Knoebel's Amusement Park - Elysburg, PA

Website: Knoebel's Amusement Resort
Season: April-September
Cost: No admission. Pay by Ride or they run one-price days often (but you don't need to choose that option). See details here.  Note that some rides, mainly the Haunted Mansion, may not be included in the one-price option.
Estimated Length of Stay: You can spend as much or as little time as you want since you aren't paying one large admission. We usually a few trips here every year and spend several hours there.
Recommended Ages: All ages

Knoebel's Amusement Park is another one of my favorite activities. It is a bit of a drive (a bit over an hour away for us) but it is such a good deal. Free parking, no admission, reasonable ticket prices, more than reasonable food prices.

It's the perfect amusement park for anyone who is not able or willing to ride many of the park rides. You pay one price at Hersheypark whether you get on any rides or not. At Knoebel's, you only pay if you ride so parents of small children and grandparents who want to tag along don't get stuck paying just to walk around the park and watch the little ones ride. And if the kids aren't in the mood to ride that day, no loss.

You can purchase books of tickets or pay by the ride. If you buy too many tickets, you can save them for your next visit. If you do happen to be someone who can ride a lot of rides in one day, they do often run a pay-one-price-ride-all-day admission fee but I've found that you have to ride a lot of rides to make it worth it. Check their website for discount days and other special pricing.  I did buy the boys an all-day pass the first day they were open after the 2011 flood. They discounted the price but almost every ride was open.  There were no lines that day since some roads leading to Knoebel's were still closed. It was a great day and the boys got their money's worth. I used tickets we had leftover from previous visits.

They have a lot of great rides too. They may not have the monstrous attractions that Hersheypark has but they have plenty of good stuff. They have some great coasters - The Twister and Phoenix are great. Since having kids, I haven't had a chance to ride these but I remember them fondly from visits before I had kids. The Haunted Mansion is another favorite. My son came out shell-shocked last year after his first trip through the Haunted Mansion but recently he's been talking about going back in there again. The Carousel is great too. You can still grab the brass ring there.

There are plenty of rides for kids of course. My sons love the go-karts.



Bring your swimsuits if you're into getting wet since they have some nice water rides and a big pool with slides, fountains and sprinklers. We typical stay dry on our visits. (There are additional fees for the pool and slides.)

There are other activities to keep you busy - miniature golf, a mining museum, an Eagle habitat, loads of games, a 4D theater, and an arcade or two.

The food is excellent and not as outrageously priced as some other amusement parks. We love the sit-down restaurant, The Alamo, where you can get a nice full dinner in an air-conditioned restaurant for about what you'd pay for a burger and fries in other parks. They do not discourage bringing your own food into the park. In fact, there are pavilions around the park that you can use for a picnic. Check their policy but I believe well-behaved dogs are welcome.

They also have camping and a golf course so you can even make this a multi-day outing.

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Lake Tobias Wildlife Park -Halifax, PA

Website: Lake Tobias Wildlife Park
Season:May-October
Cost:see rates hereExpected Length of Visit: From a couple of hour up to several hours.
Recommended Ages: All ages

Lake Tobias Wildlife Park is literally just a few minutes from our house so this is our fall-back activity when nothing else is going on. It's a relatively cheap outing, especially without the safari tour. And it just so happens that we love it.

Their admission is quite a bit lower than most other animal parks and small zoos but they offer a lot for the money. They have a nice array of animals. I find their animals a bit more interesting than those at Zoo America since they aren't limited at Lake Tobias to animals native to North America. You won't find elephants or giraffes at Lake Tobias but there are zebras, capybaras (my favorite), kangaroos and other animals you don't see everyday.



The exhibits are very nice. They recently added some new ones and got rid of the last of the old-style depressing cages.



Besides the typical animal exhibits you will see here, you will often find zoo workers carrying or walking an animal through the park and you can usually pet them or get a nice picture with them.



They also have a petting zoo, a reptile show and a safari tour. We finally took the safari tour after many years of passing it up and now we try to do that at least once a year. It's a lot of fun. You really get up close to the animals. I can't believe we passed it up all of those years.


They added a new reptile building in 2011. Attending the reptile show is a much more pleasant experience than it used to be - no more crowding into that small building.

Parking is free but most of the parking is a small trek away from the animals. They do have handicap parking available in the main area.

There are pavillions for picnics. You can reserve these for large affairs. There are several play structures on the property to amuse the kiddies. You can fish on site for a fee but you don't need a fishing license. I don't see any fishing info on the website unless I'm missing it but it's possible. You can get your fishing pass at the snackbar where you purchase the safari tickets. Call Lake Tobias for a price on those. I really can't remember but I'm sure it was $10 or under for an all-day pass. There may be other options too.

You can bring your own food into Lake Tobias but the food is very good there and the prices are reasonable. Unfortunately, the service can be extremely slow. The kitchen is small and the food is made to order so the line backs up around lunchtime. There's a food cart on the premise as well which doesn't usually take quite as long but the options are different and I've never tried anything from the cart. There's a play structure not too far from the snackbar so you can kill some time there while waiting for your food to be prepared. The gift shop is also in that area.

If you prefer to eat while coming or going from Lake Tobias, there is a McDonald's and also a Subway in Halifax on Route 225, 5 minutes south of Lake Tobias and if you came in from the north using Route 209, there are a McDonald's and Burger King in front of the Wal-Mart on 209 in Elizabethville, about 10 minutes north of Lake Tobias.

I wouldn't rate this as an all-day activity. It's not that large and the safari ride only takes about 45 minutes, tops. We usually spend only a couple of hours there since we live so close and visit so often but if you take your time and keep a leisurely pace, you could spend several hours there.

One of my only complaints about Lake Tobias (besides the slow food service) is that it's very difficult to push the average stroller over the gravel surface that covers most of the park.

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Cherry Crest Farms, Lancaster County, PA

Website: Cherry Crest Farms
Season: May-September, maze opens in July NOT OPEN ON SUNDAYS
Cost: See all admission rates here.
Approximate Length of Visit: You can definitely make a day of this. They even have flashlight maze in the evening sometimes.
Recommended ages: All ages but there's more to do for younger kids.

I think Cherry Crest Farm is my absolute favorite out of all of our family fun activities. We have never missed a year since we discovered it. There is so much to do there, especially for younger kids. It can get crowded but not unbearably so. It's nice anytime it isn't raining but it's especially nice when it's a nice fall day. The service and facilities are top-notch. I can't recommend this place enough.

The maze is great for adults and older children but even young children enjoy it. There are play structures located within the maze to entertain them. There's a snack bar within the maze and candy machines pop up along the way. Honestly, we haven't had much luck with the actual maze and had to cheat our way out every time (and between the members of our group we had a PhD, Master's degree and Bachelor's degree). It was still a lot of fun.

That's only a small part of Cherry Crest Farm. There are so many activities for kids beyond the maze. They have a smaller maze, two bouncers (big pillow-like bouncers, not bounce houses), sandboxes, play structures, slides, pumpkin slinging, mining for gold, games, animals, a wagon ride, a small train, pedal cars. That's just part of it. There is more than I can list here. There are activities in the courtyard and activities in the barnyard.

My son had a great time playing on the obstacle course. He had been obsessed with the window cleaners at his school so he just kept going down the rope over and over.

There are animals and a farm education area where he got to hold a baby chick and milk a 'cow'.


The food is excellent. They have roasted corn that is out of this world. It is some of the best sweet corn I ever tasted and I'm usually there in October. The pork barbecue is also really good as are the french fries and, well, everything else. The freshly made Kettlecorn is something we never pass up. Food prices get higher every year but they add more choices every year and you're allowed to bring your own food, if you'd like.


In the past my worst complaints about Cherry Crest were the poor baby changing option and the long lines for the restroom but in 2009 they added a nice baby changing room (and also a nursing station) and added another restroom building. They added even more facilities later.

That is the best thing about Cherry Crest - it gets better every year. They add something new and keep up what they already have. In 2009, they also added a new play structure with slides and small climbing walls, another tent with picnic tables, some games and probably a few other things I missed. In 2011 the added quite a bit - new food stands, new restrooms, new games.

Take note that they aren't open on Sundays. Cherry Crest is a full day for us but it can be combined with Strasburg Railroad.

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Candylane at Hersheypark - Hershey, PA

Website: Candylane
Season: mid-November - December
Costs: see rates here. You can usually save $2 off each admission with coupons from Giant, CVS, McDonald's. Parking in not included. It was $8 in 2011.

Expected Length of Stay: depends on your stamina
Recommended Ages: Geared more towards younger kids but there is something for everyone
We've been going to Candylane since my older son's first Christmas, 8 years ago. It was free admission at that time. It became our tradition and that wasn't going to end even when they started charging admission a few years ago.

You would think the admission would have thinned out the crowds but it hasn't really. Heck, even we've gone twice some years since they started charging. We've had varying experiences at Candylane - cold, warm, crowded, not crowded, long line for Santa, no line for Santa. Generally speaking the earlier in the season and the earlier in the day you go, the less crowded it is. I suggest starting early. It will be less crowded, the ride lines will be shorter, you can visit the zoo and see Santa without waiting in a long line. It gets dark early in the evening that time of year so you'll still be able to enjoy the lights and the atmosphere but you'll have a better shot of getting your money's worth if you start early.

I can remember, the first year or two, waiting in line for what seemed like an eternity, in a hellishly hot room, to get my son's picture taken with Santa. The past few years, we've walked right up. I'm not sure why that is. Candylane always has a very nice looking Santa but the pictures aren't cheap. You get less for more than you did a few years ago. I got a package with a 5x7, 2 4x6s and I think 4 wallets, plus another package that just had an 8x10 (which used to be included with the other package, then they stopped the 8x10 all together before bringing it back as a separate purchase) and that ran me about $50. Yes, I know. It's tradition, what can I say? I think the first year, I paid in the upper $30s for about the same pictures.

Our first year, they were giving out nice little stuffed toys as favors to the children who saw Santa but the favors have become less impressive each year, usually just a small piece of candy now. Those better gifts were usually sponsored by an outside company so it's not really surprising that no one wanted to foot the bill for those anymore.

Most of the rides open for Candylane are for smaller children but there are several that the older kids will like. All of the kiddie rides are open, plus the Kissing Tower, the antique and race cars, the pirate ship, the Claw, the Monorail, the Skyride and few other things. (See complete list here.) None of the coasters are running. The lines can be long. My favorites are the small train and the monorail since you get the best view of the lights in the park.

Zoo America is open (and included with admission) until 4:30pm. There's a music show. Santa's reindeer are on display. There are plenty of shops and refreshments available. The game room and games are open, with many holiday themed prizes.

I have to admit that some years I've been happy to get out of there - it can be cold and crowded. Other years, we've had great weather and light crowds. I'm going to keep up the tradition until the boys outgrow it (and maybe even after that!)

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Hersheypark - Hershey, PA

Website: Hersheypark
Season: May-September
Costs: Expensive
Expected Length of Stay: All day
Recommended Ages: All ages

We've only done non-Candylane Hersheypark twice so far, both times it was their Spring weekend (they open for one weekend in April as a preview). It's cheaper (less than half the regular season prices) but there are no water rides and some of the big coasters aren't available.

I was pregnant when we went in 2008 so I didn't get my money's worth but my husband and son managed around 15 rides. It wasn't crowded at all. We weren't so lucky in 2009. It was packed! We barely got to ride anything (partly because my son didn't want to). You just never know.

Hersheypark is a major amusement park so it has all the bells and whistles during the regular season and it also has the big price tag. Regular season admission isn't cheap - over $50 for adults and over $30 for kids over 2. That's a lot! And if you're taking small kids, you aren't going to get to ride any adult rides yourself unless you're travelling with other adults to watch the kids while you ride or if you ride alone (I did ride the Trailblazer by myself).

My son is funny - in 2008 he rode a ton of rides, in 2009 he barely rode anything. It makes it difficult to pay a hefty admission fee knowing he may only ride a couple of rides. There are plenty of rides for kids of all ages from toddlers to adults so if your child is more adventurous, they are more likely to get their money's worth.

Even in 2008 my son would not ride anything alone. He only road one ride alone and that was because my husband could not squeeze himself into this helicopter:


Parking is $6. (I keep hearing rumors that it will go up to $10 but I hope they are just rumors. )There is no food allowed in the park (they do search your bags) and food prices in the park are kind of steep for what you get. You can picnic outside the park so you can leave a cooler in your vehicle and leave the park (make sure to get your hand stamped). The vending machine prices will make your eyes leap out of their sockets.

There are plenty of games and a couple of arcades. My son loves that kind of thing and the game prices aren't bad (some arcade games were only a quarter). I find it hard to enjoy the games knowing we paid an admission to get into the park. Playing games means we aren't riding rides. At least my husband always manages to win something for my son and I notice a lot of other winners toting prizes around the park so the odds can't be too bad. It lessens the pain when we get to take home a big whale wearing a hoodie.

There are other admission options (multiple-day passes, sunset admission, etc.) One great option is the season pass. You can get either the regular Hershey season pass or the Gold, which includes Dutch Wonderland. The season passes include all kinds of perks (free parking, discounts, Zoo America, etc) and you really only have to make a couple of trips to get your money's worth. Our kids aren't quite old enough to appreciate it yet but I plan on buying the passes in a couple of years. The earlier you buy season passes, the better price you get so keep that in mind if you go this route. Think about it in the fall for the following year.

You can also get discounted tickets from Giant markets and perhaps other locations.

There is a lot to do at Hersheypark so it definitely qualifies as a full-day event, especially when it is busy since you'll be waiting in line a lot of the time. There are plenty of kiddie rides for the smaller kids. All rides are coded so you can measure your child upon entering the park and know exactly what rides they are allowed to ride by matching your child's category up to the ride listing on the map. There are shows, games, arcades, Zoo America and of course the rides. You'll stay busy. I find it exhausting to be honest.

The new Boardwalk area wasn't open when we were there but we got a glimpse of the work that they're doing. I think older kids will love it. I'm not so much of a fan of getting wet in the middle of an amusement park (a waterpark such as Great Wolf Lodge is another matter).

In conclusion, it's a great amusement park but pricey as most amusement parks tend to be.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Zoo America - Hershey, PA

Website: Zoo America
Season: Year round
Cost: $9 for 9 and up, $7.50 for kids 2-8 and adults over 55, children under 2 free. Included in full-day admission to Hersheypark and free to Hersheypark season pass holders.
Expected length of visit: A couple of hours max, IMO
Recommended for ages: all ages

We've visited Zoo America individually and as part of Hersheypark experience. It's a nice little zoo but due to the cost and effort involved in getting to Zoo America(it's at least 45 minutes away), I prefer our local animal park, Lake Tobias, if we're going to do the animal thing.

When we went to the zoo and paid a separate admission, we used a coupon for the Kids Book and save a couple of dollars. It was still more expensive than Lake Tobias and frankly Zoo America isn't any more exciting than Lake Tobias. We're just spoiled since Lake Tobias is practically in our back yard.

They have a nice variety of animals at Zoo America but nothing terribly exotic. No elephants or giraffes - all of the animals are native to North America. They have a neat swimming pool for the bears and you can feed the ducks, which my older son enjoys. It's not that big of a place. You can spend a bit of time visiting the indoor animal habitats and then walk around the rest of the zoo and probably see it all in 1-2 hours.




There is a snack bar in the zoo but I've never been there when it was actually open. There are some vending machines and a gift shop too.

Zoo America is free if you have a season pass to Hersheypark which is a nice perk, especially if you live in the area and want something lite to do every now and then. It's nice that it's open all year round since personally I find it difficult to find things to do in the colder months in this area. I only recently found out it was open year-round. I wish I had known that sooner!

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Philadelphia Zoo - Philadelphia, PA

Website: The Philadelphia Zoo
Season: The Philadelphia Zoo is open every day of the year except Thanksgiving Day,
December 24, 25 and 31, and January 1.
Cost: In season, $18 for adults over 11, $15, ages 2-11 and under age 2 free. There are other plans and winter rates. See all ticket prices here. Become a zoo member for even more discounts. Expected Length of Visit: You could spend all day here.
Recommended Ages: All ages

We visited the Philadelphia Zoo just a couple of months before my younger son was born in 2008. It was May but it was hot - 80+ degrees hot. It was a Saturday but for whatever reason I didn't expect it to be so crowded. The zoo was a zoo that day! We ended up parking on the zoo road on the far side of the zoo but we were lucky to get parking anywhere near the zoo.

Coming in, we hit traffic not too far from the zoo exit (Girard Ave) on 76. We crawled through traffic for quite some time. (When we left in the afternoon, traffic in that direction was backed up nearly to the turnpike booths so we were more fortunate than the people headed to the zoo at that time.) We bought our tickets and paid for parking online so that probably saved us a little time getting in to the zoo.


Getting into the zoo (the drive, parking, going through the admission gate), was a bit of work but once we got in there, it was nice considering how packed it was. You didn't have to fight anyone to see the animals or anything like that. There was room to walk around. We're fortunate to be early birds and we ate lunch early. Later, the refreshment stand lines were insane. I do believe they let you bring your own food. You really can't leave the zoo to eat since the area surrounding the zoo is a bit, um, rough.


It's a great zoo. It's got the elephants, giraffes, gorillas and all the other big animals we don't get to see locally. My son loved it! The animal exhibits will take up a good portion of the day. We could watch the gorillas for quite some time.


There are other activities too. There's a children's zoo with a petting zoo, a duck pond and a tractor. My son could have played on that tractor all day.


There were pony rides, face painting and swan boat rides. These activities were pricey (I think they were at least $5 each, per person) so we only did one -we rode the swan boats for my son. We won't be able to do that again. Next time we'll be a family of four and we won't fit into that swan anymore.

There's also a hot air balloon for an additional fee but we saved that for another day. I was too exhausted and we had spent enough money.

I remember waiting in line for quite some time to use the restroom which isn't fun when you're 8 months pregnant. My advice - don't wait to use the bathroom by the main entrance on your way out since it was the most crowded.

We had a heck of a time finding our way out of there, back to I-76. I knew where to go but pointing ourselves in the right direction was a problem. The road signage around the zoo did not help. Fortunately I went to Temple and my dad often took that same exit when driving me back to school so I didn't panic when we ended up driving around in a not-so-nice neighborhood (is 'ghetto' no longer a politically correct term?). Or when we ended up driving in the trolley lane (hey, I wasn't the only one!) We eventually got home alive.

I don't know how often we'll return. The zoo is not that far from Harrisburg. It's an easy daytrip down the turnpike. The zoo isn't extremely expensive either and if we became zoo members we could visit quite a bit for our money. It's the hassle of getting in and out of the zoo that turns me off on the idea of visiting again, although I'm sure we will. Unfortunately, if you want to enjoy the big attractions, you usually have to deal with things like traffic and crowds. Hopefully next time we go back it won't be as crazy. I wonder if the fact that the shore season hadn't opened yet ande it was an unusually warm May day made it more crowded. After Memorial Day, many people around Philadelphia head to the shore on the weekends. Just to be safe, I would suggest getting an early start.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.

Day Out With Thomas at Strasburg Railroad - Lancaster County, PA

Website: Day Out with Thomas at Strasburg Railroad
Season: Thomas comes for a week-long vist, a few times each year
Costs: $18 for all for just Thomas, $25 for age 3 and up for combo (Age 2 and under can ride regular train free)
Estimated Length of Visit: Several hours
Recommended Ages: Any Thomas the Train fans would enjoy this.

This was a great outing for a 3 1/2 year old, which was how old my son was when we did this. There is nothing like watching the excitement on a little boy's face the first time he sees Thomas in the flesh. It was an enjoyable day and driving through Lancaster, it reminded me that there are probably lots of other fun activities in that area.

Thomas comes to Strasburg Railroad a few times each year, usually June, September and December. You can buy tickets just to ride Thomas (about a 20 minute ride) or get a combo pass and also ride a train to Paradise and back (about a 45 minute ride). We opted for just Thomas. You can also upgrade for a fee after you're there, if you show up with just the Thomas ticket.

The train was really beautiful. It was a short ride but it was pretty, inside and out. There were cows and school buses to be seen which are very exciting to a 3 1/2 year old. For some reason most of the parents on board looked miserable - it was actually comical to watch their faces. The staff all looked to be enjoying themselves.



Included in the ticket price are also rides on some of the railroad's other attractions - the small steam train ride, the caboose ride and the push cars. Your child can also pose with Sir Topham Hat and Thomas. They take pictures you can buy and they'll also take a picture with your own camera. They pictures they take are unfortunately very expensive (I bought one, a 5x7 for $18 in 2007). It's a shame they're so expensive because I would have bought more if they weren't. I only bought the picture with Thomas but we also had our picture taken on the train and my son had his picture taken with Sir Topham hat. They do allow you to use your own camera too.



They also have tents where they sell merchandise (which is not unreasonably priced for licensed merchandise) and they offer other free activities - tattoos, a small hay bale maze, a small push car ride, toy tracks set up (but no trains on them since they would probably have a tendency to 'walk away'), puzzles, jewelry making, musical acts, food vendors etc. Some of it was a bit rundown looking but we were there on the last day so that probably had something to do with it.

It does get crowded. We saw cars from several different states in the lot. Parking was free (although the property next door was charging $10 - I have no idea why as they seemed to have plenty of free parking). Refreshment prices were a bit high. Water in the vending machines was very expensive. I bought a large fountain drink for the three of us to share - it was $4! We opted to eat at Applebees after we left. There are plenty of restaurants in that area.

Thomas travels all over the country and I believe it's somewhat the same everywhere. It's definitely a good time for any Thomas fan. We've only done it once so far. I planned on going again but we just couldn't work it into our schedule. We'll definitely go back when the baby is ready to enjoy this.

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Swimming at Little Buffalo State Park- Newport, PA

Website: Little Buffalo State Park (always check website for latest details about hours, price, etc.)
Season: Memorial Day-Labor Day
Cost: Approximately $5 for adults, slightly less for children. Some children are free (by height). Season passes available.
Expected length of visit: We usually only stay for a couple of hours but you can definitely make a day out of it.
Recommended for ages: All ages. The little kids enjoy the sprinklers and the pool has a shallow are for the smaller kids. Older kids will love the slides.
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When I first got the idea to visit Little Buffalo State Park a few years ago, I was thrilled to see that they had just renovated the pool area and they did a great job. They have a large pool with two water slides, 'umbrellas' (that you can see pictured), and dumping buckets. Next to that is an area with sprinklers and geysers that my older son loves, since he is not a strong swimmer yet. We haven't taken the baby there yet.

The pool is surrounded by a grassy area where you can rest your belongings. There's a changing room and restroom near the pool.

They have a snack bar but the few tables are usually all taken around lunchtime so we usually hit the McDonald's nearby afterwards. You can't bring your own refreshments into the pool area but there are picnic tables outside of the pool area and you can leave the pool area and return if you get your hand stamped.

There's a play area right outside the pool and of course all the other state park activities are available - row boats, paddleboats, fishing, camping.

When I was a kid, it seemed as if more families would spend the day at the state park. Our local state park would get terribly crowded, especially on holidays. My dad would be there at the crack of dawn, grabbing us a picnic table. Some of my fondest childhood memories are from day-long picnics at the state park or local lake. They were all-day affairs filled with swimming, eating and playing on the play equipment. I think more people stay home and swim in their own pools, cook on their own grills and eat on their own patios nowadays. Maybe that's why they've 'supersized' the pool and added the bells and whistles. I'd hate to see the state parks disappear because not enough people are using them.

Please add your comments regarding this activity or let me know if you have any questions about it that I might be able to answer.