#HaveKidsWillTravel Archives - Page 2 of 2

A Great Place for kids.

Lancaster County is a great place to take the kids.

A few weeks ago we spent an entire week at my parent’s house in Reading, PA. When my husband has business out of town and it is easier for him to fly out of the Philadelphia airport, we pack up the family and head to Reading. For those of you who don’t know where Reading is, it is located about an hour north west of Philadelphia and an hour south of Allentown, PA. It is a large city with a fast growing restaurant and micro-brew scene, but other than that not much to do with the kids. So we pack up the kids and head 30 minutes south to Lancaster County.

Yes, Lancaster is very well-known for Amish people, sprawling farmlands, and Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine, but it is also full of great restaurants, historic sites, and nice resorts. Not only are there a lot of great activities for adults, but there many places for the kids to have fun also. These are some of my favorite places to visit:

1. Dutch Wonderland – Dutch Wonderland has been around for 60 plus years and even though they have kept some of the same exhibits that I played with when I was a little kid, they have added so many rides for those aged 6 months to 6 years. They have interactive shows, a train ride through a gem mine, and my kids’ favorite: the good old fashion log flume. They have some of the best amusement park food that I have ever tasted, and it is easily located right off of Route 30. They also have their own campground, so if you want to pitch a tent or bring the RV, you can park there overnight.

2. Hands-On House Children’s Museum– The Hands-On House Children’s Museum is not same as the Please Touch Museum which is located in Philadelphia. This is a different museum where children can learn about bugs, making music with household items, face painting, and playing postman. They have their own little grocery store to teach children how to shop and then they can play check out with real machines that add up their order. They also have events throughout the week the kids can attend but it is best to check their schedule online.

3. Strasburg Railroad – This is more than just a train ride, this is an adventure! The station has activities for kids including hand pedaling their own train car, a kids train, or they can even operate an old pump car. They also have some fun stores where you can pick up some Thomas the Train toys are grab a bite to eat before your ride. So don’t worry if you just missed the train, there is plenty to do. You can also add admission to the Train Museum across the road to your train ticket. You will see the history of trains and some very old and interesting engines. Make sure to check their website for when Thomas the Train and his friends are there. This is a fun time but tickets sell out fast.

4. Toy Train Museum and Red Caboose Inn – The Toy Train Museum is very close to the Strasburg Railroad and houses hundreds of toy trains that were played with by many for hundreds of years. Some of the trains date back to the 1800’s and some are old time favorites with pictures of your favorite characters you used to watch on TV. They have a few working models which make the kids laugh and play as they wait for the trains to come out of the model sized mountain and whiz past the tiny town. Once you step out the toys of the Toy Train Museum you will see old train cars parked in a lot. If you take a closer look you will actually find out that it is the Red Caboose Motel, which has converted old train cars into hotel rooms. Each car is its own room equipped with bed and private bathroom. There is also a restaurant onsite with an amazing gift store of all things Lancaster county.

5. Kitchen Kettle Village – Kitchen Kettle Village is a great place for all generations as there are 40 shops and restaurants where you can purchase quality Lancaster county products and foods, and fun trinkets from all over the world. Want to try Pennsylvania Dutch relish, well head over to the The Jam and Relish Kitchen where you can taste all types of jams, relishes, and salsas – all homemade. Maybe the kids aren’t into shopping but the grandparents want to buy some more great finds, well take the kids on a horse-drawn carriage ride through Amish country and to see various farms. They can decorate a Gingerbread man to look like Yummie, the mascot for Kitchen Kettle Village, or get up close and personal with some farm animals at the barnyard.

There are so many things to do and see in Lancaster County Pennsylvania so the next time you are in the area it is worth a stop. Make sure to stock up on some Shoo-fly pie or whoopie pies.

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Is convenience always better?

Liz Hough on

When you travel you always try to make it convenient for yourself. Some of the things that I have purchased over the years to make travel convenient include a blow up neck pillow, a blow up cushioned seat, smart tablets, versatile clothing, RFID blocking purse, belt with hidden compartment for money and credit cards, foldable shoes, various pieces of luggage and bags, etc. Some of these items were amazing and others were a complete waste of money. Now that I have two little kids to travel with, traveling seems like a huge task! Anything I can do to make it more convenient on myself and my husband, I will pay for it!

If you have or had little ones, you remember how getting through an airport, an amusement park, or even getting on a bus at Disney was a difficult task but the one thing that you bring for convenience is a stroller. Nowadays, there are some many strollers on the market and when you find that one you like, you take it everywhere with you including anywhere you travel. The problem with most strollers are that they are beasts! Even folded over they are bulky and weigh over 20 pounds. Now, if you have ever been to Disney then you know that the buses to take you to and from your resort are crowded with people, but most of the space taken up is by strollers. Those people with older children are the envy of the bus, and those of us with our beast of a stroller just give each other the sympathy nod. Same holds true when you are folding the beast at the end of the runway before getting on a plane.

Well, lucky for us we are at that stage with our kids where they don’t really need a stroller, but it is still a good idea to bring one along, especially for the toddler who likes to run away from us in the busy airport. With so many trips coming up this year I didn’t want to buy another stroller, but our umbrella stroller broke on our last trip. Out to the baby store we went, looking to pick up another umbrella stroller but instead we were intrigued by a new stroller on the market. Weighing in at 9 pounds and folding up to the size of large book, how could I not resist checking out this stroller. I had a huge smile on face at the thought of how this would make my life so convenient on our upcoming trips!

The lady at the store, Kathy who needs to be mentioned for having such patience, got out the box from the storage area in the back. Excited to see the product first hand as she had only seen the video of how to use, she came down the aisle with a huge smile on her face. The box for the stroller was the same size of the box that my laptop computer came in. All excited, we started to gather a crowd of employees who also wanted to see the world’s smallest folded stroller. Kathy opens the box that says no assembly required, and takes it out of the bag. As she says watch this, she tries to open it as she had seen in the video, nothing happens. She tries again, and nothing. Another employee takes the stroller and tries to open it, nothing. At this point, we have about 8 employees and 3 customers all around this book size, folded up stroller and none of us can figure out how to open it. My excitement for a stroller with such convenience has turned into frustration and concern about whether I would be able to figure out how to fold this stroller quickly. After losing several employees, the original Kathy, myself, my husband, and two other employees had figured it out after 25 minutes! Even though we watched the video several times, it took us 25 minutes to figure it out. After getting it open, I was disappointed by the lack of a sun screen/visor to protect a child and the stability of the stroller. I also did not like that the seat did not recline for the child. If you are interested in finding out which stroller I am talking about I have conveniently hyperlinked the video. You will be impressed, just like I was. Click Here for Video

I am impressed by this stroller company in general. They have several one touch foldable, light-weight strollers. We did purchase the stroller called the Qbit and it folds up small enough to go into bag that is provided by the company, and is around 15 pounds. Both kids have found it very comfortable to be in and me and my husband have found it very easy and convenient for all of our travel needs. I look forward to using it in a few weeks on our next trip. In the meantime, I am definitely going to be using it around town to check out the stability.

So next time you go to purchase that travel gadget that you will think will make your life so much more convenient, weigh the options, definitely try it out, and check for durability. If it breaks during your trip, then it won’t be so convenient.

Is the World of Coca Cola worth a visit?

Liz Hough on

Pepsi Lovers Feel No Love in Atlanta

So if you read my previous post, then you know our adventures to the Georgia Aquarium exceeded our expectations. Seeing four whale sharks float above was one of the best experiences that I have had in a while and seeing the kids’ faces light up with excitement was even better. Having had this breathtaking experience we were ready to see what else downtown Atlanta had to offer. Next up was Zoo Atlanta, which is a bit south of the city. It is not within walking distance of the city center, so make sure you find some type of transportation to get there. After handing over our vouchers using the CityPASS®, we were in.

Zoo Atlanta boasts that it has been around since the late 1800’s. After walking around the zoo there are definitely some parts that I believe to be original and give it that old world character. The zoo is made up of four areas: African Plains, African Rainforest, Asian Forest, and the Kids Zone. They have many amazing animals including lions, elephants, and Gorillas, but the one animal that I was most excited about seeing was the giant panda. There are a few zoos in the whole United States that actually house these beautiful creatures. Despite them being called “giant” they aren’t much larger than a small brown bear. Zoo Atlanta had four of these guys playing around and eating bamboo. Our toddler’s favorite part of the zoo was the naked mole rats. Yes, rats. They have an indoor exhibit housing just these little guys, and they have it set up to really educate you on how they live. However, they are small, naked rats running around burrowed out holes so it did make me feel a bit uncomfortable.

The kid’s zone at the zoo was very large and had a lot of great activities to keep the kids occupied for several hours. There was a zoo animal themed carousel, train, climbing wall, canopy center with large slide, and an extremely large play land with unique playground activities. They also have a petting zoo area with goats and pigs but, thankfully, it was closed that day. Animals can be unpredictable and I am always cautious about letting my little ones get too close to something that is three times their body weight. With our voucher from the CityPASS® we received a bracelet for endless rides and climbs. This worked out great for us as we rode the train four times and the carousel twice. Each ride is around $3/person/ride, so it was pleasant surprise to have this included in our admission with our CityPASS® voucher.

When visiting Atlanta if you are not familiar with the drink Coca Cola, you will definitely be by the end of your time there. Coca Cola has their main headquarters in Atlanta along with a tourist attraction showcasing all things Coca Cola called the World of Coca Cola. They have everything to see from old Coca Cola vending machines, to the various looks of the Coca Cola products, and a secret vault containing information on how Coca Cola came about. They do a good job of crowd control as they have a short 10 minute presentation welcoming you and then you enter into a movie theater where they show a short movie about how Coca Cola brings the world together. Once you are through these two areas you are then free to roam the various exhibits. There is even an area where you can get your picture taken with Bear, the Coca Cola mascot.

There are several exhibits at the World of Coca Cola that I found to be quite different than what I had expected. They had a 4D movie about a scientist trying to figure out the secret formula of Coca Cola while being transported all over the world. I have been to 4D movies before but this was the first time where the seats actually moved. I don’t recommend this for someone with back or neck problems, but the kids found it fun. They also liked the taste station. This is an area that is broken up into continents where you can taste the various Coca Cola products available in certain countries. Greece had a pineapple flavor soda that was quite refreshing but my favorite soda was from Tanzania called Stoney Ginger Beer. It was very light and left a nice after taste of ginger in your mouth. It also did not have a lot of sugar so I didn’t get that sugary build up on the back of my tongue like I do when I drink ginger ale. It was a lot of fun going around to see how different continents like certain flavors. South American countries really like a sweeter fruit based drink while African countries like more ginger and lighter flavors. Something to definitely look forward to when you visit there!

One of the most interesting, and extremely innovated things at the World of Coca Cola was the cell phone or smart device charging stations located throughout the building. It was a booth shaped like a Coca Cola Bottle with various slots to put your phone or smart device into. All you had to do was swipe one of your credit cards and enter a pin number. An empty box would be selected and you simply put your phone into the box and attach it to the charger. Once you have closed the box it locks. You are now free to walk around and your phone is charging. Once you are ready for your phone you go back to the box and swipe your credit card, put in your pin number and your box opens. This is a completely free service that Coca Cola offers to you even though you use a credit card as your key card.

Last on our places to visit was the Fernbank Natural History museum which is located south of Atlanta. It is located in a very nice, scenic neighborhood where we saw Owen Wilson and Ed Helms shooting a movie (How awesome is that?!?). When you pull up to the museum you are welcomed by several statues of dinosaurs. Inside they have several more dinosaurs in the main atrium and in an exhibit, which the kids absolutely loved. With our CityPASS® voucher we were given access to an IMAX movie, so our oldest decided they wanted to see the polar bears movie.

After the movie we walked around to the various exhibits including an Egyptian Queen’s belongings but the kids really enjoyed NatureQuest the most. This indoor play and learning area for kids of all ages allowed kids to build walls with blocks, look at bugs under microscopes, find fossils hidden in the walls, and walk across and plank bridge. There was so much for them to do in this area that we stayed here for a few hours. The Fernbank really has something for everyone and is a great place for multi-generational families to have some fun together.

I have to say, I was very surprised how much I enjoyed my downtown stay in Atlanta. We didn’t have a bad experience once and all of the activities that there were to keep the kids busy and entertained kept this mommy happy!