Day Trips in Philly Area

I have a second thumbs up on Smith Playground in Fairmount Park. Here is the website: http://www.smithplayhouse.org/index.html

Also, you can access the "Forbidden Drive" in the Wissahickon valley from Henry Avenue in Roxborough. It is basically a long, wide path all along the river. There is a restaurant called Valley Green, and in front of the restaurant is a duck congregation area in the river which is always a big hit. We live in Roxborough, and this is truly one of the city's hidden jems. Your kids will have plenty of room to run and tire themselves out.

We love Longwood Gardens! They have an indoor children's garden which is wonderful. They also have huge tree houses to climb outdoors and tons of room to run around! Check out their website: www.longwoodgardens.com Also, Linvilla Orchards is fun too. They have hayrides in the fall. Have fun!

discovery museum in jersey? sesame place?

My kids love the Herrs Potato Chip Factory! It's in Nottingham, PA and the tours are free! Here is the link.

http://www.herrs.com/SnackFactoryTours.html

how about Sesame Place?

Camden Aquarium, Strasburg Railroad (Lancaster, PA), West Goshen Community Park, (great huge playground with sand area, and lots and lots of room to play. It has bathrooms, cemented walking trail, volleyball net, basketball courts, etc. Google search it for directions.

Hi J.,

Good for your for doing all that great stuff. I say try the Morris Arboretum as they have beautiful grounds and a fantastic model train display which changes with the seasons. Also, the Franklin Institute has tons of hands-on science based activities and their "Real Pirates" exhibit is fabulous. If they like trains, you can also do Northlandz (www.northlandz.com) in Flemington, NJ.

Enjoy!

J.,

You say your kids don't care for the history of Philly yet, but do you know that for sure? My playgroup started taking our kids on field trips, including historical homes in the area, like Hope Lodge, when they were 2, and my husband and I started including historical angles to our vacations and day trips from the time our kids were 3 1/2 or so, and they thrived in those environments, picking up facts/trivia, and being amazed with how much things were different back then. You may be surprised how much your kids enjoy these trips. There is so much that is kids-oriented in Philly, in the historical area, from the Once Upon a Nation storytelling benches to the impromptu plays in front of the Betsy Ross House (and a tour of the house, to see how people lived so differently back then), to the Liberty Bell, etc. Independence Hall requires a ticket (free, as I recall) and there often is a line, but check with the Visitors' Center, which also is a nice starting point. Your kids might love just walking around the area, seeing everyone in costume...Ben Frankln, everyday people, etc. I HIGHLY recommend it.

Then there's Valley Forge, which also has a trolley tour.

A great museum for kids is the Mercer Museum in Doylestown, http://www.mercermuseum.org/. My kids were about your kids' ages when we first went there. It is a quirky place, and it has some fun "challenges" just for kids. Doylestown also is a nice place to walk around, if your kids like that.

How about factories? Once upon a time we tried to get a factory tour in every time we went on our vacations out of town... We still like to do this if we can find a factory in the area. There's the Herr's Factory, there's QVC (which my son loved, but I haven't been to, so I don't know what it's like for a 3 yr old), and then there are various pretzel factories in the Lancaster area, and many factories in the York area. (We recently visited the Asher's Chocolate factory, which really wasn't much to see, but it's not too far from the Byer's Choice Doll Factory.) A factory wouldn't be an all-day trip, but you might be able to combine it with something else.

I have wanted to take my kids to Tuckerstown Seaport, but we haven't made it there yet, but I've heard great things about it.

We also started taking our kids to art museums when they were little, and galleries...even small, neighborhood ones, like the Michener Museum in Doylestown http://www.michenermuseum.org/events/, and the Woodmere in Chestnut Hill, http://www.woodmereartmuseum.org/.

There is the Castle Playground in Doylestown, which you could combine with the Michener or the Mercer museums, or with a stroll through the boro.

How about nature centers and the like? We used to go often to Morris Arboretum, and they have a fantastic outdoor railroad display. You can combine that with the Woodmere or with a stroll through Chestnut Hill, or with a visit to the nice playground in Chestnut Hill.

Good luck, and have fun with it!

have you gone to Lewes De? the beach is on the bay so you dont have to worry about your kids getting knocked over! plus no boardwalk to catch their eyes! K.

Elmwood Park Zoo http://www.elmwoodparkzoo.org/ is a great little zoo (and inexpensive too)! How about the Please Touch Museum, they are moving, but it will reopen in October http://www.pleasetouchmuseum.org.
We love going on the Herrs Factory tour (it's free)
http://www.herrs.com/SnackFactoryTours.html
The Tylor Arboretum has a great TreeHouse exhibit until sometime in September - we had a great time there, all ages will enjoy this and don't forget to check out their butterfly house
http://www.tylerarboretum.org/arboretum/index.asp

Wow, you have covered a lot this summer! I would suggest Linvilla Orchards in Media. It has a great playground, petting zoo, and picking of all sorts of fruits and veggies. I think it might be apple season now. Check their website for more info. Philly has some great playgrounds too. Smith Memorial Playground is in Fairmount Park and was just redone. It has been there since 1899 entertaining generations of kids. Also, Frnklin Square at 5th and Race is really nice and has a beautiful carousel. The Franklin Institute is a blast! They have a great pirate exhibit right now. The Cape May Zoo is nice too.

N.

Did Sesame Place today.........I don't recommend it. Its $47.95 per person, even kids age 2 and up, and its $15 to park. Too crowded, didn't get to do enough. However, I do recommend Strasburg RR, and I think Thomas is soon coming, maybe next week? You can check out their website for sure. Also, Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ is nice for kids. Another option is a paint your own pottery place.....there's one in Wayne called Color Me Mine. Arnold's Family Fun Center in Oaks is fun, too, its about $10 a person and includes a lunch buffet. There's rides, bounce stuff, etc. Its near Regal Cinemas, or Monkey Joe's in Pottstown is fun. If you like to go to Lancaster County, there's a place called the Hands on House right near the Landis valley Museum, and then you could go on down to Litiz to the Sturgis Pretzel Factory where you can twist your own pretzel and do a tour for a very small fee (it might even be free) then head over to Wilbur Chocolates around the corner! Whatever you decide, have fun!