Fun Things To Do With Kids: Family Travel

Showing posts with label Family Travel. Show all posts

Philly Photo Pop Winter Wonderland

Fun Things Kids Family activities , Family Travel

Looking for a different and fun way to capture a family holiday photo or something different to do with the family over the holidays? I recently had the chance to check out Philly Photo Pop located in Old City at The Bourse. The Bourse has been renovated on the inside and now is a food hall. Philly Photo Pop is Philadelphia's first interactive art exhibit of its kind. Guests make their way through different rooms filled with 30 interactive displays designed by local artists. Each room is decorated with different winter themes and you can take photos with backdrops and accessories to make the perfect photo. The staff can also assist in taking the perfect photo. I loved the fact that tickets are timed so you have enough time to take a lot of pictures. Another feature I liked was they have hooks located at each scene to hang your coat, this is extremely important this time of year.

Winter Wonderland is now open until January 5th

You can purchase tickets before you arrive and you can use the code DELCOKIDS10 to receive 10% off adult tickets!

For more information: https://www.photopopphilly.com/

Location: Inside The Bourse (across the street from the Liberty Bell) at 111 S Independence Mall E, Philadelphia, PA 19106

This event is appropriate for: the whole family

Cost: - $20 for adults
$12 for children 10 years old and younger
FREE for children under 5

Last Minute Summer Travel Ideas

Fun Things Kids Best places to travel with kids , educational travel

Looking for a quick getaway before the kids head back to school? We have picked out some of our favorite places to visit. All of our picks are driveable and no more than a few hours from the Philadelphia suburbs.

1. Double Tree Resort in Lancaster PA. There is so much to do at this family-friendly resort. This 185-room resort is very family friendly, but it's also perfect for a weekend getaway without the kids. The hotel is about a 10-15 minute drive to the Strasburg Rail Road, Choo Choo Barn, Cherry Crest Adventure Farm and other Lancaster attractions.

2. Kalahari Resort in the Pocono Mountains. If you are looking for a water park adventure then Kalahari will keep everyone happy and entertained. Kalahari is just under two hours away from the Philadelphia area. Kalahari is truly a family oriented place and they have thought of everything to keep all members of the family happy and occupied while on vacation.

3. National Harbor Maryland

The National Harbor area is located on the banks of the Potomac River and it has plenty of activities to keep the family busy, take a breathtaking ride on the Capital Wheel or a spin on the Carousel. Explore the area with Water Taxis or a Sight Seeing Cruises.

There are two great resorts to stay in while visiting the area Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center and The Residence Inn

4. Inner Harbor Baltimore Maryland

Baltimore has something for everyone. Younger kids will enjoy Port Discovery Museum, which offers 3 floors of hands-on activities for the kids. National Aquarium and the Maryland Science Museum are also must see places when visiting the Harbor

If you want to stay check out the Hyatt Regency Baltimore Maryland that is in walking distance to all the attractions.

5. Williamsburg Virgina

The Williamsburg area has plenty of activities to keep your family busy. Head to Busch Gardens for some family thrills. Take a step back in time at Colonial Williamsburg, Historic Jamestown or Jamestown Settlement.

6. Crystal Spring Resort Grand Cascades Lodge

Grand Cascades Lodge is a beautiful and well-appointed AAA 4-Diamond hotel located in Hamburg, New Jersey. The main attraction for families at the hotel is the Biosphere, which is an indoor pool complex with an aquarium, vortex pools, and caves, and lush tropical foliage; year-round outdoor heated pool; 140-foot waterslide. There are plenty of outdoor activities to keep the family busy.

Water Parks in the Philadelphia Area

Fun Things Kids Family Travel , Summer Fun

Beat the heat this summer and head to the water park. Most of the water park offer day passes, but a few require overnight stays. Please check ahead to see their specific requirements.

CoCo Key Water Resort
915 Route 73
Mount Laurel, New Jersey 08054

CoCo Key Water Resort is the ULTIMATE in indoor water resort adventure located in Mt. Laurel NJ.

Camelbeach Mountain Resort
309 Resort Drive

Tannersville, PA 18372

Camelbeach Mountain Waterpark is the biggest water park in Pennsylvania, with over 37 rides slides and attractions.

Sahara Sams Oasis
535 North Route 73
West Berlin, NJ 08091

Sahara Sam’s Oasis Indoor and Outdoor Water Park offers families of the greater Tri-State community entertainment the entire year with 58 of its 68-thousand square feet under a retractable roof system.

Great Wolf Lodge
1 Great Wolf Dr
Scotrun, PA 18355

This indoor water park offers 4 restaurants and a Starbucks. Other amenities include a spa and free parking, while adventure activities and mini-golf are also available. This water park does require an overnight stay.

Kalahari Resorts and Conventions

250 Kalahari Blvd.

Pocono Manor, PA 18349

Experience the 100,000 sq. ft. Indoor Waterpark featuring a retractable roof, stand-up surfing or body boarding on the FlowRider, the twists and turns of the Anaconda and Swahili Swirl waterslides, relaxing lazy river and indoor/outdoor family hot tub, tons of activities for the little ones and much, much more!

H20ooohh!
428 Moseywood Road

Lake Harmony, PA 18624

H20ooohh!! is an indoor family water park adjacent to the Galleria at Split Rock Resort in beautiful Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania. With 53,326 square feet of water attractions to enjoy, H20ooohh! has five exciting body, tube and raft slides, a wave pool, activity pool, fun play structure, crossing activity, snack and Tiki bar, and more.

Photo from Kalahari

Fun Things To Do With Kids Review Jamestown Settlement

Fun Things Kids Colonial Williamsburg with kids , educational travel

Recently, my family and I visited Jamestown Settlement in Williamsburg, VA. This is separate from historic Williamsburg but something you should definitely add to your list of places to visit when you are in Williamsburg.

Jamestown Settlement is located near the site of the original Jamestown Colony. Jamestown Settlement is a museum and replica of America's first permanent English colony, founded in Virginia in 1607.

photo courtesy of Jamestown Settlement

Once you purchase your tickets inside the visitor center, you make your way through the galleries that are divided into three major sections. The first gallery introduces visitors to pre-17th-century Virginia. The second gallery explores the relationship between Virginia’s colonists and the native Powhatans. The third gallery provides an overview of the political, social and economic development and expansion of the Virginia colony during the 17th century.

Next visitors travel outside to the Powhatan Indian village. The village has several houses, a crop field and a ceremonial circle of carved wooden posts. Historical interpreters discuss and demonstrate the Powhatan way of life.

Once you leave the Powhatan village, you walk toward the waterfront that has re-creations of the three ships that transported the original Jamestown colonists to Virginia in 1607 – the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery. Kids and adults will love being able to board the ships and explore them.

Once you leave the waterfront you travel into the re-created James Fort, that has homes, a church and other buildings that historical interpreters demonstrate tasks of the time period.

We really liked that everything was hands on at Jamestown Settlement. Visitors can talk with the historical interpreters and learn more about the settlement. I really liked how the interpreters asked the kids questions and helped them learn more about the time period.

For more information: www.historyisfun.org

Location: 2110 Jamestown Road, Williamsburg, VA 23185

Cost: $17.00 adults, $8.00 ages 6-12. Value-priced combination ticket with Yorktown Victory Center: $21.25 adults, $10.75 ages 6-12. Discount for groups of 15 or more. Children under 6 are free. Parking is free.

Disclosure: My family and I received complimentary tickets to visit Jamestown Settlement in order to facilitate this review.

Review of Crystal Spring Resort Grand Cascades Lodge

Fun Things Kids Best places to travel with kids , Family Travel

If you have been following me on Instagram or Twitter you know that my family and I were invited to spend a few days at Crystal Springs Resort in Hamburg, New Jersey. Crystal Springs in about 2 1/2 hours from the Philadelphia Area, located in the Mountains in New Jersey and 1 hour away from NYC.

Resort

We stayed at the Grand Cascades Lodge which is a beautiful and well appointed AAA 4-Diamond hotel. Minerals Hotel and Mourtain Creek Resort are also part of the Crystal Springs Resort. The views of the Kittatinny Mountain Range were breathtaking. I loved the high ceilings and natural light in our room, with a husband who is tall this was a plus making our family comfortable. We stayed in a room with 2 double beds and we had plenty of room for the 4 of us.

Our Room

The main attraction for families at the hotel is the Biosphere, which is an indoor pool complex with an aquarium, vortex pools and caves, and lush tropical foliage; year-round outdoor heated pool; 140-foot waterslide, My kids loved the outdoor heated pool, nothing like swimming outside when the air temp is 30 degrees.

Biosphere

I had the chance to sneak away for some me time at the Reflections Spa. The spa was ranked #19 in Spas of America’s Top 100 Spas. I can see why it was ranked so high. This was a truly relaxing place to unwind. One of my favorite parts was the post-treatment sensorial room for relaxation.

Dinning

There are multiple restaurants at the resort. While we were there not all of them were open. I liked that we could call down to the lobby and a bus would drive us over to the Minerals Resort to have dinner at Kites. We went there for pasta night and had a wonderful meal! If you wanted to stay at the Grand Cascades there is the Crystal Tavern which offers American cuisine with plenty of options for the whole family from sandwiches to rib eye. I also loved that the ingredients are provided by local growers.

What to do in the area:

View from High Point State park

If you love golf then this is the resort for you, there are 6 golf courses in the area to choose from. There are many wineries in the area the offer tours. Also there is plenty of hiking in the area. The two places we went to for easy hikes were the High Point State Park, I recommend checking this out for some breathtaking views and incredible pictures. We also went to the Pochuck Boardwalk on the Appalachian trail.

Pochuck Boardwalk

We also visited Warwick New York. This adorable town was a 20 minute ride from the resort. This cute town has shops and restaurants for you to explore. Many people recommended Fetch for us to grab a bite to eat and this restaurant didn't disappoint.

Other options for activities are fishing, horseback riding, skiing, mountain biking and much more.

In conclusion Crystal Springs has something for everyone in you family. This is a year round resort with plenty of activities or relaxation if that's what you need. The resort has plenty of things to do for families, but it's also good for a romantic getaway, or a girls/guys weekend.

For more info: http://www.crystalgolfresort.com

Disclosure: Thanks Crystal Springs Resort for arranging for our complimentary stay to facilitate this review. As always all thoughts and opinions are our own.