi-day outing.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Lake Tobias Wildlife Park -Halifax, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Website: Lake Tobias Wildlife Park
Season:May-October
Cost:see rates hereExpected Length of Visit: From a couple of hour up to several hours.
Recommended Ages: All ages

Lake Tobias Wildlife Park is literally just a few minutes from our house so this is our fall-back activity when nothing else is going on. It's a relatively cheap outing, especially without the safari tour. And it just so happens that we love it.

Their admission is quite a bit lower than most other animal parks and small zoos but they offer a lot for the money. They have a nice array of animals. I find their animals a bit more interesting than those at Zoo America since they aren't limited at Lake Tobias to animals native to North America. You won't find elephants or giraffes at Lake Tobias but there are zebras, capybaras (my favorite), kangaroos and other animals you don't see everyday.

The exhibits are very nice. They recently added some new ones and got rid of the last of the old-style depressing cages.

Besides the typical animal exhibits you will see here, you will often find zoo workers carrying or walking an animal through the park and you can usually pet them or get a nice picture with them.

They also have a petting zoo, a reptile show and a safari tour. We finally took the safari tour after many years of passing it up and now we try to do that at least once a year. It's a lot of fun. You really get up close to the animals. I can't believe we passed it up all of those years.

They added a new reptile building in 2011. Attending the reptile show is a much more pleasant experience than it used to be - no more crowding into that small building.

Parking is free but most of the parking is a small trek away from the animals. They do have handicap parking available in the main area.

There are pavillions for picnics. You can reserve these for large affairs. There are several play structures on the property to amuse the kiddies. You can fish on site for a fee but you don't need a fishing license. I don't see any fishing info on the website unless I'm missing it but it's possible. You can get your fishing pass at the snackbar where you purchase the safari tickets. Call Lake Tobias for a price on those. I really can't remember but I'm sure it was $10 or under for an all-day pass. There may be other options too.

You can bring your own food into Lake Tobias but the food is very good there and the prices are reasonable. Unfortunately, the service can be extremely slow. The kitchen is small and the food is made to order so the line backs up around lunchtime. There's a food cart on the premise as well which doesn't usually take quite as long but the options are different and I've never tried anything from the cart. There's a play structure not too far from the snackbar so you can kill some time there while waiting for your food to be prepared. The gift shop is also in that area.

If you prefer to eat while coming or going from Lake Tobias, there is a McDonald's and also a Subway in Halifax on Route 225, 5 minutes south of Lake Tobias and if you came in from the north using Route 209, there are a McDonald's and Burger King in front of the Wal-Mart on 209 in Elizabethville, about 10 minutes north of Lake Tobias.

I wouldn't rate this as an all-day activity. It's not that large and the safari ride only takes about 45 minutes, tops. We usually spend only a couple of hours there since we live so close and visit so often but if you take your time and keep a leisurely pace, you could spend several hours there.

One of my only complaints about Lake Tobias (besides the slow food service) is that it's very difficult to push the average stroller over the gravel surface that covers most of the park.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Cherry Crest Farms, Lancaster County, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Website: Cherry Crest Farms
Season: May-September, maze opens in July NOT OPEN ON SUNDAYS
Cost: See all admission rates here.
Approximate Length of Visit: You can definitely make a day of this. They even have flashlight maze in the evening sometimes.
Recommended ages: All ages but there's more to do for younger kids.

I think Cherry Crest Farm is my absolute favorite out of all of our family fun activities. We have never missed a year since we discovered it. There is so much to do there, especially for younger kids. It can get crowded but not unbearably so. It's nice anytime it isn't raining but it's especially nice when it's a nice fall day. The service and facilities are top-notch. I can't recommend this place enough.

The maze is great for adults and older children but even young children enjoy it. There are play structures located within the maze to entertain them. There's a snack bar within the maze and candy machines pop up along the way. Honestly, we haven't had much luck with the actual maze and had to cheat our way out every time (and between the members of our group we had a PhD, Master's degree and Bachelor's degree). It was still a lot of fun.

That's only a small part of Cherry Crest Farm. There are so many activities for kids beyond the maze. They have a smaller maze, two bouncers (big pillow-like bouncers, not bounce houses), sandboxes, play structures, slides, pumpkin slinging, mining for gold, games, animals, a wagon ride, a small train, pedal cars. That's just part of it. There is more than I can list here. There are activities in the courtyard and activities in the barnyard.

My son had a great time playing on the obstacle course. He had been obsessed with the window cleaners at his school so he just kept going down the rope over and over.

There are animals and a farm education area where he got to hold a baby chick and milk a 'cow'.

The food is excellent. They have roasted corn that is out of this world. It is some of the best sweet corn I ever tasted and I'm usually there in October. The pork barbecue is also really good as are the french fries and, well, everything else. The freshly made Kettlecorn is something we never pass up. Food prices get higher every year but they add more choices every year and you're allowed to bring your own food, if you'd like.

In the past my worst complaints about Cherry Crest were the poor baby changing option and the long lines for the restroom but in 2009 they added a nice baby changing room (and also a nursing station) and added another restroom building. They added even more facilities later.

That is the best thing about Cherry Crest - it gets better every year. They add something new and keep up what they already have. In 2009, they also added a new play structure with slides and small climbing walls, another tent with picnic tables, some games and probably a few other things I missed. In 2011 the added quite a bit - new food stands, new restrooms, new games.

Take note that they aren't open on Sundays. Cherry Crest is a full day for us but it can be combined with Strasburg Railroad.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Candylane at Hersheypark - Hershey, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Website: Candylane
Season: mid-November - December
Costs: see rates here. You can usually save $2 off each admission with coupons from Giant, CVS, McDonald's. Parking in not included. It was $8 in 2011.

Expected Length of Stay: depends on your stamina
Recommended Ages: Geared more towards younger kids but there is something for everyone
We've been going to Candylane since my older son's first Christmas, 8 years ago. It was free admission at that time. It became our tradition and that wasn't going to end even when they started charging admission a few years ago.

You would think the admission would have thinned out the crowds but it hasn't really. Heck, even we've gone twice some years since they started charging. We've had varying experiences at Candylane - cold, warm, crowded, not crowded, long line for Santa, no line for Santa. Generally speaking the earlier in the season and the earlier in the day you go, the less crowded it is. I suggest starting early. It will be less crowded, the ride lines will be shorter, you can visit the zoo and see Santa without waiting in a long line. It gets dark early in the evening that time of year so you'll still be able to enjoy the lights and the atmosphere but you'll have a better shot of getting your money's worth if you start early.

I can remember, the first year or two, waiting in line for what seemed like an eternity, in a hellishly hot room, to get my son's picture taken with Santa. The past few years, we've walked right up. I'm not sure why that is. Candylane always has a very nice looking Santa but the pictures aren't cheap. You get less for more than you did a few years ago. I got a package with a 5x7, 2 4x6s and I think 4 wallets, plus another package that just had an 8x10 (which used to be included with the other package, then they stopped the 8x10 all together before bringing it back as a separate purchase) and that ran me about $50. Yes, I know. It's tradition, what can I say? I think the first year, I paid in the upper $30s for about the same pictures.

Our first year, they were giving out nice little stuffed toys as favors to the children who saw Santa but the favors have become less impressive each year, usually just a small piece of candy now. Those better gifts were usually sponsored by an outside company so it's not really surprising that no one wanted to foot the bill for those anymore.

Most of the rides open for Candylane are for smaller children but there are several that the older kids will like. All of the kiddie rides are open, plus the Kissing Tower, the antique and race cars, the pirate ship, the Claw, the Monorail, the Skyride and few other things. (See complete list here.) None of the coasters are running. The lines can be long. My favorites are the small train and the monorail since you get the best view of the lights in the park.

Zoo America is open (and included with admission) until 4:30pm. There's a music show. Santa's reindeer are on display. There are plenty of shops and refreshments available. The game room and games are open, with many holiday themed prizes.

I have to admit that some years I've been happy to get out of there - it can be cold and crowded. Other years, we've had great weather and light crowds. I'm going to keep up the tradition until the boys outgrow it (and maybe even after that!)

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Harrisburg Holiday Parade - Harrisburg, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:49:00 +0000

Website: Harrisburg Holiday Parade
Season: Annual event in November (week before Thanksgiving)
Costs: Free
Expected Length of Stay: 2 + hours (get there early to get a good spot)
Recommended Ages: All ages

I never paid much attention to this parade but this year I decided we would go. I think it was the warm November weather that made the difference.

We only lasted through the first hour. It's an excellent parade but the boys just weren't up to 2+ hours of parade yet. The older one was sort of overwhelmed by the crowd and the younger one hates to sit still.

The crowds weren't too bad but people still managed to annoy me. We found a spot and 15-20 minutes later two people show up with big chairs expecting us to move over since they said they were there but they had to go back to their car. Um, no. I may not go to many big parades but I believe parade viewing rules follow the general rule of 'move your meat, lose your seat'. I wasn't budging. We were only taking up one prime viewing spot as it was (the stroller - a small one). If we moved at all, the kids would lose their view completely and as I said, we were there for 15-20 minutes.

Then a drunk woman (at 10:30AM!!) showed up. She wasn't really all that obnoxious but her mouth didn't stop moving once she showed up. Yap yap yap.

I can tell you that the first hour had plenty - balloons, floats, excellent marching bands, military, motorcycles, local celebrities, classic cars, candy and other treats for the kids. I can only imagine that the second hour was even better.

I hope we have warm weather again next November.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Great Wolf Lodge - Poconos, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:49:00 +0000

Website:Great Wolf Lodge (always check website for latest information)
Season: All year round but with an outdoor pool area only open in warmer weather
Cost: Varies based on room choice. There are additional costs for extras.
Expected Length of Visit: It's up to you. We've done 3 nights and 2 nights. 2 nights is our preferred length since the extras add up the longer you stay. At this price point it really isn't worth combining this activity with too many other Pocono activities.
Recommended for Ages: All ages.

Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos is part of a chain of hotels with indoor water parks. The parks are only available to overnight guests at the lodge (although paying guest can purchase extra wristbands for friends and family who aren't staying overnight for $40/day - one wrist band per paying guest and I think you can only get them for one day during your stay.)

I chose this for my son's first vacation at 3 1/2 years old because it looked like fun and it was convenient. We live only 2 hours away from Great Wolf Lodge, an easy drive (I-81 to I-80 to 611). We only went for three nights. Later, after my second son was born, we went for two nights. In June 2012, after a divorce, I took my two sons, ages 8 1/2 and almost 4 again for 2 nights, our first vacation without dad.

(You can sort of see the waterpark through the window on the left in this picture:)

The waterpark itself is quite nice - there's something for all ages. Younger children enjoyed the small pool which has three different types of slides (five slides in all). They're fun but perfectly suited for little ones. There are life jackets for the kids, handed out on a first come, first serve basis.

There's also a lazy river (a bit too lazy and short for my taste), hot tubs (my favorite! - there's a family one and an adults only hot tub), several larger slides (some of these slides require at least 2 people), three pools - a wave pool, a regular pool with basketball nets, and a pool with a course you try to walk across without falling in, a 'treehouse' with various water toys attached, and a huge bucket that dumps a LOT of water out about every 10 minutes (WARNING: It has the force to pull down the top of a woman's swimsuit - don't ask me how I know and I apologize to the family with small children that was standing right there).

So there's something for everyone. My younger son loves the small slides and all the water features in the tree house. Younger kids, as long as they can sit up and hold on, can ride in front of a double tube down Alberta Falls - one of the large slides. You have to wrap your feet around them to hold them. My younger son loved that slide. He also loved the wave pool.

My older son loved the wave pool on our last visit. He was previously afraid of it. He is still shy of the big slides but will ride them. He is less adventurous but the wave pool and hot tub held his interest on our latest visit.

There's also an outdoor pool and although we've been there in summer months, we never made it to the outdoor pool - it just felt too cold compared to the indoor pool. Frankly, I enjoyed not having to deal with sunscreen and didn't mind that the park is mostly indoors. The water is always warm.

Food is a bit more expensive in the lodge but that's the price you pay for convenience. Some things are more reasonable than others. There are a few different restaurants in the lodge, including right in the waterpark (there is also a bar in the waterpark) and a Starbuck's. The buffet is expensive but younger kids may be free and the food was a step up from Golden Corral or Old Country Buffet (we only tried it on our first visit). This isn't a rural area of the Poconos - right out the lodge on the main road, you'll find several restaurants very close by if you choose to eat outside the lodge and a grocery store right down the road if you wish to use the microwave and refrigerator in your room, which my kids love for some reason. We've eaten several times at a pizza shop down the street - Amici's. We've also eaten at Friendly's, McDonald's, Red Robin - there are plenty of restaurants around.

We chose one of the theme rooms for each visit - a KidKamp or Wolf's Den - both have a bunk bed area. There was also a queen-size bed and a pull-out sofa in each of these. There were two televisions in the room. On our last visit, the boys ignored the bunkbed area and extra television so next time we'll get the most basic room. There was a decent selection of channels. Personally I hate going on vacation and finding a poor selection of channels on the television since that's how I like to wind down at night.

Besides the waterpark and restaurants, there are two spas (adult and children's), an arcade (the highlight for my sons, I think), a craft room, a workout room, and an animated clocktower. There's a show at bedtime followed by a story and one of the lodge's characters. You can play MagiQuest which involves a computerized wand finding clues all around the lodge (about $25 pp but you can keep the wand). For younger kids there is a wand for stories. I just bought both boys Magiquest even though the younger one was too young to actually play, his wand still worked and entertained him. They have some sort of a Tech Center where you can play video games but we haven't checked that out. They've also added a small bowling alley, with small balls. Oh, there's a build-a-bear type of store too.

You can get package deals for some of the extras which might be worth it if you plan on doing several of them.

There's a gift shop and a swim shop but the suits are quite expensive. If you forget your swimsuit, you'd probably be better off going down the road to find one. Crossings Outlets are right next door to the lodge.

Overall, a very nice place to visit. It's a bit pricey but considering it was so conveniently located, it's worth it for us. My kids love it and always want to go back. The service is excellent and they always add new things. There offer discounts all of the time. The best deals are mid-week.

Tip: Know the layout of the hotel and be ready if they give you a room choice. You probably don't want to be too far from the action (but you may not want to be where there is too much action - mainly by the Magiquest activity which can get noisy).

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Possibility Place - Harrisburg, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:16:00 +0000

Website: Possibility Place
Season: Year Round
Cost: Free!
Approximate Length of Visit: Varies
Recommended ages: All ages. Playground for younger kids, fields for older kids.

This park was built just a few years ago and what makes it different from other parks is that it's accessible to people with disabilities but it's not only for people with disabilities.

The playground has great play structures and a very soft ground surface (some sort of carpeting with something smooshy underneath). They have the usual playground features - slides, swings, etc plus a few unique ones - musical instruments, a small climbing wall (I didn't notice that while I was there but I see the picture of one on their website).

There's a pavillion with picnic tables that can be rented for events but I noticed some people just casually enjoying their lunch there. The bathrooms are clean and close to the playground. They have soccer fields and baseball fields. It's a great place to fly a kite too.

This is just a nice place to spend some time outdoors on a nice day. We all have some sort of local playground but this is one worth going out the way to enjoy.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Fort Hunter Mansion and Park - Harrisburg, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:27:00 +0000

Website: Fort Hunter Mansion and Park
Season: Year Round
Cost: You can enjoy the grounds for free but for the mansion tour: Adults $5.00, Senior Citizens $4.00 Students $3.00. Most special events have some sort of reasonable fee also.
Approximate Length of Visit: Varies
Recommended ages: All ages. Playgrounds for younger kids, fields for older kids, mansion tour for adults.

I have driven by Fort Hunter many times. Many, many, many, many times. It's on my daily commute and my older son always wanted to stop and play there but it was never a good time. Lo and behold, Fort Hunter was part of his first kindergarten field trip.

Fort Hunter is part educational, part recreational.

The Susquehanna River runs along one side of the park, with a lovely view of Rockville Bridge. They have a large field where I've seen kids playing soccer but I've heard from one source that goose poop can be an issue in that field. I'm not sure if it's true or not. I have seen a lot of geese in that field too.

They have two playground areas. They have picnic pavillions. There are several historical buildings, including the mansion and the Centennial Barn. There's a covered bridge that was recently recreated. They also just moved a small old church to the far end of the river side of the park but I'm not sure if you can look inside at this time.

On the day that we were there they had an archeological dig happening behind the mansion.

They run many events at Fort Hunter, several of which are great for families - Maple Sugar Festival, Pennsylvania Indians Festival, Fort Hunter Day, Egg Hunt, Holiday Shop for kids, Halloween, etc. Check their event calendar here for the complete list. There are charges for many of these events but they are reasonable.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Touch-A-Truck - Hampden Township, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:34:00 +0000

Website: Touch a Truck (link to last year's webpage)
Season: Annual event in April?
Cost: $5 per carload or 2 canned goods
Expected Length of Visit: At least an hour.
Recommended for Ages: Any vehicle lover will enjoy this.

This was an activity presented by Hampden Township Fire Department on Saturday April 25, 2009. I believe it's a yearly activity. This is one of those things you just have to watch for. I only found out about it a day or two before the event. Now I know to look for it next April.

Apparently this is a big fundraiser for fire departments and other organizations so other Touch-a-Truck events may pop up in your area.

This was a child's dream! The kids were able to climb all over the vehicles on display. There were approximately 30 vehicles including a school bus, rescue vehicles, a tractor, a dump truck, a UPS truck, an army truck, a boat, the Kissmobile, big rigs, delivery trucks. There were lots of kids there but they were great about taking turns and the kids got plenty of time on the vehicles. My son didn't want to leave the fire truck. It seemed to be enjoyed equally by boys and girls.

They had a raffle and some fire and rescue related items for sale. They gave out plastic fire hats. A couple of the trucks gave out candy (the Kissmobile gave out Hershey's kisses and a delivery truck gave out lollipops). I asked my son what the best part was and he first said 'the Kisses' then he quickly said no, it was the firetrucks.

Some of the best activities just pop up like this. Keep your eyes open.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Wildwood Park - Harrisburg, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:50:00 +0000

Website: Wildwood Park
Season: All Year Round (For operating hours see here.)
Cost: FREE!
Approximate Length of Visit: At least an hour for the Nature Center to really experience it all and you can spend as long as you'd like on the nature trail.
Recommended ages: All ages but probably best for young school age on up but there are some things the really young kids would enjoy.

I don't have any good pictures of this park since I was on a field trip responsible for keeping track of three kindergartners who always seemed to be going in three different directions.

I believe that I visited the nature trail once before when I first moved to the Harrisburg area but this was the first time I experienced the Nature Center. The kids really enjoyed it but we were rushed for time. I'll take my son back someday so we can get the full experience.

The Nature Center has a bird-watching area and several educational displays for children. They really do try to make it fun for kids with an area that they can crawl under/through, microscopes, telephones, and other interactive displays. There's an area where they can enjoy nature-themed books and another area where they can do crafts (coloring sheets and basic things like that). They can get a 'stamp' on a card at each station they visit.

There's also a small gift shop but it didn't seem like an appropriate time for me to shop. I really wanted to though. I love gift shops.

Outside there's a lovely nature trail where if you're lucky, you might be able to spot some of the wildlife that you've learned about inside the Nature Center.

This is a really nice free activity that I'm ashamed to only be learning about now.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Choo Choo Barn - Lancaster County, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:52:00 +0000

Website: Choo Choo Barn
Season: March-December
Cost: Adults 13 and up $6, Children 4-12 $4, Children 4 and under FREE
Approximate Length of Visit: It really depends. I think we spent about an hour looking at the display and then more time looking through the shops.
Recommended ages: All ages but smaller kids will need to be held up to see the display better.

We've passed by the Choo Choo Barn several times but this was the first time we've gone inside. We would have gone in a lot sooner if I had known how much we would enjoy it.

Inside the Choo Choo barn you'll find one large model train display surrounded by a narrow walkway. Everyone is supposed to move only in one direction and you can only go as fast the people in front of you (especially if you have a stroller like we did - next time I will ditch the stroller - the baby just took his first steps!) It can feel a bit claustrophobic but it's not really a problem because there is always plenty to see right in front of you. We did encounter a 'traffic jam' which I later realized was caused by people stopping and waiting for one of the highlights of the display - the fire. One of the little houses starts smoking and the local fire department comes to put it out. My son LOVED that. Everyone did. That is definitely a highlight. My son is more into firetrucks than trains (although after coming home from the Choo Choo Barn, he started dragging out all of his train stuff).

I didn't get a picture of that but I took a few other pictures of the display. Excuse the glare on some of these - the display is surrounded by glass around the edges.

Chopping wood (this was animated):

A traffic accident:

Soldiers in the parade (my son loves parades and soldiers):

A traffic stop (the lights were flashing):

Dutch Haven:

Building a house (animated):

This Turkey Hill was one of my favorite parts of the display. I loved the lighted sign:

There is just so much - airplanes, a ski lodge, a quarry, Dutch Wonderland, a circus, a cave, a train station, rivers, farms, sports, and tons more. Every so often the lights dim down and you get to see the display lighted up for evening.

There are several shops attached to Choo Choo Barn - a small gift shop, a model train shop, a Thomas The Train shop, a candy store and there's an Isaac's Deli there too. The shop prices are all very reasonable.

This was definitely a hit. My son couldn't wait to get to preschool the next day to report on it. He's still talking about it.

There are several things that I really like about the Choo Choo Barn:

- It's open all year except between January and March when it's closed for maintenance. There are certain times of the year when it's harder to find things to do in Central PA since many activities are seasonal. I love that this is open all but three months out of the year.

- It has a great location - across from Strasburg Railroad and down the road from Cherry Crest Farms, not far from the outlets, Dutch Wonderland, etc. You could easily combine this with many other Lancaster activities.

- It's open on Sundays - some things in that area aren't.

- It's a rain or shine activity.

I will warn you that you might leave the Choo Choo Barn with a strong desire to build a model train display in your basement. Remember, you can always come back to the Choo Choo Barn to get your model train fix - we will.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Pennsylvania Military Museum - Boalsburg, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:29:00 +0000

Website: The Pennsylvania Military Museum
Season: Year-round
Cost: Adults 12 to 64: $6.00; Senior Discount: $5.50; Ages 3 to 11: $4.00; Children under 3: Free; Uniformed Military Personnel: Free Admission
Approximate Length of Visit: 1 - 1 1/2 hours
Recommended ages: It isn't child-oriented but this would be enjoyed by any child interested in the military.

My son has really been into the whole army thing lately. I heard about this museum and I thought it would be nice to take a drive in this direction for a change.

It took well over an hour for us to get there from north of Harrisburg. It looked promising when we arrived - the large tanks outside impressed my son.

However, I was a bit underwhelmed with the inside of the museum. Admittedly, I am underwhelmed with most museums outside of the Smithsonian and the big New York museums. Even the Philadelphia Museum of Art never excited me. This was smaller than I imagined and I'm still wondering if we didn't miss something - another floor or room? There were only about two large rooms and some narrow rooms/hallways. It seemed rather random and impersonal to me. The displays were mostly equipment related and not soldier related.

Outside of the museums, the grounds are beautiful and there are some lovely memorials.

They have a small gift shop and my son picked out a toy Army helicopter. Overall, he seemed to have enjoyed this activity. He is still talking about it and has asked to go back. Personally I wish we had planned something else in the area too since I didn't feel as if we got our drive's worth out of the museum. That is not the museum's fault. Live and learn - this is the first time we've travelled as a family in that direction and I wasn't adequately prepared.

On the way up, I thought about how lovely the drive was, with mostly mountains for scenery, with only the occasional peek of civilization around the exits on 322. On the way home, I was longing for more civilization. I yearned for the Cracker Barrels of Route 81 or the numerous restaurants and shops of Route 30. Next time I travel in that direction, or any new direction, I will make sure to do a bit more planning. I picked up some visitor information for that area at the museum and now I'm kicking myself for not adding something to this trip but, next time.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Pioneer Tunnel - Ashland, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:53:00 +0000

Website:Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine and Steam Train
Season: April-October
Cost: Coal Mine Tour $9/adults, $6.50/ages 2-11, Steam Train $7/adults. $5.50/ages 2-1, Combo $14.50/adults, $10.50/ages 2-11
Approximate Length of Visit: A couple of hours at least, we somehow spent 3 hours there
Recommended ages: Interesting for all ages. There is a playground that even the youngest kids can enjoy.

I heard about the Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine and Steam Train through word of mouth. It turned out to be very interesting and enjoyable. Both my husband and I had ancestors who worked in coal mines around the time period this mine operated so it was particularly interesting to us.

It took us a little over an hour to get there from our home north of Harrisburg. It's not that far from Knoebel's Amusement Park, maybe about 20 minutes away. Take 81 to 901W, to 54E and you find yourself in the town of Ashland which reminded me a lot of the area I grew up in, in Northeast PA. You turn onto Twentieth Street, which is more like an alley, up past a cemetery and there it is.

There are two tours. The mine tour takes you 1800 feet into the side of the mountain and lasts about 30 minutes. I have to warn you the ride is ROUGH! If you are pregnant or have a serious case of hemorrhoids, this might not be the best choice for you. You don't spend the entire tour in the cars - the tour is mostly a walking tour within the mine. Wow! The conditions the old coal miners endured will make you appreciate your desk job a lot more.

It is 52 degrees in the mine and drippy (even on a dry day). Bring a coat. They have a rack of coats there that you can borrow but, well, trust me, bring your own coat. The person that borrowed a coat last may have had cooties.

The train ride is also a very rough ride (the roughest train ride that I ever experienced) but I this wasn't originally a passenger train. The coal-fired 'lokie' was rescued from a scrap yard when the mine tour started in the 60s. It was built in 1917.

It's not a very long ride (and your butt will be grateful) but there are stops so the entire train tour takes about 30 minutes.

The first stop, no one leaves the train. You can stand and take pictures and the guide talks about the town below (Ashland, PA) and the town just over the ridge (Centralia, PA) which has basically been dismantled due to an underground mine fire.

The second stop, the passengers can leave the train. There's an example of a bootleg mine (a mock-up, I believe but I'm not positive).

There's a strip mine in that area too.

My older son enjoyed both tours and the baby did very well also (except when he pooped on me the first time we tried to board the train tour - NOTE: There are no baby changing facilities in the restroom!) There's a great playground right there. One area is the old-style that I remember from my childhood, with a large merry-go-round (NOT a carousel!), teeter-totters, and larger swings.

The other side has some of the newer play structures they put in parks nowadays.

There are baby swings which the baby LOVED so this activity truly had something for everyone.

There's a home-style food concession stand. The Bar-B-Q sandwiches(sloppy joes) were very good. An 18.5 ounce bottle of lime-flavored Dasani was only $1.25. Some attractions soak you on the water but they don't which I appreciate.

There's a small gift shop. We had to buy the baby a new shirt since he pooped on the outfit he was wearing. I brought extra shorts along but I forgot his extra shirt. The infant shirt was around $6. They had great pieces of carved coal but I didn't price them.

Even though the tours only took up a bit more than an hour, we somehow managed to spend three hours there. There was about a 30-minute unexplained delay before the train tour. The guys ate something, we played on the playground, and we basically just weren't in a rush that day. We had a good time.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Steamtown - Scranton PA

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:36:00 +0000

Website: Steamtown
Season: The Park is open daily except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Years Day.
Cost: Basic Admission is $6 age 17 and older. Click here to see all other prices and excursions.
Expected Length of Visit: A couple of hours, longer if you take one of the longer excursions.
Recommended ages: Not child-oriented but any train enthusiast would enjoy this.

I enjoyed Steamtown but it was the first train-related activity we experienced, and my son was very young and really into 'choo-choos' at the time. Later, we did Day Out With Thomas at Strasburg Railroad which was even more exciting for him. Steamtown may not have been as impressive if we had done Thomas first, since Day Out With Thomas is child-oriented and, well, it's Thomas the Train! There's short train ride we took at Steamtown which, while old and full of character, was not nearly as nice as the one we rode at Thomas. My son was able to actually explore the trains that they had on display at Steamtown so that was fun. It was more relaxing than Thomas.

So, it was interesting and we got some kind of deal that day because my father is a senior citizen. He bought some sort of pass for around $10 and the rest of us didn't have to pay. I believe it was the Golden Age Passport which I don't think is offered anymore (no wonder!) They also have a trolley museum next door but we haven't checked that out yet. There's a mall right there too (the Steamtown Mall, of course).

This was two hours from our home but close to my parents. Otherwise I probably wouldn't have travelled that distance for Steamtown unless I was a real train enthusiast or if I planned on taking one of the longer excursions which are probably great, especially in the fall since the foliage up that way is incredible. There just happen to be other train options closer to home.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

City Island - Harrisburg, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:32:00 +0000

Website: City Island
Season: City Island is open year-round but many of the activities are seasonal
Costs: free to walk around, various prices for other activities
Expected length of visit: a couple of hours, longer if taking a boat ride or watching a ball game
Recommended ages: all ages

City Island in Harrisburg is a nice place to visit, not exactly something to go out of your way to experience, but a nice way to kill some time on a nice day. If nothing else you can get some great exercise walking around the island.

We went on a Saturday afternoon, specifically to ride the little steam train that goes around the island. The ride was $2 for a short trip (in 2007). Warning: The whistle is loud and may scare small children so sit towards the back. We weren't that smart and by the end, my son was insisting that I cover his ears tightly.

Other activities on the island include a small arcade, batting cages, a small carousel, a play area (that consists mainly of miniature buildings, a small boat, etc), an area of food vendors, miniature golf, a small beach (at your own risk - I've often seen it closed because bacteria levels were too high), carriage rides, the Pride of the Susquehanna, and of course, Commerce Park which hosts the Harrisburg Senators minor league baseball team. There are areas and pavillions available for picnics. It's also just a nice place to walk, run or ride bikes. You can cross over the pedestrian bridge and cover the ground along the waterfront on Front Street too.

Parking was free when we got there but by the time we left they were charging. I believe they only charge during the week and on weekends when there are events (there was a Senators game starting soon after we left that day). I'm not completely sure though - I didn't see any clear signage explaining how it works.

Refreshment prices didn't seem unreasonable. The soda machines actually sold sodas for 50 cents. I'm so used to machines charging exhorbitant amounts in entertainment areas, that was refreshing. We purchased 2 cans of soda, a soft pretzel and a root beer float ice cream treat and it was $3-$4 for all of it.

I'm sure we'll visit again. It's only about a 20 minute drive so it's a place we can always visit at the last moment when there's nothing else on the agenda.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Open House at Halifax Fire Department - Halifax, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 17:30:00 +0000

Our local firehouse in Halifax has a wonderful Open House in October every year (coinciding with Fire Prevention Week). My son looks forward to this day almost as much as Christmas or his birthday (maybe even more than those things). It's a really nice event. They usually have several rescue vehicles on display (police car, fire truck, ambulance), a little trailer set up to teach about fire safety, Smoky the Bear and several other displays with small give aways (pencils, coloring books, etc). They have firetruck rides and a couple of years they even had bucket rides (these may have been discontinued). *Updated 10/09 - the bucket rides were back this year!

The food is great and it's all free but donations are more than welcome of course. They usually have chicken corn soup, hot dogs and bbq chicken meals.

I believe other stations have similar events during Fire Safety Week so keep your eyes open in October.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Chuck E. Cheese - Harrisburg, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:17:00 +0000

Website: Chuck E. Cheese
Season: All-year
Costs: Games are all 25 cents (you buy tokens). Pizza, salad, wings, drinks, etc are extra. Look for coupons in your Sunday paper.
Expected Length of Visit: As long as you can stand it
Recommended ages: There are a few kiddie things to do so I'd say walking on up. (This is not the best place to lug around a not-yet-walking baby, especially when it's crowded.)

This post won't have any pictures. I really don't want to take pictures in a Chuck E. Cheese. They might arrest me (and it seems to be a popular place to get arrested these days).

Chuck E. Cheese is the place you take your kids when there is a birthday party or when the weather is bad and there is absolutely nothing else to do.

To be fair, kids LOVE Chuck E. Cheese. When it's not ridiculously crowded, it's actually kind of fun. The games are only a quarter so a trip to Chuck E. Cheese is not an expensive proposition. I can't speak to the food prices since we usually play and run. We prefer to eat in a more relaxing environment so we usually head across the road to TGIFs. There are several other restaurants and fast-food places in the immediate area. I have had the pizza at birthday parties and it's pretty good.

The problem is, it's almost always a Saturday afternoon when we head to Chuck E. Cheese and that is the most crowded time to be in a Chuck E. Cheese. I find it unbearable when it's crowded. You can't get the good games, the play structure gets overloaded and it's simply chaos.

If you've never been to Chuck E. Cheese (and I made it until my late 30s without going there), it's basically games, games, games. Arcade games but for the younger crowd. You can win tickets and redeem them for junk, err, I mean toys or candy, etc. There's also a play structure that runs along part of the ceiling that you'll pray your child doesn't get stuck in. Good luck trying to coax him or her out of there once they get up there.

So, while Chuck E. Cheese isn't my favorite place to go, it can save the day in the middle of winter or on a rainy day.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Hersheypark - Hershey, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Website: Hersheypark
Season: May-September
Costs: Expensive
Expected Length of Stay: All day
Recommended Ages: All ages

We've only done non-Candylane Hersheypark twice so far, both times it was their Spring weekend (they open for one weekend in April as a preview). It's cheaper (less than half the regular season prices) but there are no water rides and some of the big coasters aren't available.

I was pregnant when we went in 2008 so I didn't get my money's worth but my husband and son managed around 15 rides. It wasn't crowded at all. We weren't so lucky in 2009. It was packed! We barely got to ride anything (partly because my son didn't want to). You just never know.

Hersheypark is a major amusement park so it has all the bells and whistles during the regular season and it also has the big price tag. Regular season admission isn't cheap - over $50 for adults and over $30 for kids over 2. That's a lot! And if you're taking small kids, you aren't going to get to ride any adult rides yourself unless you're travelling with other adults to watch the kids while you ride or if you ride alone (I did ride the Trailblazer by myself).

My son is funny - in 2008 he rode a ton of rides, in 2009 he barely rode anything. It makes it difficult to pay a hefty admission fee knowing he may only ride a couple of rides. There are plenty of rides for kids of all ages from toddlers to adults so if your child is more adventurous, they are more likely to get their money's worth.

Even in 2008 my son would not ride anything alone. He only road one ride alone and that was because my husband could not squeeze himself into this helicopter:

Parking is $6. (I keep hearing rumors that it will go up to $10 but I hope they are just rumors. )There is no food allowed in the park (they do search your bags) and food prices in the park are kind of steep for what you get. You can picnic outside the park so you can leave a cooler in your vehicle and leave the park (make sure to get your hand stamped). The vending machine prices will make your eyes leap out of their sockets.

There are plenty of games and a couple of arcades. My son loves that kind of thing and the game prices aren't bad (some arcade games were only a quarter). I find it hard to enjoy the games knowing we paid an admission to get into the park. Playing games means we aren't riding rides. At least my husband always manages to win something for my son and I notice a lot of other winners toting prizes around the park so the odds can't be too bad. It lessens the pain when we get to take home a big whale wearing a hoodie.

There are other admission options (multiple-day passes, sunset admission, etc.) One great option is the season pass. You can get either the regular Hershey season pass or the Gold, which includes Dutch Wonderland. The season passes include all kinds of perks (free parking, discounts, Zoo America, etc) and you really only have to make a couple of trips to get your money's worth. Our kids aren't quite old enough to appreciate it yet but I plan on buying the passes in a couple of years. The earlier you buy season passes, the better price you get so keep that in mind if you go this route. Think about it in the fall for the following year.

You can also get discounted tickets from Giant markets and perhaps other locations.

There is a lot to do at Hersheypark so it definitely qualifies as a full-day event, especially when it is busy since you'll be waiting in line a lot of the time. There are plenty of kiddie rides for the smaller kids. All rides are coded so you can measure your child upon entering the park and know exactly what rides they are allowed to ride by matching your child's category up to the ride listing on the map. There are shows, games, arcades, Zoo America and of course the rides. You'll stay busy. I find it exhausting to be honest.

The new Boardwalk area wasn't open when we were there but we got a glimpse of the work that they're doing. I think older kids will love it. I'm not so much of a fan of getting wet in the middle of an amusement park (a waterpark such as Great Wolf Lodge is another matter).

In conclusion, it's a great amusement park but pricey as most amusement parks tend to be.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Zoo America - Hershey, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:35:00 +0000

Website: Zoo America
Season: Year round
Cost: $9 for 9 and up, $7.50 for kids 2-8 and adults over 55, children under 2 free. Included in full-day admission to Hersheypark and free to Hersheypark season pass holders.
Expected length of visit: A couple of hours max, IMO
Recommended for ages: all ages

We've visited Zoo America individually and as part of Hersheypark experience. It's a nice little zoo but due to the cost and effort involved in getting to Zoo America(it's at least 45 minutes away), I prefer our local animal park, Lake Tobias, if we're going to do the animal thing.

When we went to the zoo and paid a separate admission, we used a coupon for the Kids Book and save a couple of dollars. It was still more expensive than Lake Tobias and frankly Zoo America isn't any more exciting than Lake Tobias. We're just spoiled since Lake Tobias is practically in our back yard.

They have a nice variety of animals at Zoo America but nothing terribly exotic. No elephants or giraffes - all of the animals are native to North America. They have a neat swimming pool for the bears and you can feed the ducks, which my older son enjoys. It's not that big of a place. You can spend a bit of time visiting the indoor animal habitats and then walk around the rest of the zoo and probably see it all in 1-2 hours.

There is a snack bar in the zoo but I've never been there when it was actually open. There are some vending machines and a gift shop too.

Zoo America is free if you have a season pass to Hersheypark which is a nice perk, especially if you live in the area and want something lite to do every now and then. It's nice that it's open all year round since personally I find it difficult to find things to do in the colder months in this area. I only recently found out it was open year-round. I wish I had known that sooner!

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Philadelphia Zoo - Philadelphia, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:12:00 +0000

Website: The Philadelphia Zoo
Season: The Philadelphia Zoo is open every day of the year except Thanksgiving Day,
December 24, 25 and 31, and January 1.
Cost: In season, $18 for adults over 11, $15, ages 2-11 and under age 2 free. There are other plans and winter rates. See all ticket prices here. Become a zoo member for even more discounts. Expected Length of Visit: You could spend all day here.
Recommended Ages: All ages

We visited the Philadelphia Zoo just a couple of months before my younger son was born in 2008. It was May but it was hot - 80+ degrees hot. It was a Saturday but for whatever reason I didn't expect it to be so crowded. The zoo was a zoo that day! We ended up parking on the zoo road on the far side of the zoo but we were lucky to get parking anywhere near the zoo.

Coming in, we hit traffic not too far from the zoo exit (Girard Ave) on 76. We crawled through traffic for quite some time. (When we left in the afternoon, traffic in that direction was backed up nearly to the turnpike booths so we were more fortunate than the people headed to the zoo at that time.) We bought our tickets and paid for parking online so that probably saved us a little time getting in to the zoo.

Getting into the zoo (the drive, parking, going through the admission gate), was a bit of work but once we got in there, it was nice considering how packed it was. You didn't have to fight anyone to see the animals or anything like that. There was room to walk around. We're fortunate to be early birds and we ate lunch early. Later, the refreshment stand lines were insane. I do believe they let you bring your own food. You really can't leave the zoo to eat since the area surrounding the zoo is a bit, um, rough.

It's a great zoo. It's got the elephants, giraffes, gorillas and all the other big animals we don't get to see locally. My son loved it! The animal exhibits will take up a good portion of the day. We could watch the gorillas for quite some time.

There are other activities too. There's a children's zoo with a petting zoo, a duck pond and a tractor. My son could have played on that tractor all day.

There were pony rides, face painting and swan boat rides. These activities were pricey (I think they were at least $5 each, per person) so we only did one -we rode the swan boats for my son. We won't be able to do that again. Next time we'll be a family of four and we won't fit into that swan anymore.

There's also a hot air balloon for an additional fee but we saved that for another day. I was too exhausted and we had spent enough money.

I remember waiting in line for quite some time to use the restroom which isn't fun when you're 8 months pregnant. My advice - don't wait to use the bathroom by the main entrance on your way out since it was the most crowded.

We had a heck of a time finding our way out of there, back to I-76. I knew where to go but pointing ourselves in the right direction was a problem. The road signage around the zoo did not help. Fortunately I went to Temple and my dad often took that same exit when driving me back to school so I didn't panic when we ended up driving around in a not-so-nice neighborhood (is 'ghetto' no longer a politically correct term?). Or when we ended up driving in the trolley lane (hey, I wasn't the only one!) We eventually got home alive.

I don't know how often we'll return. The zoo is not that far from Harrisburg. It's an easy daytrip down the turnpike. The zoo isn't extremely expensive either and if we became zoo members we could visit quite a bit for our money. It's the hassle of getting in and out of the zoo that turns me off on the idea of visiting again, although I'm sure we will. Unfortunately, if you want to enjoy the big attractions, you usually have to deal with things like traffic and crowds. Hopefully next time we go back it won't be as crazy. I wonder if the fact that the shore season hadn't opened yet ande it was an unusually warm May day made it more crowded. After Memorial Day, many people around Philadelphia head to the shore on the weekends. Just to be safe, I would suggest getting an early start.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Day Out With Thomas at Strasburg Railroad - Lancaster County, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 12:33:00 +0000

Website: Day Out with Thomas at Strasburg Railroad
Season: Thomas comes for a week-long vist, a few times each year
Costs: $18 for all for just Thomas, $25 for age 3 and up for combo (Age 2 and under can ride regular train free)
Estimated Length of Visit: Several hours
Recommended Ages: Any Thomas the Train fans would enjoy this.

This was a great outing for a 3 1/2 year old, which was how old my son was when we did this. There is nothing like watching the excitement on a little boy's face the first time he sees Thomas in the flesh. It was an enjoyable day and driving through Lancaster, it reminded me that there are probably lots of other fun activities in that area.

Thomas comes to Strasburg Railroad a few times each year, usually June, September and December. You can buy tickets just to ride Thomas (about a 20 minute ride) or get a combo pass and also ride a train to Paradise and back (about a 45 minute ride). We opted for just Thomas. You can also upgrade for a fee after you're there, if you show up with just the Thomas ticket.

The train was really beautiful. It was a short ride but it was pretty, inside and out. There were cows and school buses to be seen which are very exciting to a 3 1/2 year old. For some reason most of the parents on board looked miserable - it was actually comical to watch their faces. The staff all looked to be enjoying themselves.

Included in the ticket price are also rides on some of the railroad's other attractions - the small steam train ride, the caboose ride and the push cars. Your child can also pose with Sir Topham Hat and Thomas. They take pictures you can buy and they'll also take a picture with your own camera. They pictures they take are unfortunately very expensive (I bought one, a 5x7 for $18 in 2007). It's a shame they're so expensive because I would have bought more if they weren't. I only bought the picture with Thomas but we also had our picture taken on the train and my son had his picture taken with Sir Topham hat. They do allow you to use your own camera too.

They also have tents where they sell merchandise (which is not unreasonably priced for licensed merchandise) and they offer other free activities - tattoos, a small hay bale maze, a small push car ride, toy tracks set up (but no trains on them since they would probably have a tendency to 'walk away'), puzzles, jewelry making, musical acts, food vendors etc. Some of it was a bit rundown looking but we were there on the last day so that probably had something to do with it.

It does get crowded. We saw cars from several different states in the lot. Parking was free (although the property next door was charging $10 - I have no idea why as they seemed to have plenty of free parking). Refreshment prices were a bit high. Water in the vending machines was very expensive. I bought a large fountain drink for the three of us to share - it was $4! We opted to eat at Applebees after we left. There are plenty of restaurants in that area.

Thomas travels all over the country and I believe it's somewhat the same everywhere. It's definitely a good time for any Thomas fan. We've only done it once so far. I planned on going again but we just couldn't work it into our schedule. We'll definitely go back when the baby is ready to enjoy this.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Wiggles Concert

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 03:40:00 +0000

***This is not a regular event but it's an activity that we enjoyed and it may inspire you to plan something similar.***

Website:Wiggles
Cost: Typical concert prices for everyone - no reduced tickets for children.
Recommended Ages: Toddlers seem to like the Wiggles best.

This is not an ongoing event but the Wiggles tour somewhat regularly. We saw the Wiggles in 2005. My son was probably still a bit too young to get the full impact. We went to the Wilkes-Barre show since it was near where my parents live. I bought them tickets and brought them along.

The show went off well. It was cute and had nice energy. They go into the audience and overall, really do their best to excite the kids. Even I was excited to see the Wiggles in person. We had all of the real Wiggles that day - no understudies and Greg had not left the group yet.

It was enjoyable but I still question whether it was worth the expense. I bought five tickets so that could be clouding my view. On one hand, my son was a bit too young to fully appreciate the show (he was between 1 and 2 years old at the time). On the other hand, he was young enough that we could get away with not buying any of the pricey merchandise they offered for sale.

So the jury is out on this one. If you take the cost out of the equation, it was a good show but unfortunately for most people, the cost needs to be considered. My son still talks about it.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Swimming at Little Buffalo State Park- Newport, PA

noreply@blogger.com (Central PA Family Fun Mom) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:34:00 +0000

Website: Little Buffalo State Park (always check website for latest details about hours, price, etc.)
Season: Memorial Day-Labor Day
Cost: Approximately $5 for adults, slightly less for children. Some children are free (by height). Season passes available.
Expected length of visit: We usually only stay for a couple of hours but you can definitely make a day out of it.
Recommended for ages: All ages. The little kids enjoy the sprinklers and the pool has a shallow are for the smaller kids. Older kids will love the slides.
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When I first got the idea to visit Little Buffalo State Park a few years ago, I was thrilled to see that they had just renovated the pool area and they did a great job. They have a large pool with two water slides, 'umbrellas' (that you can see pictured), and dumping buckets. Next to that is an area with sprinklers and geysers that my older son loves, since he is not a strong swimmer yet. We haven't taken the baby there yet.

The pool is surrounded by a grassy area where you can rest your belongings. There's a changing room and restroom near the pool.

They have a snack bar but the few tables are usually all taken around lunchtime so we usually hit the McDonald's nearby afterwards. You can't bring your own refreshments into the pool area but there are picnic tables outside of the pool area and you can leave the pool area and return if you get your hand stamped.

There's a play area right outside the pool and of course all the other state park activities are available - row boats, paddleboats, fishing, camping.

When I was a kid, it seemed as if more families would spend the day at the state park. Our local state park would get terribly crowded, especially on holidays. My dad would be there at the crack of dawn, grabbing us a picnic table. Some of my fondest childhood memories are from day-long picnics at the state park or local lake. They were all-day affairs filled with swimming, eating and playing on the play equipment. I think more people stay home and swim in their own pools, cook on their own grills and eat on their own patios nowadays. Maybe that's why they've 'supersized' the pool and added the bells and whistles. I'd hate to see the state parks disappear because not enough people are using them.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.