Top Spots To Go With Your Family For the Weekend In Philadelphia
Looking for something fun to do with the family this weekend? You'll find it near Philly, where options for family adventures and good times with the kids abound. From museums and zoos to parks and wide-open spaces, the City of Brotherly Love has it all. So pack up the car, hop on the train or set out on foot to enjoy a fun family day in Philadelphia.
Adventure Aquarium
1 Riverside Drive
Camden, NJ 08103
(856) 365-3300
www.adventureaquarium.com
Just over the bridge from Philadelphia is New Jersey's Adventure Aquarium, featuring nearly 200,000 square feet of sea life and wildlife. Open 365 days a year, families can explore, play and discover a whole new world of underwater and hands-on displays and exhibits. Have a chat with biologists, watch the penguins, see hippos nose-to-nose or attend one of several live, daily shows. Daily admission begins at just under $19, and annual passes – a great deal for families who plan to visit more than once – start at $75.
Camelback Mountain Adventures
243 Resort Drive
Tannersville, PA 18372
(570) 629-1663
www.cbkmountainadventures.com
Weekends in Philadelphia are perfect for loading up the car and hitting the road to explore the nearby Pocono Mountains located just north of the City of Brotherly Love. There are a number of parks and resorts to choose from for skiing and snowboarding, but even in the warmer months, your family can experience downhill thrills at CBK Mountain Adventures. Located in the heart of the Poconos, this sister park of Camelback Mountain Resort offers a treetop adventure course that includes exhilarating zip-line rides over the hills and treetops. Soar from the summit of Camelback Mountain on the 4,000-foot-long tandem zip-flyer, fly down the mountain on the mountain coaster, enjoy a tour of the grounds from your perch on a Segway or challenge the kids on the Treetops Adventure high ropes course. Prices start at $9.99 and are subject to change without notice; height and weight restrictions apply.
The Franklin Institute
222 N. 20th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 448-1200
www.fi.edu
The Franklin Institute, a leading museum in science and innovation, is located in the heart of Philadelphia and is the ideal weekend destination for any family, regardless of the weather or time of year. Three floors of exhibits include hands-on and interactive displays among the 10 core exhibits and the Joel N. Bloom Observatory, all of which are included with general admission. Live shows, interactive science carts/kiosks and one show in the Fels Planetarium are also included, with options to add special shows and exhibits to your visit for an additional fee. Open seven days a week, general admission prices start at $14.50 for children three years of age and older, and at $18.50 for adults. Check the website for special discounts and free or pay-as-you-wish days.
Philadelphia Zoo
3400 W. Girard Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215) 243-1100
www.phillyzoo.org
Philadelphia boasts our nation's first zoo and has served the City of Brotherly Love for the past century and a half. Set on 42 acres in West Fairmount Park, the Philadelphia Zoo boasts a number of fun, family activities ranging from rides to hands-on exhibits to exotic, rare and endangered animals. Not merely a place to see animals, Philadelphia's zoo is a destination where the whole family can connect with wildlife – and each other – through a variety of interactive and educational displays and exhibits. Want to really have fun? Come for one of the zoo's specially designed family programs like behind-the-scenes tours, or pack up the sleeping bags and enjoy a parent/child sleepover at the zoo. Admission to the zoo, free to members, runs from $16 to $20 per person for individuals two years of age and older.
Valley Forge National Historical Park
1400 N. Outer Line Drive
King of Prussia, PA 19406
(610) 783-1099
www.nps.gov
Valley Forge National History Park, located near the King of Prussia Mall in suburban Philadelphia, is easily accessible to Philly residents and those from the neighboring counties. A national treasure, this park is a virtual museum of living history that your family can enjoy over and over again. And don't stop with the museum, which can be toured independently or as part of a narrated group package, the history lessons offered at Valley Forge continue outdoors! As you tour the grounds where Washington and his troops wintered, kids of all ages will enjoy the journey through time via re-enactments and hands-on displays. Present-day pleasures abound in this park, where you can picnic, take a tour on a guided horseback ride or enjoy any of a number of hiking, biking and riding trails that wind through the park's 3,500 acres of woods, wetlands and meadows. Entry to the park is free, as is parking, and restrooms are easily accessed from inside the museum and from the parking area.
Christy Ayala covers sports, recreation, the outdoors, and leisure activities in the Philadelphia area. She earned a masters degree in recreation administration from George Williams College and managed programs in the Midwest, Hawaii, and Pennsylvania. Her work can be found on Examiner.com.
