Tis the season for holiday cheer! For many of us, that means seeking out family friendly spots to enjoy festive fun. These are some of our family’s favorite places to get into the Christmas spirit and all are easy to get to from most places throughout New Jersey and the Philadelphia area.
Photo Courtesy Storybookland
Storybook Land is one of our favorite theme parks all year round but at Christmastime it takes on a magical appearance when they feature Christmas Fantasy with Lights. Every night at 5pm Santa climbs out of his chimney and turns on over a million holiday lights throughout the park. He has even managed to make it snow! You can meet Mr. and Mrs. Claus in their home as well to tell them how good you’ve been all year long. All the rides of the theme park are open too!
A visit to Koziar’s Christmas Village is like stepping into Christmas Land. Walk along the path and take in the beauty of displays featuring Christmas in the jungle, beneath the sea, and around the globe lit by over a half million lights. The reflective view from the pond is a breathtaking sight! When you get chilly be sure to stop for some hot chocolate or a visit with Santa himself.
The Nutcracker is one of my favorite holiday shows. My mom used to take me every year and I couldn’t wait to take my daughter for the first time. During her first show she sat rapt with attention at the edge of her seat. To find a show be sure to check Trekaroo’s lists for where to see The Nutracker in Philadelpia and New Jersey.
Photo Courtesy New Hope Ivyland Railroad
Taking a train ride with Santa has always been at the top of my children’s lists, even before they ever saw the movie Polar Express. This holiday tradition has become more popular than ever with kids all around the country dressing in their pajamas and taking a magical Christmas ride. While some stations started the tradition after 2004 movie, others like the Pine Creek Railroad in New Jersey, have been taking families on rides with Santa Claus for over 30 years! See where to board a train ride with Santa in New Jersey and Philly areas.
Another family favorite of ours is piling in the car in our jammies, bringing along some hot chocolate and turning on some Christmas music while driving around the neighborhoods in our area to enjoy the lights. Some of the people in our town really go all out! However, if you want to make more of an adventure out of it, how about heading to Center City Philadelphia to see the Macy’s Holiday Light Show . While at Macy’s, be sure to visit the third floor where you will find a 6,000 foot recreation of Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. Over 100 animated figures help bring this Christmas classic to life. You might even be able to get some Christmas shopping done!
Photo Courtesy Visit Philly
While I have never been to Christmas Village located in Love Park in Center City, Philadelphia, it looks to have some real charm. This traditional German Christmas Market features over 50 vendors selling arts and crafts, jewelry, ornaments and all sorts of other goodies you can purchase as a treat for yourself or as a holiday gift. You can also sample European food and drink while browsing about. If you happen to visit the market on December 7th, your family can even attend the tree lighting!
Longwood Gardens is another one of those year round gems that transforms at Christmas time. Walk through the gardens and see how they have been transformed into a gingerbread fantasy with over 40 miles of lights and displays. During the season there will be performances in the evenings by local choral groups and vignettes from the Nutcracker.
May you all have a happy and healthy holiday season filled with many wonderful memories!
Looking for more holiday-fun activities? Check out your neighborhood below.
California: San Diego | Orange County | LA & Environs | Bay Area | Lake Tahoe | Sacramento
Other US cities: Dallas | NYC/NJ | Philadelphia | Salt Lake City | Seattle
Don’t see your city?? Make a list of fun activities in your neck of the woods to share with Trekaroo users.
Beth Keklak is Trekaroo’s Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware Destination Guroo
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The holiday season is officially here and for many of us, the season’s celebrations are not complete without a colorfully trimmed tree in our living room. Artificial trees have become more and more popular in recent years, but Christmas tree purists like myself scoff at the idea of putting our presents under anything but the real thing.
Some of my greatest Christmas memories involved my family walking around the Christmas tree farm for hours, in search of the perfect tree to saw down, only to return to the very first tree that caught our eye. Yes, we could have just as easily gone to Home Depot and picked up a tree from the masses that were stacked inside the garden department, but there was just something about cutting down our own tree that added to the tradition. No, it isn’t quite as authentic as tromping out into the woods, chopping down a tree, and carrying it back to our home through the snow, but for those us living in urban areas, a Christmas tree farm is as close to authenticity as we can get.
If your family is looking to cut down a tree for the first time this year, then I highly suggest you read our top ten tips for a successful trip to a Christmas tree farm. The list contains tips on everything from tree selection tips, to cutting advice, to tips on what to do once you get the tree home. Its a must read for first timers or folks who have been out of the tree cutting game for a while.
For families living in the Bay Area, be sure to check out our list of cut your own (U-cut) Christmas tree farms near San Francisco and Liling’s writeup of her family’s experiences at Christmas tree farms in the Bay Area.
If you live in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, we have a list of Choose and Cut Christmas tree farms in Southern California. Even though we may not exactly live in a winter wonderland, it doesn’t mean we can’t have a good old fashioned tree cutting experience!
For families living in the Pacific Northwest (aka Christmas tree central), be sure to view out list of U-cut Christmas tree farms in Oregon and Washington.
I was surprised to discover that even Florida has some Christmas tree farms! If you live in the Everglades State, be sure to check out our list Christmas tree farms in Florida.
Don’t worry, we didn’t forget about the Northeast. We have lists of Christmas tree farms in New York, U-cut spots in New Jersey, and choose and cut locations in Connecticut as well!
Still don’t see your neck of the woods on our lists? Help out fellow locals and create a list of your favorite choose and cut spots!
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Sharlene Earnshaw (aka doubleadventure) is Blogger-in-chief for Trekaroo and the blogger behind Double the Adventure.
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Museums across America are getting more and more kid-friendly. Many have special exhibits geared to the interests of kids with interactive hands on learning stations. If you’re looking for a special outing or some exceptional educational experiences, you’ve got to put these on your list of activities to hit up before the year ends.
Kid friendly Museum Exhibits in: San Francisco | Los Angeles | Seattle | Chicago | Dallas | New York City | Boston
In particular, these 10 kid-friendly museum exhibits really got us excited. If you can, try to get to some of these with your kids! These exhibits promise big fun, educational experiences, and a plethora of interactive exhibits.
Exploring Trees Inside and Out
This 2,500-square-foot exhibit is designed for kids ages 2 to 7 to better understand the significant role trees play in the environment and how they can be involved in preserving them. This exhibit engages all of your child’s senses. They’ll be happy as an cockatoo crawling, smelling, listening, and pretending. website
Catch this exhibit at:
California Science Center, Los Angeles, California – May 28th to September 6th,2010.
Reviews of California Science Center with Kids | Kid-friendly Activities and Hotel in Los Angeles
Chicago Children’s Museum from October 2nd to January 9th, 2011.
Reviews of the Chicago Children’s Museum with Kids | Kid-friendly Activities and Hotels in Chicago
Photo by: Arbor Day Foundation
Chomp 2! Return of the Carnivorous Plants
What kid can resist the excitement of coming face to face with meat-eating plants like the statuesque white trumpets of the American Southeast, the sinister pitcher plants of Borneo and the glistening sundews of South Africa. This swampy paradise is sure to delight your child. Do not get your fingers too close to these plants, little ones…. they bite! website
Catch this exhibit at:
Conservatory of Flowers, San Francisco, CA – now till October 31, 2010
Reviews of the Conservatory of Flowers with Kids | Kid-friendly Activities and Hotels in San Francisco
Photo by: Conservatory of Flowers
Living in Space, about the International Space Station
This traveling exhibit provides an interactive experience where kids eat, sleep, work, and play in space. If you have a young child who loves anything to do with space, don’t miss this wonderful exhibit. website
Catch this Exhibit at:
Bay Area Discovery Museum, Sausalito, CA – May 29th to August 15th,2010
Reviews of the Bay Area Discovery Museum with Kids | Kid-friendly Activities and Hotels in San Francisco
Minnesota Children’s Museum, St. Paul, MN – Sept 4, 2010 through Jan 2, 2011
Reviews of the Minnesota Children’s Museum with Kids | Kid-friendly Activities and Hotels in the Twin Cities
Photo by: Bay Area Discovery Museum
Mammoths and Mastodons: Titans of the Ice Age
This brand new traveling exhibit will allow kids to explore the world of mammoths and mastodons through fossils, artifacts, engaging interactives, immersive media, and the story of the most complete and best-preserved mammoth ever found, the baby Lyuba. website
Catch this exhibit at:
The Field Museum, Chicago, IL – now till September 6th,2010
Reviews of Field Museum with Kids | Kid-friendly Activities and Hotels in Chicago
Liberty Science Center, Jersey City, NJ – October 16, 2010 to January 9, 2011
Reviews of Liberty Science Center with Kids
Photo by: Flickr/taygete05
Curious George saves the Day: The Art of Margret and H.A. Rey
Kids and adults all have fond feelings towards Curious George. In this wonderful exhibit, you’ll see original drawings and learn about how George actually saved his ‘parents’ from Nazi occupied Europe. Website
Catch this exhibit at:
Jewish Museum, New York City – now till till August 1st, 2010
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Photo by: The Jewish Museum
Bodies
The ‘Bodies’ exhibit provides a rare look into real human specimens, showing how amazing our human bodies are. For young children, it may be too much, but for your tween and teens, this exhibit is a must see. website
Check their website for where you can catch this exhibit. They are showing in many cities across America including Atlanta, Dallas, Cleveland, Grand Rapids, Las Vegas, Tuscon, New York
Kid-friendly Activities and Hotels in Atlanta | Kid-friendly Activities and Hotels in New York City | Kid-friendly Activities and Hotels in Dallas
Toys: the Inside Story
This fun exhibition literally breaks open the world of toys so that your child can discover the simple mechanisms commonly found in toys. Your budding toy designer can also create their own toy-like combination of gears, pulleys, linkages, cams, and circuits. Enjoy some free-form and open-ended toy design. Caution: get ready for massive toys dissection when you come back home! website
Children’s Museum of Manhattan, New York City – from May 29th till September 18th, 2010
Reviews of the Children’s Museum of Manhattan | Kid-friendly Activities and Hotels in New York City
Photo by: John Douglas
Peter Rabbits Flower Village
Enjoy the flower houses at the Dallas Arboretum that bring alive the world of Beatrix Potter. This is the cutest little exhibition. Fans of Beatrix Potter should not miss this. website
Catch this exhibit at:
Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, Dallas, TX – now till July 31st, 2010
Reviews of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens with Kids | Kid-friendly Activities and Hotels in Dallas
Photo by: Dallas Arboretum
Lizards and Snakes: Alive
Hate them or love thme, your kids will fascinated by the 60+ live lizards and snakes in re-created habitats. This exhibit introduces visitors to a diversity of legged and legless creatures and their remarkable adaptations. website
Catch this Exhibit at:
American Museum of Natural, New York City – now till September 2nd,2010
Reviews of the American Museum of Natural History | Kid-friendly Activities and Hotels in New York City
Photo by: Michael & Patricia Fogden
Headgear: the Natural History of Horn and Antlers
This multimedia exhibition provides an unusual in-depth look at horn and antler headgear dawned by some animals, providing a look at the evolutionary process of such animals. 3-D diorama and video presentations illustrate the use of horns and antlers in combat. website
Catch this exhibit at:
Harvard Museum of Natural History, Cambridge, MA – May 22nd, 2010 till January 2nd, 2011
Reviews of the Harvard Museum of Natural History with Kids | Kid-friendly activities and hotels in Boston
Full List of Kid-friendly Museum Exhibits:
- Kid-friendly Museum Exhibits in San Francisco, California
- Kid-friendly Museum Exhibits in Los Angeles, California
- Kid-friendly Museum Exhibits in Seattle, Washington
- Kid-friendly Museum Exhibits in Chicago, Illinois
- Kid-friendly Museum Exhibits in Dallas, Texas
- Kid-friendly Museum Exhibits in New York City
- Kid-friendly Museum Exhibits in Boston, Massachusetts
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LiLing Pang is a contributing author on Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
Let the fall festivities begin…
Pumpkin hurling? Oh yes! Where? In New Jersey at the Flying Pumpkin Festival , and Suffolk County Farm in New York. All over the US, kids are having a blast picking apples and pumpkins, catching an old fashioned hay ride or getting lost in a corn maze. Here are some of the best farms and festivals from Lydie at Trekaroo mom and keeper for Travel Is More Fun With Kids.
Pumpkin Patches:
- Pumpkin Patches that Kids Love in an Francisco
- The Best Pumpkin Patches Near Seattle
- The Most Popular Pumpkin Patches in the Tri-state Area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut)
Harvest Festivals:
- Harvest Festivals and Oktoberfest Celebrations From San Francisco to Monterey/Carmel
- Fall Time Harvest Festivals in Washington State
- Popular Harvest Festivals in Manhattan and New York State
- Best Harvest Festivals for Kids in New Jersey
- Top Harvest Festivals for Kids in Connecticut
Photo by: www.flickr.com/photos/micahtaylor/1690423641
LiLing Pang is a contributing author on Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | FL | HI | MA | NY | PA | TX | VA
