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.

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.

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.

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.

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!)

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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.

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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.