Family Fun in Pennsylvania

By: Michele Zavatsky, Travel Author and Mom

Engaging children in regional fun can be easy if you know what’s available to you.  Our family has traveled all over Pennsylvania and “kid-tested” many unique and inexpensive places families can visit.  Here is a sampling of the types of interesting and affordable attractions you and your kids can experience without even leaving Pennsylvania.

“There’s a fire in the hole” was the common expression heard by workers mining coal threaded throughout Pennsylvania. Where can you go to stand side-by-side a coal miner? One favorite place is Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine (www.pioneertunnel.com). Located in Ashland (Schuylkill County), the mine is about an hour northwest of Reading and 90 minutes north of Lancaster.  Two tour options are available:  a mine tour and a train tour.  Your children will be fascinated on the mine tour as you enter and travel 400 feet deep, by mine car, into a real working coal mine!  Learn why miners carry a safety lamp and even see how dark it is when they turn out the lights!  Outside, hop on a “lokie” (mini-locomotive train) that takes you to a strip mine – where a “vein” of coal is discovered and dug out of the side of a mountain. Actual miners are your guides as they share personal stories about the hard life, the work, and the dangers of digging for “black diamonds.”  Preschoolers may find the mine tour frightening due to darkness, dampness, and confined areas, but, they will love the train tour.  The gift shop sells many novelties made from real coal and they have a wooden train playground picnic site on the property to make it a full day of fun.

Did you know that Pennsylvania is the Snack Food Capital of the U.S.?  Watch your kids’ eyes as “Chipper,” the Herr’s Potato Chip mascot (www.herrs.com), guides your family on an educational and fun tour of a snack factory in Nottingham (Chester County) - about an hour south of Reading and 45 minutes southeast of Lancaster.  Watch a “groovy-chip” movie first, then, the whimsical tour takes you through the simple process of snack food production.  Lots of hot oil and hot air drying, moisturizing and “spritzing” going on – a salon for snacks! Also see other snacks made like cheese puffs (corn meal dollops filled with air), tortilla chips, popcorn (huge poppers!) and pretzels. Your kids will be amused at the sideway mixers churning out 10 pound mounds of pretzel dough. The dough takes a long trip on a conveyor and then a robot shapes and bakes them. You even get to sample some warm snacks right off the production line!

Still hungry?  Learn secrets of making chocolate during the factory tour at Wolfgang Candy Company (www.wolfgangcandy.com) in York - about a half hour west of Lancaster and an hour southwest of Reading.  When you enter the Bavarian-style shop, you may first notice the antique truck. This was the original delivery truck used to sell chocolate candies door-to-door back in the 1920s. It is also the truck that helps “Candy Dan” in his flying video preview tour of the factory (this video provides a great “birds-eye view” of the process even if you don’t go on the tour).  At Wolfgang, you can tour a REAL factory donning a hair net and sampling chocolate along the way.  The factory tour requires walking 1/4 mile including three flights of stairs;  footwear with open toes or heels are prohibited.  The constant activity keeps the kids’ attention and the guide even points out lessons they learn in school - everyone on the line must pick partners and pay attention (sound like school?).

Finally, Pennsylvania has plenty of little-known wonders of nature.  One of these is the Grand Canyon of PA (Leonard Harrison State Park).  Located about 3.5 hours northwest of Reading or Lancaster in the north central part of the state (near Wellsboro in Tioga County), it is an amazing mini-version of the real thing out west! The depth of the canyon is about 800 feet and it’s well worth the drive off the beaten path for the scenic views (bring along quarters for viewers). If your children are able, we suggest hiking one of the trails up or down the gorge. Some lead to vistas, others to waterfalls. The overlook center has a video and displays that interpret the area and its wildlife. Canoeing, biking, fishing and picnicking make this a great destination for a weekend of outdoor adventure.

This article contains the kind of details you can find on more than 600 places and events included in KIDS LOVE PENNSYLVANIA – A Family Travel Guide to Exploring “Kid-Tested” Places in Pennsylvania…Year Round!  To find out more, visit www.KidsLoveTravel.com