Great Local Family Destinations

Looking to get out of the house and spend some quality time with your family? How would you like to walk the same streets as Ben Franklin, swim with the sharks, go rafting dowm the Lehigh River surrounded by mountains and protected woodlands, or tour an underground cave with a spectacular array of milky white rock formations? It’s all just a short drive away!

The following list provides suggestions on some of the area’s top day-trip destinations to get your family off the couch and MOVING! Choose from the best of the area’s historical sites, interactive museums, amusement parks and outdoor adventures.

The Constitutional Walking Tours of Philadelphia

Independence Visitor Center
6th and Market Street
Philadelphia,PA 19103
(215) 525-1776
Adult $17.50
Child (3-12) $12.50

Step back in time and imagine life in the 1800’s with the Constitutional Walking Tours. This 1.25-mile journey features more than 15 historical sites, including the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross’s House, and the National Constitution Center.

Battleship New Jersey

62 Battleship Place
Camden, NJ 08103
(856) 966-1652
Self-Guided Tour: Adult $15.00
Senior/Veteran $10.50
Child (age 6-11) $10.50
Child (under 6), Active Military, BB62 Vet Free
Guided Tour: Adult $17.00
Senior/Veteran $12.00
Child (age 6-11) $12.00
Child (under 6), Active Military, BB62 Vet Free

Take a tour of the USS New jersey and get an up-close look at weapon systems, berthing areas, command control centers, galley, on-board museum exhibitions and much more! Pack your lunch and eat on the original mess deck.

Please Touch Museum

210 North 21st Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 963-0667
$10.95 per ticket

The Please Touch Museum is designed for families with young children. This is a great opportunity for interaction with your children. Pretend to be a farmer and drive a tractor in the barnyard exhibit or have tea with the Mad Hatter in Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland. New Memorial Hall location coming in fall 2008 with increased size and adventures!

Franklin Square

200 North 6th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 629-4026
Philly Mini Golf: Adult $8
Child (age 3-12) $6
Child (under 2) Free
Philly Park Liberty Carousel: Adult $3
Child (age 3-12) $2
Child (under 2) Free

Franklin Square was part of William Penn’s original plans for Philadelphia. It recently received some drastic renovation. Your family can now play mini golf in an 18-hole course that has icons of Philly, ride the Philadelphia Park Liberty Carousel, or find one of the storyteller benches to learn some history about Philadelphia. At the center of the park, you will find the Franklin Square Fountain built in 1838.

Linvilla Orchards

137 West Knowlton Road
Media, PA 19063
(610) 876-7116
Hayrides are $6 per person

Linvilla Orchards is a 300-acre farm dedicated to agriculture, entertainment and education. Pick your own fruits or vegetables or purchase them in the market. Take a hayride through the orchard, visit and feed the animals, or let your child explore on the Playland Playground.

Valley Forge National Historical Park

1400 North Outerline Drive
King of Prussia, PA 19406
(610) 783-1099

At the Valley Forge National Historical Park, your child can join the Continental Army and learn how to stand and march like a soldier in the Junior Ranger Program. The park has many different outdoor activities to offer such as hiking, horseback riding, fishing, and more. Learn more about the history of the park by taking a guided tour.

Storybook Land

6415 Black Horse Pike (Routes 40/322)
Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234
(609) 641-7847
$19.95 plus tax for child or adult

Walk through all of your favorite stories and nursery rhymes like Jack and the Beanstalk or Snow White. There are rides for the whole family to enjoy. You can even get a snack at one of their life size gingerbread houses.

New Jersey State Aquarium

1 Aquarium Drive
Camden, NJ 08103
(856) 365-3300
Adult $17.95
Child (age 2-12) $14.95

At Adventure Aquarium, there are thousands of fish to see. You even have the opportunity to touch a real shark or help train a sea turtle. Hurry over to the aquarium and start your adventure today.

Hershey Park

100 West Hersheypark Drive
Hershey, PA 17033
1-800-HERSHEY
Admission Age: (9-54) $49.95
(3-8) $26.95
(55-69) $26.95
(70+) $18.95
(2 & under) Free

Chocolate isn’t the only thing you will find at Hershey Park. They have great rides and entertainment too. There’s sure to be something for everyone with over 60 rides and attractions.

Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom

3830 Dorney Park Road
Allentown, PA 18104
(610) 395-3724
Admission: 48″ or Taller $35.99
Under 48″ $18.00
Senior (62 or older) $18.00

There’s big fun for everyone at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom. With pint-sized rides and slides, to special services for children, families are sure to have a comfortable and enjoyable day together.

Knoebels Amusement Resort

RR 487
Elysburg, PA 17824
(570) 672-2031
Free Admission to enter amusement park
Admission to Ride: 48″ or Taller $29.50
Under 48″ $19.50

Knoebels recently celebrated its 75th anniversary. Knoebels is unique because it offers an 18-hole golf course, swimming, campgrounds and rides all in one area.

Ridley Creek State Park

1023 Sycamore Mills Rd.
Media, PA 19063-4398
(610) 892-3900

Ridley Creek State Park encompasses over 2,606-acres of Delaware County woodlands and meadows. The gently rolling terrain of the park, bisected by Ridley Creek, is only 16 miles from Center City, Philadelphia. At Ridley Creek State Park you can choose from a number of activities including picnicking, fishing, hiking, biking, jogging, horseback riding, organized group tent camping, cross-country skiing, sledding and tobogganing and visiting formal gardens and landscaping sites!

Brandywine Creek State Park

41 Adams Dam Road
Wilmington, DE
(302) 577-3534

This picturesque park is the heart of Wilmington State Parks and runs along either side of the Brandywine River. Visitors can enjoy a stroll or jog along the river, picnic lunch and other activities among the park’s monuments, formal gardens, and natural areas. The Josephine Fountain, a favorite place to make a wish, is located here. Brandywine Park is home to the Brandywine Zoo and Baynard Stadium.

Philadelphia’s LOVE Park

1500 John F. Kennedy Parkway
John F. Kennedy Plaza
Philadelphia, PA 19102

This plaza is at the eastern end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and is named after Robert Indiana’s 1978 LOVE sculpture. This is a destination for the lunch time office crowd and has become a popular symbol of the City of Brotherly Love. The large space, granite surfaces, and curved steps make the plaza extremely attractive to skateboarding and has been famed a famous skateboard venue.

Hickory Run State Park

RR1 Box 81
White Haven, PA 18661-9712
(570) 443-0400
Manager: Dave Madl

The 15,000-acre Hickory Run State Park, Carbon County lies in the western foothills of the Pocono Mountains. This large park has over 40 miles of hiking trails, three state park natural areas and miles of troy streams. The Boulder Field, a striking boulder-strewn area, is a National landmark.

Lehigh Gorge State Park

White Haven is the northern access area
Jim Thorpe, PA

A deep, steep-walled gorge, thick vegetation, rock outcroppings and many waterfalls characterize Lehigh Gorge State Park. In Luzerne and Carbon counties in Eastern Pennsylvania, the park follows the Lehigh River from the outlet of the US Army Corps of Engineers Francis E. Walter Dam at the northern end of the park. Whitewater rafting and biking are popular activities.

Camelback Ski Area/Camelbeach Water Park

One Camelback Road
Tannersville, PA
(570) 629-1661
Lift Tickets: Adult $41-$154
Junior $28-$126
Tiny Tots (under 46″) Free
One-Day Water Park: General (12-64) $29.95
Child (3-11) $24.95
Senior (65+) $24.95
Spectator $19.95 + deposit
Age 2 & under Free
Twilight: General $16.95
Child (3-11) $14.95
Senior (65+) $14.95

This venue located in Pocono’s offers fun for the whole family! Whether it be skiing on the wintery slopes of Camelback Mountain or splashing down the water slides at Camelbeach Water, you and your family are bound to have a great time any season of the year.

Blue Cross River Rink

Delaware Avenue & Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 925-7465
Skating Admission $6
Skate Rental $3
On-Site Parking $8

The Blue Cross River Rink is an outdoor Olympic-sized ice rink at Penn’s Landing open from Thanksgiving weekend through February every year.

Nanih Waiya Cave Site

Highway 21 North
Philadelphia, PA 39350 MS
(877) 752-2643

Visit the ancient site of early Indian culture and the legendary birthplace of the Choctaw Indians. The Nanuh Waiya Cave Site was rated number 8 for all Philadelphia things to do!

Sesame Place

100 Sesame Road
Langhorne, PA 19047
(215) 752-7070
2008 General Admission: Single-Day Admission $47.50 (plus tax)
Children (23 months & younger) Free
Seniors (55+) $42.50 (plus tax)
AAA Walkup Discount (w/valid card) $44.50 (plus tax)
Twilight Admission $29.50 (plus tax)
Summer Nights (pre and young teen evening event) $15.00 (plus tax)

Share in the spirit of imagination with your kids at Sesame Place – where you can experience Sesame Street together through whirling rides, water slides, colorful shows and furry friends. You’ll discover that sometimes, the best part of their childhood is rediscovering yours.

Independence Seaport Museum

Penn’s Landing
211 South Columbus Blvd. & Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 413-8655
Tickets: Adults $9
Children (ages 3-12) $6
Seniors (65+) & Students w/valid ID $8
Free Admission every Sunday 10a-12p

With historic vessels to board, a ship’s hull to rivet, and cargo to unload with miniature cranes, Philadelphia’s maritime museum conveys what the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers have meant to the city over the years. Along with displays that chronicle the city’s contribution to naval and commercial maritime history, there are exhibits about what makes boats float, the China trade and local small craft.

The Crayola Factory

30 Centre Square
Easton, PA 18042
(610) 515-8000
Admission: Adults & Children (ages 3-64) $9.50
Seniors (age 65+) $9.00
Military Discount $8.50
Infants (2 & younger) Free

If you haven’t been to the Crayola FACTORY yet, you don’t want to miss the hands-on discovery center for children and the adults in their lives that provides creative, personal development experiences. At the Crayola FACTORY, you will be immersed in color and creativity – a place where your only creative limitation is your imagination.

Philadelphia Zoo

34th Street and Girard Avenue
(215) 243-1100
General Admission: Adult $17.95 in season, $12.95 winter
child (age 2-11) $14.95 in season, $12.95 winter
Child (under 2) Free
Members Free
Channel 6 Zooballoon: Adult Child (age 2-11) $10
Child (under 2) Free

The Philadelphia Zoo is the place to visit if you are looking for adventure. Besides checking out all of the animals, you can travel 400 feet above the city in their zooballon or even take a trip on the wild side on their virtual 3D Dodge Wild Earth ride.