Finding Tons of Family Fun on a Pennsylvania Getaway
When in Pennsylvania, do as they do, go to Dutch Wonderland and Crayola Experience
Recently we were looking for a fun weekend getaway with our 5-year old. We decided to try out Lancaster, PA and Easton, PA for some serious kid fun. Joined by our good friends and their 4-year old we headed out for a smile-packed weekend.
Source: Flickr
We started our adventure out at Dutch Wonderland. Dutch Wonderland is a “43-arce family amusement park with over 35 rides.” It was opened in 1963 by Earl Clark and began with only four rides. Some of the must see attractions were Exploration Island, which joined the park in 2014, here dinosaurs come to life and allow you to dig for fossils. This was the most exciting attraction for my son because he is obsessed with dinosaurs. It was incredible how real they looked.
Then what better way to cool off then at Duke’s Lagoon Water Play area? There are many fun slides, water sprinklers and the pipeline plunge, which is a huge water raft ride. We spent a great deal of time there because we went on such a hot day. They added new characters and Celebration Theatre to the park in 2016. Dutch Wonderland also added Bean Sprouts for healthy food choices, which is a great addition to the many options of places to eat.
The park operates like a well-oiled machine. The lines moved well and the staff was very helpful. It was great for our kids because they could go on every ride. It’s a very manageable park for a one day visit, you should be able to get to everything. They offer special events at Halloween and Christmas, and we are planning to go back in the fall for the Halloween event. When you leave somewhere and you child says, “When can we go back?”, that is a successful day in my book.
To learn about pricing and special events go to their website. www.dutchwonderland.com. They offer discounted rates for admission if you get your tickets in advance. If you have AAA you can also get discounted tickets from your local AAA.
We stayed at the Best Western Plus Revere Inn. They have an indoor pool and free breakfast. It is 10 minutes from Dutch Wonderland. We got a great rate through Orbitz and felt it was a good hotel because of the convenience of being near Dutch Wonderland. There are many hotels in the area to suite just about anyone’s budget and needs.
We ate at the Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant in Lancaster, PA. They were child friendly, the service was excellent and the food was great. If you are a beer drinker they brew their own beer, we tried the Witberry and loved it.
We moved onto the Crayola Experience. It was a dream come true for this artist…. I mean for our kids! They are four floors of artistic heaven, and lots creativity to be had. We started at the top and worked our way down. There is much to do, so give yourself lots of time. We still did not get to everything, but plan to go back to try what we missed. With pretty much all activities you get to take home a keepsake. Your tickets come with tokens to use on some activities, and you have the option to purchase more if you need to.
The drip art activity lets kids melt crayons and made spin art. Melt & mold melds crayon into a fun shapes that the kids can then use as a crayon. My son enjoyed both of these activities. He is very into dinosaurs so; he melted his crayon into a dinosaur. Would you have ever have thought, you should melt crayons and paint with them? I did not, but Crayola did. The kids could paint with melted crayons. It was awesome. Next floor was water play and the color playground. I literally had to drag my son away from these two areas to go off to the art activity studio. He was able to draw a picture and make it into a 12-piece puzzle. It was pretty incredible. I am not sure who enjoyed that more him or I.
Next we headed off to make a crayon that could be personalized with his name and image of his choice. Model magic was next where you go to a model magic vending machine and pick your colors. These two activities required tokens, but it was well worth it. There was a great deal of history about the Crayola company throughout the building, which was very cool to learn about. (FYI, only adults like that part). Last stop for us was the gift shop. There are really cool things in the gift shop, so don’t be tempted to skip it. You can also take your child’s art that they just made and have it put on a t-shirt or puzzle. The Crayola Experience is a must visit place for your kids. Here is their website, http://www.crayolaexperience.com/easton. They offer an annual pass and special discounts.
They are offering our readers a special discount. Just click on this link to get your discount coupon,
We will definitely be making a return trip in the fall to do every activity that we missed. The only thing I may do differently, if I am taking my own advice…. give yourself an extra day there. We could have used more time.
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About the Author: Alisha Rappaport is a consultant for non profit foundations and is a mommy blogger for Wicked Good Travel Tips. She enjoys taking her son on new adventures and sharing her experiences with our readers.
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