Winter Fun at Camelback

This past weekend, we headed to Pennsylvania for some snowy, winter-weather fun in the Pocono Mountains.   My husband and son absolutely love winter, the snow, and all that goes along with it, so they were very excited for this adventure.

ski lessonsCamelback has a lot to offer guests in the winter.  You can go skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing- even ride a mountain coaster.  Camelback offers both skiing and snowboarding lessons, for children and adults (separate classes), as well as private lessons.  We did avail ourselves to lessons- no need to spend the whole day tumbling down everything, now is there?

You can bring your own skiing or snowboarding equipment, or you can rent some there. They have ski or snowboard boots, skis, poles, snowboards, and helmets in sizes from small children through adult. Not having our own equipment, we used rentals.  They size you up, you give them your height and weight (yes, you have to tell the truth), and they find a set that will work for you.  Even my little snow-bunny had the perfect sized skis.

20150207_121102None of us are skiers, so this was going to be a learning experience for the lot of us. The very first thing that we did after getting into our borrowed ski-gear was head to our respective lessons.  My son was with the children, so I dropped him off and signed him in.  He was given a nametag, and I was given a magnetic card on a lanyard so that they would know I was his mother, and would be authorized to pick him up. Without that lanyard, no one can pick up the children for security.

He did a great job, falling a few times, but getting the hang of it in general.  He totally freaked out the first time he fell- he wasn’t hurt, but it scared him, and the feeling of not being able to get up easily in his strange boots and skis (they really are hard to maneuver in for us newbies) was not comforting.  However, the staff was fantastic with him and very patient, and he was soon back at it and heading back down the training hill.
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Plan A Visit To Cherry Crest Farm

In the heart of Dutch Country, Pennsylvania, is an adventure waiting to happen.  Adventure is it’s middle name.  No, really.  Cherry Crest Adventure Farm offers any family a fun filled (and inexpensive) way to fill any day.  Well, any day May through November, anyway.  The day we visited was quite a rainy one, but we didn’t let that dampen our spirits.

Cherry Crest Adventure Farm is not only a working farm, but also a wonderland for kids.  It has all sorts of attractions from a science and animal learning center, where kids can learn about farming, animal husbandry, and even hold baby chicks

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to “milking” a pretend cow, petting pigs, and feeding goats

20141011_131934to heading up a (quite steep) hill and taking a ride down these slides in potato sacks- and you will go whizzing down, let me tell you. The hill will wear your little ones out, so let them have at it.  The lines generally are not too long, so you can wait at the bottom, take photos, and relax while your kiddos wear themselves out.  They will sleep well after a visit to Cherry Crest, I promise  🙂
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Dutch Wonderland Theme Park

This time of year, one of the best ways to escape the summer heat (and tedium if you are home with kids) is a day at a theme park.  One of our semi-local favorites is Dutch Wonderland, home to Duke the Dragon (whom my son loves). Located in Amish County, in Lancaster PA (another favorite place of ours) it’s a great place to spend a holiday as well.

6 20 14 and waterparks 102Dutch Wonderland has tons of rides and games, as well as many food and drink stands. Some favorites are the “Panda Party”, which is an adorable ride in which the kids ride in Panda Bears and go around the beehive in circles, the Leapin’ Frogs, which bounce around causing the kids to erupt in giggles until the ride hops to a stop, and the Double Splash Flume, a classic ride with two drops (but not too scary or steep that would frighten the kids).

6 20 14 and waterparks 101New this year is Exploration Island, where you can walk among more then 20 dinosaurs the roar and move as you view them.

“Exploration Island is a rediscovered island of adventure and fun where guests will have the opportunity to walk with over 20 lifelike dinosaurs, dig for fossil remains, take a spin on the newly relocated and lengthened Turnpike ride and travel the Island canals on the classic Gondola Cruise.
This once under-utilized area of the Park has been re-purposed to house not only our dinosaur families, but our Turnpike ride as well. The Turnpike was one of the four original rides at Dutch Wonderland when it opened in 1963. We have moved this classic ride to Exploration Island and more then doubled the ride length in the process giving guests more spectacular views of dinos and the surrounding farm landscape.
We’ve also discovered dinosaur fossil remains and set up a permanent archeological dig at Dino Dig, where young explorers can unearth the fossil remains of dinosaurs. Brushes, buckets and diggers are available for use.”

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Other things to try while at Exploration Island are;
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South Street Seaport for Summer Fun

The South Street Seaport has kicked-off the summer with a variety of kid-friendly activities as a part of their new SEE/CHANGE Summer 2014 series. Throughout the entire summer season, SEE/CHANGE Summer 2014 will feature programming fit for the entire family!

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The summer line-up will include:

  • KidAround!: KidAround! at the South Street Seaport is a FREE family event series every Sunday from 2-4 featuring live music, story-time with your favorite characters, games and more! Special performances include Play Me A Story (June 15), Billy Kelly (June 22) and Tim & the Space Cadets (July 6).
  • Mil’s Trills: Mil’s Trills, a children’s music project led by Amelia Robinson, will be performing whimsical original songs every Tuesday and Thursday from June 17-July 10 at The South Street Seaport. This interactive show held at Canon’s Walk is fit for the entire family! Please visit the following link to sign up and purchase tickets: https://www.artful.ly/store/events/3245
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Wordless Wednesday – Fun At @SesamePlace

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A Sweet Valentine’s Day In Hershey PA

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If you are like me, Valentine’s Day is a family affair, as well as a day to remember your sweetheart. In my house, I have two loves- the one I married, and the one I gave birth to. Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love for us – not just the romantic kind. (And there is always after the kids go to bed for a nice amorous evening and eating dessert in peace.)
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Fun in Philly- Celebrate the Year of the Horse

 

Chinese New Year: Year of the Horse

January 31, 2014 will ring in the new year in the Chinese calendar. To celebrate and learn more about this holiday, take a stroll through one of America’s oldest cities- Philadelphia! Why Philly? It’s a great city, with one of the largest and most active Chinese communities in the USA, as well as one of the biggest Chinatowns, making it the perfect place to steep yourself in the culture while staying on American soil).
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Sesame Place Very Furry Christmas

 

Sesame Place is all decked out for Christmas, and it’s a lot of fun for the kids.  Christmas themed Sesame Place transforms the theme park in Pennsylvania  from the summer amusement park destination for kids of all ages to a holiday wonderland of Sesame Street proportions.

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The Very Furry Christmas starts with an already cool park (but now without water rides), then adds characters all dressed up for their holiday greeting cards, and special holiday themed rides, decorations, and attractions.  My son loved the Sesame Place Furry Express Train, which was a cute ride through Christmas trees and cookies and goodies.

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There is also a Christmas Light Display  Holiday Light Spectacular, Christmas Storytime with Zoe in Mr. Hooper’s Emporium, and Santa’s Furry Workshop at Trader Bert’s.  There are also 5 holiday shows to see during your visit if you and your kids like live performances.   The real gems of the Furry Christmas are the shows. Each is now holiday themed and the kids will love it. The shows run throughout the day and aren’t to be missed.
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