KID-FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES IN SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA

After a long day of travel from Switzerland, we settled in at Gregg’s parents’ house in Southeastern Pennsylvania! We are both from within two hours of each other’s hometown, so we have spent most of our lives exploring what Southeastern PA has to offer! During our eight nights in the area, we had a blast exploring kid-friendly activities in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

1. Dutch Wonderland

After we woke up from a much needed night of sleep, we drove to Dutch Wonderland. Dutch Wonderland is a kid’s theme park that offers over 35 rides, shows, and attractions. It is located in Lancaster, PA, and it is only an hour from both of our hometowns. I absolutely loved going to Dutch Wonderland as a kid, so it is always wonderful to experience it along with my children!

Dutch Wonderland 2021 - Kid-Friendly Activities in Southeastern Pennsylvania

The girls’ favorite ride was Merlin’s Mayhem, which is a suspended, steel rollercoaster. Is anyone else a fan of letting your feet fly through the air? I love these rollercoasters, so I am very glad that the girls enjoy these types as well. Some of their other favorite rides included the Kingdom Coaster, Turtle Whirl, and the Sky Ride.

We did not have time to make it over to the water park, but we have been there before. It is definitely an incredible spot to be in the heat! Between the water park and the rides, we could have spent two days at Dutch Wonderland. There are also great outlets across the street if you’re in the mood for some shopping.

If you are not a fan of theme park food, there is a picnic area between two of the buildings outside of the park. With ten of us, it was much easier to pack sandwiches rather than try to figure out what everyone would want to eat. Also, the park gets very hot throughout the day, so do not forget to hydrate!

2. Amish Farm Tour

Believe it or not, I have lived within an hour of Lancaster my entire life and I have never visited an Amish farm! The Amish lifestyle has always been so intriguing to me! When I mentioned the idea of taking an Amish wagon ride, my mother-in-law was all for it, so we made the one-hour drive to the small town of Ronks.

Buggy Rides in Lancaster - Kid-Friendly Activities in Southeastern Pennsylvania

Once we arrived at Aaron and Jessica’s Amish Buggy Rides, we put our name in and waited for a wagon with availability. Reservations are not required so there is a small wait depending on the crowd levels. There are four options for tours, and we chose the Amish Farm Tour, which is a 50-60 minute experience.

During the tour, you are taken directly to a real Amish farm to tour the barn, see the animals, and enjoy a glimpse into Amish life. This option is available Monday through Saturday, and it is $24/adult and $12/child (over the age of 2). Our wagon driver was the grandfather of the farm that we visited, and he was a wealth of information! He even let the kids sit up front with him. Overall, the tour was wonderful, and the kids had a blast!

3. Turkey Hill Experience

If you did not know, Turkey Hill Diet Lemon Iced Tea is my absolute favorite drink in the entire world. Unfortunately, I am only able to drink it in some parts of the country (mainly along the East coast). So, I make sure to take any chance that I can to enjoy all of the delicious Turkey Hill products. Luckily, the Turkey Hill Experience in Columbia, PA, is not too far from my in-laws home.

There are two types of admission – regular admission and taste lab admission. We chose the regular admission for this day because we had a full day of fun planned. If you choose to add the taste lab, you are able to create your own ice cream flavor! To make your own flavor, you start with a base, choose the flavoring, and then add in whatever other yumminess you’d like to include. It is definitely worth the $8.45 upcharge from the regular admission. If you do choose the taste lab, it is recommended that you plan to spend over two hours at the Turkey Hill experience.

Turkey Hill Experience - Kid-Friendly Activities in Southeastern Pennsylvania

For this trip, we stuck to just the experience, and it took us about an hour. We tried to enjoy as much of the free tastings as we could handle, and we enjoyed learning all about Turkey Hill ice cream!

To see more about these kid-friendly activities, make sure to check out our newest Youtube video below!

Have you been to any of these places in Southeastern Pennsylvania? We hope you enjoy this area as much as we did! Thank you so much for wandering along with us!