jenalr

We're going to be heading to Hershey and Philly this summer in mid-July. I'll be taking our baby (which will be 7 months then) and my sister's two children (ages 10/12) with us.

Can anyone recommend any places to go to? I was thinking that we could find the chocolate factory in Hershey, and in Philly, we'd find the Liberty Bell. I don't think we want to hit any amusement parks. What more can you recommend that we see/do?

dwooddon

There are a variety of Amish towns/farms/flea markets/etc areas between Philly and Hershey.

10-12 is not too young to start kid's appreciation of history and Gettysburg is not to far away. Before my kid's first visit to Gettysburg, my wife and I helped them research the battle and Lincoln's address before we went and then we visited the battlefield. My daughter recited the Gettysburg Address on the spot where Lincoln delivered it and, as adults today, both of them still talk about that trip.

You might also have them research the Mason-Dixon line then trace a part of it on your trip. Plus of course, there are a number of places with Revolutionary War historical significance in and and around Philly.

Have a great trip.

dbenya

The Phils will be at home in their new ballpark for at least part of July: philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com
And the Philadelphia Institute of Contemporary Art (near Penn) looks like it will have a fun exhibit. It will also be part of The Big Nothing -- a network of art venues celebrating Nothing in its various forms: icaphila.org
It will be hot. And not a lovely, dry heat either. But the city is dotted with small neighborhood parks that provide fountains and shade -- especially in Society Hill near Independence Park. You're bound to fall into any number of interesting things just walking around the historic area.

jenalr

What's the weather/temp going to be like in mid-July?

Thanks for the input so far. Let me research those ideas!

kidsnp

hi,
Most likely it will be very hot and humid. There are SO many things to do in the area. If you are a member of AAA, you could look thru the guide there. Hershey has the choc factory and of course the amusement park which is right next door so i think it will be hard NOT to let the 10/12 go thru (wear your bathing suits!). lancaster is a very pretty area and you can stop and see sites, take a buggy ride etc. Philly is FULL of fun things to do. In the downtown area there are many museums that they would like. The Franklin Institute is a fun science museum with something for everyone, including the giant beating heart that you walk thru and an Imax theatre. Right next door is the Academy of Natural Sciences which was one of my kids favorites; they called it the dinosaur museuem. The seaport museum is not too far and right across the river is the camden aquarium (you can take a ferry or they now have one of those duck "things that tour around town and go into the river. If you are thinking about a Phillies game, get seats soon as many of the games are already sold out. Of course, there are all the hisotric sites in town such as liberty bell, independence hall etc. If you do that and like to eat crabs, you could park near independence park area and eat at DiNardo's on race between 3 and 4th. Any other ?, feel free to email at [email protected].
have fun!!

J_Correa

Several years ago I took a trip to Pennsylvania in the summer time. I think it was late June. The weather was hot and muggy. I do fine with hot and dry, but the humidity sapped my energy. Make sure you plan for the humidity by not over-scheduling your time, taking lots of refreshment breaks, and planning active stuff in the mornings and evennings, indoor activities for the early afternoons.

schmerl

I agree with the recommendations for the Franklin Institute and the Academy of Natural Science. The Phila. Zoo is also very good. For loads of info about Phila., go to www.gophila.com

Birdie

Take the boat across the Delaware to the NJ state aquarium. Even the baby will like watching the fish swim in the tanks.

MIG

Along with Liberty Bell, definitely check out the new National Constitution Center. It is a VERY well done and moving exhibit.

I second the Franklin Institute and Camden Aquarium recommendations - they're both great for kids.

Maybe checkout Dave & Busters for a couple of hours on Delaware Ave. It's basically a HUGE arcade with food, etc.

Are you thinking about going to Hershey and NOT go to the amusement park? It's really not worth the trip just for the factory tour.

jenalr

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I'm trying to put together an idea of what kind of itinerary we should have. For those of you who have done this....how does this sound?

Day 1: (hotel - Harrisburg)
Hershey Factory
Strasburg Railroad
***I'd like to add something in here for the kids to see amish villegas...or is that covered with the railroad?***

Day 2: (hotel - Philly?)
Franklin Institute Science Museum (assuming this will take all day)

Day 3: (hotel - Philly?)
Independence Hall
Liberty Bell
Mint Tour (? Do they do these? I couldn't really tell if it was normal.)

~~~~~
Would you change anything? Add/delete?

Thanks!

mei

A few suggestions.....

Lancaster...there are not really any true Amish villages..their homes and farms are all over. To learn about their culture, I suggest The People's Place museum in Intercourse. It is small and will take less than an hour to tour, but is excellent, respectful to the Amish and not the ridiculous touristy Amish places. You will probably see some homes and Amish buggies on the railroad.

In Philly...it will NOT take all day at the Frankin Institute. You may want to check out the Academy of Natural Sciences next door. Yes there are tours of the Mint, but the hours are sometimes limited. A few of our favorites spots..(my kids are 10, 12, 14) are Franklin Court, The Reading Terminal Market, Lights of Liberty(walking tour at night).

Do you need restaurant/hotel advice.

jnathan

Please keep in kind unless you are some sort of a VIP you will not get into the Hershey Factory. The Hershey Tour is really a retail store with a few places to eat. The ride would be considered a low-end disney ride, but fun.

Biking through Gettysburg Battlefield would be fun for the older two.

Hershey Park now has a waterpark and would be very much needed in july.

Near Lancaster: Wilbur Candy factory. Small but fun. Pretzel Factory is around the corner.

Franklin Institute Science Museum could take most of the day. Nearby is the Art Museum. Let the two older kids (and you) run up the same steps Rocky ran up in the movie.

For the youngestone: The Children's Museum. Please Touch Museum.

Mint Tour (? Do they do these?
Need pre-approval and maybe something from the congeressman BUT Federal Reserve is right across the street and you can just walkin. As you leave ask (or they may offer) a bag of free money. Shredded of course. Take a quarter with yuo to trade in for the latest circulated one. Comes directly from the Mint.
Next door is the National Constitution Center. The 2 older ones will enjoy the show. Great stuff!
Eat at teh Bourse Building (eateries) and take the Duck tour. All found in the same area.

mei

Tours of the Philadelphia Mint are possible, but must be arranged through your state congressmen.

For a break, be sure to go to Cosi (all over Philly). Great coffee, sandwiches and my kids LOVE the make your own s'mores

Stephanie

I tend to agree with others about any major city in the NE in July, try to avoid it. Hershey is a great choice, I would recommend Gettysburg and Lancaster too. In Stratsburg (Lancaster) you could stay at Red Caboose Motel (stay in a family train car). It is place with a petting zoo, train museum next door and a large gift shop and cafe on/next door to the same property. There is supposedly a hoedown in the barn on the weekends in summer - but I went off season. There is a Stratsburg Railroad you could take with the children too. Just my $.02.

jenalr

Okay, so let me get this right....the Hershey tour is only for VIP? What is it that I'm looking at online? Also, as a child, we went to Hershey and took some kind of tour. It was great, I have memories of it, which is more than I can say about our other vacations we took that aren't really standing out in my mind.

As for Philadelphia...how many days would you recommend? We don't want to do any amusement parks - although the idea of Six Flags sounds FUN, my sister refuses to let her children ride any roller coasters (hmmph). I know that there are other rides, but we're going to bypass the amusement park.

I originally thought that the Hershey/Philadelphia trip would be a good idea. I'm starting to second guess that now.

J_Correa

There is a tour in Hershey for the general public. It isn't a tour of the actual plant though. It's a tram ride past displays showing you how the candy is made. There is a gift shop at the end. It was interesting, but not like other factory tours where you get to go inside the plant. We were kind of disappointed when we went because we thought we were getting an actual factory tour, not just some ride through a display.

I think that Hershey and Philly would be a good vacation, but the major attraction in Hershey is the ammusement park. The kids will WANT to go and I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to be the one to drive a 10 and a 12 year old past an ammusement park on vacation and then tell them they couldn't go in.

How about the Jersey Shore? It's only a couple hours from Philly.

dbenya

I'm a non-amusement park person who found herself in a group of 4 adults and 8 children at Hershey Park the summer before last. There was so much amusement that, to tell you the truth, I wasn't even aware there *was* a tour! The kids loved it.

Summers were hot in Philadelphia 200 years ago. They're hot today. The city is no less interesting, walkable and fun. Beginning July 10 a big Titanic exhibit (including a re-creation of the ship's main staircase) will be mounted at the Franklin Institute (www.fi.edu/tfi/info/current/titanic/).

If you start at the Art Museum (www.philamuseum.org/), you won't be alone in creating the 'Rocky' run up the main staircase. There are cascading fountains on either side of the stairs where city children love to cool off -- as well as in the Calder fountain at that end of the Parkway (http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/ph...ia/parkway.htm). You can walk down the Parkway, have a soft pretzel, enjoy the Swann fountain at the other end of the Parkway. Then go into the museum. There are plenty of interactive exhibits as well as a very popular Imax theater. The museum has its own outdoor playground.

The National Constitution Center (www.constitutioncenter.org/) does, indeed, have an opening presentation that is worth the admission all by itself. It also has its own outdoor cafe and a wide green lawn that leads to the Independence Hall area. Everything from the Center to the Hall has been built within the last two years, including the new home for the bell. The historical area also includes Carpenter Hall, the first Treasury building and the Franklin Court area (www.keast-and-hood.com/featured/72025fct.htm), which is a novel reconstruction of the area where Ben lived and worked. There are bound to be historical re-enactments of life during Revolutionary times both indoor and out.

You can plop down with a hot dog in Franklin Square and enjoy the shade or enjoy any number of restaurants in and around the Society Hill and Old City neighborhoods.

It will be a great couple of days.

Suki

I wanted to mention that it is about an hour's drive from Hershy to Strasburg. If you are set on the Hershey tour you might want to do that and then leave for Strasburg and stay as someone else suggested at the Red Caboose Motel. I think the Hershey tour you remember is different than the current tour. The building that the tour is in is practically in the amusement park - same parking lot.If I had a 10 and 12-year old I would not want to be moving along with all the people entering the park and then tell them they could not go. Just something else to consider. Anyway, I also recommend the People's Place Museum. Right beind that is the Kitchen Kettle Village which is a cute shopping area. Have fun in the Lancaster and Phila area. You will have plenty to do.

lisabees

Hi there! I live near Philly and have four kids, ages 1 - 10. Our favorite weekend trip, once a year, is to stay overnight at a farm bed and breakfast. our favorite is Rocky Acres in Mount Joy. The kids will love it - milk the cows, collect eggs, pet newborn kittens, go on a tractor hayride and eat a hearty breakfast. There are a lot of wonderful farms like this. It's a wonderful experience for all ages, especially for just one night. There is a website for PA farms or maybe even Lancaster Farms.

Enjoy your trip.

mei

Don't give up on Philly and it's surrounds. The kids are a great age to learn about our country's history and with all the new buildings in the National Historic Park, it's better than ever.

I agree with the last post that a little farm trip would be great. We love Rayba Acres, a dairy farm. Really nice rooms (in the new house), lots of kittens and the farmer will answer all your questions. If you skip Hersey ( and that would not be a tragedy) you might like Longwood Gardens on your way into the city.