kramerpup

I have two days to spend traveling with my 5 and 6 year olds from Northern NJ. I was thinking Hershey park, but it's closed during the week we will be there. Can anyone suggest an itinerary? I'm not very familiar with the area and even if I could figure out where to go, I can't figure out the order in which to visit them. Can anyone help? THanks.

elmom

are you looking for an amusement park? Phila is a great kid city- Please Touch Museum is just right for 5&6 year olds... also zoo, Reading Terminal Market, duck tours etc
If you want amusement park, Sesame Place is 1 hr north or Duutch Wonderland is in Lancaster, really fun and low-key for little guys

J62

In Philadelphia, the sights to see are all located around Independence Mall (Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, US Mint). It's nice to stay really close to the Mall as part of the enjoyment of Philadelphia is hanging out, people watching, seeing the Liberty Bell (from outside) different times of the day, etc.

The US Mint is a fun place to visit with kids. An invite through your congresswoman (or congressman) is required ~ 2-3 weeks ahead of time - contact their local office or website. Unlike many years ago you can't get in if you just show up a the door.

Hershey Park is a fun place but in my opinion it's more suited to older kids. The kiddie rides are real basic carnival fare and the roller coasters all have a min height limit.

Next to HP is the Hershey Chocolate World pavillion. Several Chocolate related 'shows' - I think you need to pay to go into the show. This is good for about 1-2hrs, longer if you want to shop for Hershey souveniers (aka chocolate!!!)

Also in Hershey is a small amusement park - I think it's called Dutch Wonderland. Never been there myself but I hear it's more geared towards smaller kids compared to Hershey Park.

Closer to Philadelphia is Sesame Street Place. If your kids are still into Sesame St, then it may be fun, but many 'big' kids find it too much a baby place.

Have fun.

kvadragon

The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia is a great science museum that you and your children would both enjoy. Also, the Academy of Natural Sciences has interesting exhibits (especially dinosaurs).

I visited Dutch Wonderland as a child...it is a good place for smaller children such as yours.

kramerpup

Dutch Wonderland, Sesame Place, all the other amusement parks will be closed on the days that we are traveling. Is it worth leaving Philadelphia? Also, I've read about the Crayola Crayon factory in SE Penn, but I don't know where it is in relation to the other places. Help!

kvadragon

The Crayola Factory is in Easton (Lehigh Valley), which is about 1 1/2 hours north of Philly. If you are coming down from North Jersey, it may be more convenient to go there than out to Lancaster/Hershey.

leahinsc

Chocolate World - that age would be fascinated by the little ride. There is actually a "factory" where kid workers get to sort Hershey's kisses and of course there is all that CHOCOLATE to buy!

nettebabe2000

chocolate world is really a huge shopping trip for hershey paraphanalia, preceeded by a 15 minute "ride" through a mock chocolate factory...wait til your kids are older, do hersheypark then...and chocolate world same trip. if you go to easton, and see the crayola factory, also check out the PEZ MUSEUM...too cool for old and young alike!

dbenya

May I ask what days you'll be traveling?

schmerl

I copied this info from another thread about the Hershey area.

"The best undiscovered place to take your kids for a day of fun, food and fantasy has got to be Knoebel's Grove, in Elysburg, PA. www.knoebels.com

It is Pennsylvania's largest free admission, free parking amusement park. Set in the woods, Knoebel's offeres over 50 rides including a whole kiddie section. The Phoenix, one of the top ten roller coasters in America, is only one of 4 coasters in the park. The Haunted House has repeatedly been voted #1 by Dark Ride Enthusiasts.

There is a giant pool and waterslides, a carousel where you can still grab for the brass ring, a mini-train ride which takes you through the woods for 1 1/2 miles, and so much more. You can purchase a book of tickets for $5 or $10 and just go on a few rides, or you can get your hand stamped which gives you access to most of the rides as often as you want.

There is a 500-site campground in the park as well as picnic benches and pavillions, so you can pack your own lunch, food, and beverages and are not forced to buy park food. Although, the french fries with vinegar are the best around. If you do want to sit down for a family dinner, the Alamo Restaurant is a great place to eat and people watch from a window table.

What makes Knoebel's great is you don't have to spend a lot of money to enjoy yourself and have a good time - it's a family affordable holiday set in the mountainous woods.

Message: You might want to look into Dutch Wonderland amusement park in Lancaster. It's owned and operated by the Hersheypark people, but it's geared more for young children. It's smaller--when my children were small, we'd do everything in about half a day--but very nice.

The strasburg area has not only the Strasburg railroad but also a couple of miniature railroad "museums"--really very elaborate miniature railroad displays. My children loved them when they were very young. If you think your children are old enough to have fun playing miniature golf, Strasburg also has an exceptionally good miniature golf course called Village Greens.

Lancaster also has a wonderful "hands-on" museum (really a big activity center) called Hands-On House. My children loved it as preschoolers. One room is set up as a grocery store, another has dress-up things, etc. etc. Your children are the perfect age for it.

dsm22

Not sure why Knoebles Grove would be listed in the Hershey area. It is close to where I live and I am about 2-3 hours from Hershey-Lancaster areas.

I take my neice to Knoebles every year
she has a band function coming up there in a couple of weeks.

It is an okay place. A great deal closer to me than Hershey. Cheaper. I think that all the good rides there are not acceptable for 5 to 6 year olds. They have two awesome wooden rollar coasters. The Pheonix and the Twister.

There are baby rides throughout the park too. You can just purchase those ticket books as the previous post mentioned. If you do not ride, that would make it much cheaper than Hershey.

Not sure how far you would be from Camel Beach. That is a really fun water park. It is off the Tannersville exit on Route 80. It is where Camelback skiing is. I also get free tickets for there every year. It is a nice clean water park.

The only other thing I know of that is in the Lancaster area that I also go to every year is the Pennsylvania Rennaisance Fair. Fun for kids and adults. They also have a nice winery on the grounds.

I have been taking my neice to all three of these places since she was nine.

We always have a nice time.

geomacey

We took our daughter to Philly for her 6th birthday. The Duck Tour, the Liberty Bell and a carriage ride around the city got her votes for best things she did. She also LOVED a great "little" zoo right outside Philly called Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown. Not really expensive and quite nice. We stayed at the Wyndham Valley Forge about 5 minutes from the King of Prussia Mall, so we swam and went exploring too.
There are TONS of things to do with kids without going too far away, but if you want to travel some, I'd do Crayola. Lancaster isn't exactly that exciting for 5-6 year olds.

justme22

philadelphia zoo, one of the oldest in the country, not too shabby. if you want to see pa dutch country maybe head to strasberg and the steam train ride this is near dutch wonderland area. since that will be closed, don't think i'd drive that hour or so just for that.

also across the river from philly is the camden aquarium. i think there are water taxis to that side of the river there. the aquarium area is safe and there is parking, i know camden has a not so nice reputation, but the river area is being revitalized.

girlonthego

I would stay down near Phil. Your children are young and won't absorb anything from the amish country. Since the amusement parks (this would interest them) are all closed, why bother. To drive two hours to a crayon factory with small kids is a waste. I would take them over to the beach for a day at the Jersey shore instead of going north. If you are from northern NJ, you can go any time to the crayola factory 287 west to 78 west and it is right over the border. Why are all the amusement parks closed? I agree Hershey was perfect last year for my than 10 and 11 year old kids. It is somewhat tame roller coasters all over the place. Sesame would most likely be interesting for your kids.
If you are in Phili, Long Beach island is not all that far (?I think). I am sure the Liberty bell will be boring for them too. I would go to a website that has interesting kid things in different cities. I signed up for one in san francisco. It was called san francisco kids. There is a new york kids, etc... I am sure they have a phili kids website. Good luck.