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.

Great Wolf Lodge - Poconos, PA

Website:Great Wolf Lodge (always check website for latest information)
Season: All year round but with an outdoor pool area only open in warmer weather
Cost: Varies based on room choice. There are additional costs for extras.
Expected Length of Visit: It's up to you. We've done 3 nights and 2 nights.  2 nights is our preferred length since the extras add up the longer you stay. At this price point it really isn't worth combining this activity with too many other Pocono activities.
Recommended for Ages: All ages.

Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos is part of a chain of hotels with indoor water parks. The parks are only available to overnight guests at the lodge (although paying guest can purchase extra wristbands for friends and family who aren't staying overnight for $40/day - one wrist band per paying guest and I think you can only get them for one day during your stay.)


I chose this for my son's first vacation at 3 1/2 years old because it looked like fun and it was convenient. We live only 2 hours away from Great Wolf Lodge, an easy drive (I-81 to I-80 to 611). We only went for three nights. Later, after my second son was born, we went for two nights.  In June 2012, after a divorce, I took my two sons, ages 8 1/2 and almost 4 again for 2 nights, our first vacation without dad.

(You can sort of see the waterpark through the window on the left in this picture:)

The waterpark itself is quite nice - there's something for all ages. Younger children enjoyed the small pool which has three different types of slides (five slides in all). They're fun but perfectly suited for little ones. There are life jackets for the kids, handed out on a first come, first serve basis.

There's also a lazy river (a bit too lazy and short for my taste), hot tubs (my favorite! - there's a family one and an adults only hot tub), several larger slides (some of these slides require at least 2 people), three pools - a wave pool, a regular pool with basketball nets, and a pool with a course you try to walk across without falling in, a 'treehouse' with various water toys attached, and a huge bucket that dumps a LOT of water out about every 10 minutes (WARNING: It has the force to pull down the top of a woman's swimsuit - don't ask me how I know and I apologize to the family with small children that was standing right there).

So there's something for everyone. My younger son loves the small slides and all the water features in the tree house.  Younger kids, as long as they can sit up and hold on, can ride in front of a double tube down Alberta Falls - one of the large slides. You have to wrap your feet around them to hold them.  My younger son loved that slide.  He also loved the wave pool.

My older son loved the wave pool on our last visit. He was previously afraid of it. He is still shy of the big slides but will ride them.  He is less adventurous but the wave pool and hot tub held his interest on our latest visit.

There's also an outdoor pool and although we've been there in summer months, we never made it to the outdoor pool - it just felt too cold compared to the indoor pool. Frankly, I enjoyed not having to deal with sunscreen and didn't mind that the park is mostly indoors. The water is always warm.

Food is a bit more expensive in the lodge but that's the price you pay for convenience.  Some things are more reasonable than others.  There are a few different restaurants in the lodge, including right in the waterpark (there is also a bar in the waterpark) and a Starbuck's. The buffet is expensive but younger kids may be free and the food was a step up from Golden Corral or Old Country Buffet (we only tried it on our first visit). This isn't a rural area of the Poconos - right out the lodge on the main road, you'll find several restaurants very close by if you choose to eat outside the lodge and a grocery store right down the road if you wish to use the microwave and refrigerator in your room, which my kids love for some reason.  We've eaten several times at a pizza shop down the street - Amici's.  We've also eaten at Friendly's, McDonald's, Red Robin - there are plenty of restaurants around.

We chose one of the theme rooms for each visit - a KidKamp or Wolf's Den - both have a bunk bed area. There was also a queen-size bed and a pull-out sofa in each of these. There were two televisions in the room. On our last visit, the boys ignored the bunkbed area and extra television so next time we'll get the most basic room.  There was a decent selection of channels. Personally I hate going on vacation and finding a poor selection of channels on the television since that's how I like to wind down at night.

Besides the waterpark and restaurants, there are two spas (adult and children's), an arcade (the highlight for my sons, I think), a craft room, a workout room, and an animated clocktower.  There's a show at bedtime followed by a story and one of the lodge's characters.  You can play MagiQuest which involves a computerized wand finding clues all around the lodge (about $25 pp but you can keep the wand). For younger kids there is a wand for stories.  I just bought both boys Magiquest even though the younger one was too young to actually play, his wand still worked and entertained him.  They have some sort of a Tech Center where you can play video games but we haven't checked that out. They've also added a small bowling alley, with small balls. Oh, there's a build-a-bear type of store too.

You can get package deals for some of the extras which might be worth it if you plan on doing several of them. 

There's a gift shop and a swim shop but the suits are quite expensive. If you forget your swimsuit, you'd probably be better off going down the road to find one. Crossings Outlets are right next door to the lodge.

Overall, a very nice place to visit. It's a bit pricey but considering it was so conveniently located, it's worth it for us. My kids love it and always want to go back.  The service is excellent and they always add new things. There offer discounts all of the time.  The best deals are mid-week.

Tip:  Know the layout of the hotel and be ready if they give you a room choice.  You probably don't want to be too far from the action (but you may not want to be where there is too much action - mainly by the Magiquest activity which can get noisy).

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.

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.