Have Kids, Will Travel: Pennsylvania!

Taking a Pennsylvania Roadtrip with Kids

When I asked my husband where he wanted to go for vacation this summer, his response was: the mountains. When I asked which mountains, he told me "Doesn't matter. Just mountains." 

I then asked my girls if they had any summer travel preferences. My oldest wanted "a fun theme park." And my middle wanted "something with water." My youngest was the one who tipped the scales by saying "I want to see the Liberty Bell." 

Pennsylvania, a place no one in my family had ever visited, checked all of the requirements laid out by each member of my family. It has the mountains my husband wanted (the Poconos), the theme park my oldest wanted (Hersheypark), the water my middle wanted (Aquatopia indoor waterpark) and the Liberty Bell my youngest requested in Philadelphia. This is how I decided to take my family on a Pennsylvania roadtrip!

Smiling for the camera in Philadelphia. 

Planning a Pennsylvania Roadtrip

The best part about  traveling to the East Coast is you have so many options to fly! I set up alerts for flights to New York City, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. I watched all the flights and ended up finding flights in and out of La Guardia (in NYC) for $250 a piece on American for my family of 5. Score!

Smiling in front of the I Love NY sign at La Guardia Airport in NYC. 

From there, I planned our trip. NYC is a two-hour drive from the Poconos. The Poconos is a two-hour drive from Hershey. Hershey is two hours from Philadelphia. And Philadelphia is two hours from New York City. Everything came together nicely! (Including finding a rental car, which my husband did through his employer, which offers discounts with several national car rental companies. We ended up in a brand new Yukon Denali that we may or may not be considering leasing at this point...)

So here it is... Our guide to exploring some of Pennsylvania's biggest attractions by car!

The Mountains of Pennsylvania: Vacation in the Poconos

Fact: I knew nothing about the Poconos Mountains, beyond that they existed, when we decided to head there this summer. I mean, as a Midwesterner and a Texas Transplant, why would I?! Here are a few fun facts about these mountains...

- The Poconos Mountains' highest peak is about 3,000 feet (so, these mountains are quite a bit smaller than the Rockies!)

- The Poconos Mountains are only in Pennsylvania.

- A bartender in the Poconos told us that locals jokingly refer to Mount Pocono as the sixth borough because during the peak ski season it is filled with New Yorkers!

- The weather was gorgeous during our visit. The high was 79 during the day and the low was about 50 at night!

- In the summer, you can bike, hike, swim, fish, boat and so on. In the winter, you can ski!

There are several resorts in the Poconos Mountains that cater to tourists. Everything is onsite and it's super family friendly. We ended up staying at Split Rock Resort because we found a spectacular last-minute deal. This spot was an absolute throwback to a bygone era. The decor is so retro it's practically cool again! Onsite there was an arcade, bowling alley and waterpark, all of which cost extra. There was a small beachfront on Lake Harmony as well as a stocked pond where we can fish (but we had to release the fish after we caught them). There was an indoor pool and outdoor pool and an indoor conference room with games for the kids. For the price, it was great.

The indoor pool at Split Rock Lodge in the Poconos Mountains in Pennsylvania. 

But the shining jewel of the Poconos is Camelback Resort. Think Great Wolf... But bigger. And set in the gorgeous mountain backdrop. We want to plan a ski trip here soon! They gave me free tickets to Aquatopia, their indoor waterpark, for one day, and the kids went gaga. Tons of awesome slides, a wave pool, a lazy river and a swim-up, 21-and-over bar made our day at Aquatopia fantastic. We didn't make it to the mountain rollercoaster or Camelbeach... But that is simply because we ran out of hours in the day! We can't say enough good things about Camelback. The inside arcade was huge and flashy and amenities look fantastic. It was a good thing I was kept on a tight leash because I could have done some damage in their fabulous gift shop... Our bartender told us that, in the wintertime, many parents of older kids send their kids out to ski during the day and the parents hang out in the swim-up pool in the warm, balmy indoor waterpark. So, my wheels are definitely turning!

Kids play area at Aquatopia, an indoor waterpark at Camelback Resort in Pennsylvania. 

Get Ready to Indulge... with a Trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania!

After two days in the Poconos, we headed to Hershey.

Again... Before our trip, I knew nothing about Hershey. It's actually a quaint country town built around chocolate. Milton Hershey picked this spot back in 1905 because of its proximity to dairy farms, which would provide the milk he needed for his well-known milk chocolate. Originally called Derry Church, PA, Hershey is truly a town built around chocolate. Today, Hershey is a great small town with a huge presence in America. The town itself has population of only 15,000, but you will be enchanted by Hershey from the second you arrive.

Things you can do in Hershey, PA, with kids:

- Visit Hersheypark (we were gifted free tickets). They have some of the best rollercoasters we have EVER been on.

- Take a FREE tour of Chocolate World and get free candy at the end! Also shop and engage in some of the other activities, which do cost money.

- Visit Hotel Hershey and tour Hershey Gardens. 

- Grab a room at the Hershey Lodge, a retro drive-up motor lodge with a new indoor waterpark attached! (it gets incredibly pricey- book early!)

- Learn about the history of Hershey at the The Hershey Story Museum.

- Chocolate not your thing? How about ice cream? Try the Turkey Hill Experience with the kids!

Hershey's Chocolate World in Hershey, PA.

We had wanted to stay at the Hershey Lodge but couldn't justify the prices despite the perks of an indoor waterpark and free transportation to Hersheypark. We ended up at the Howard Johnson and truly loved it! It's on a cute little main drag through town, across the street from a great brewery and even better dessert shop. The outdoor pool was well-kept and the restaurant in the lobby was surprisingly posh. We highly recommend the Hershey HoJo!

Having a blast at Chocolate Town. 

Time for a History Lesson: Philadelphia with Kids

Philadelphia was a gorgeous, two-hour drive from Hershey. I can't tell you how excited I was to go and check out this historic city. I've spent my fair share of time in New York City through the years, but never Philadelphia. It was time to walk the same roads as our founding fathers!

Experiencing history in Philadelphia. 

Here are all of the fun things we did in Philadelphia:

- Rollerskated at the Blue Cross RiverRink. It was hot but gorgeous! We loved looking across the Delaware River into New Jersey and strolling the shoreline people-watching and sightseeing.

- Listened to free stories from Once Upon a Nation. These free, five-minute stories help history come alive! 

- Explored the Betsy Ross House. Did you know: no true picture of Betsy Ross exists. She was not famous in life, only some years after her death. There is no known photograph of her. Any paintings or pictures you see are simply an imaginary rendering!

- Admired the Liberty Bell. Y'all- it's so much smaller than I thought it would be! But every bit as fascinating and cool.

- Strolled Elfreth's Alley. This is the nation's oldest continuously inhabited street. It is quaint and charming and makes for a gorgeous morning stroll.

- Learned about history at Independence Hall.

- Admired all of the art and sculpture through Old City that pays tribute to our nation's founders.

- Rode the carousel at Franklin Square. We would have played mini golf, too, but it was hot!

- Smiled for a photo in front of the Love sign and cooled off in the fountains at Love Park. 

Loving the City of Brotherly Love from Love Park! 

There are easily dozens more of incredible activities we could have done in Philadelphia. We didn't make it to the Rocky steps (please don't hate me when I admit I've never seen the movie...) We debated the Philadelphia Zoo or the New Jersey Adventure Aquarium. If we had fanned out to the suburbs I'm sure we could have been entertained for weeks! But we loved strolling the streets of Old City, soaking up the history and learning about some of the buildings and landmarks that have stood for centuries. We didn't even drive our rental car in Philadelphia. We walked most places and then took a subway ride to the hotel from Love Park because the girls were tired. We stayed at the Wyndham Philadelphia Historic District and highly recommend. They had great rates, and you can walk to all the historic landmarks from there. They also had a gorgeous pool on the eighth floor that my girls loved playing in. 

After two days in Philly, it was time to drive back to LaGuardia and head home. We loved our trip to Pennsylvania even more than we thought we would, which is definitely saying something! 

What do you like to do in Pennsylvania? Maybe next time we will make it to the other side of the state and check out Pittsburgh!