There are lots of wonderful family holidays that are spent right in the home, but if you want to do something different this holiday season, consider spending your Christmas family holidays in Pennsylvania this year. If you're not sure what Pennsylvania might have to offer your family this Christmas season, check out these fun and totally different Christmas destinations.
Christmas candy has nothing on this first Pennsylvania Christmas destination! Hershey Park in Hershey, Pennsylvania glows with lots of fun and precious memories for all family members during the Christmas season with their Hershey Park Christmas Candylane. A full fledged themed amusement park in the summer, Hershey Park transforms its entire entity into one huge, beautiful Christmas scene. With two million twinkling lights all around the park and Christmas village shops scattered all throughout and around this magnificent site, you can't help but find your Christmas spirit. If that's not enough, Hershey Park actually opens some of its rides during this time. It might feel a little cold, but the thrill of the bitter cold air catching your cheeks will make you feel like you're right in the North Pole with Santa. There is a reasonable entry fee for each person over 2 years old, and there is a per vehicle parking fee, but for the cost of an average restaurant dinner out, Hershey Park's family holidays theme is one great holiday experience, and an experience you'll remember for the rest of your lives.
Not too far from Hershey, Pennsylvania lies Lancaster, Pennsylvania and its surrounding towns and villages. That location may not mean a lot to you unless you follow Amish culture, but even if you have experienced the Pennsylvania Amish, there's never a better time to experience the Pennsylvania Dutch Country than at Christmas time. From family style restaurants to quaint village shops and living museums in the little communities that dot the Lancaster County region, there is plenty of ambiance as well as Christmas shopping for all ages here.
Then in nearby Strasburg, Pennsylvania, younger and older children alike will love riding the beautifully restored trains on the Strasburg Rail Road. Even Santa himself boards Santa's Paradise Express there every November and December, riding the train right along with wide-eyed children and parents, and if you catch the train at the right time, your family can enjoy lunch or dinner on the train. With Pennsylvania's cold, winter weather every December, there's a really good chance you might just see some snow as you ride along the train tracks with Old Saint Nick.
Just around the corner from both the Strasburg Railroad and close to Lancaster you'll find an event that will round out your Christmas family holidays. The Sight and Sound Theatre in Ronks, Pennsylvania offers a top quality musical theater presentation of "The Miracle of Christmas" in their magnificent Millennial Theater. While some parents might consider if their children could handle a full-length theatrical presentation, the professionalism of the presentations (and usual inclusion of many real animals in some of the scenes) makes this something even most younger children could enjoy. You might also want to check out their Living Waters show which is a short drive from the theater. You'll enjoy seeing your children's eyes light up as they watch the computerized water and light show.
To round out a longer Christmas holiday trip or as a shopping trip the week after Christmas, Reading Pennsylvania, just about 30 miles northeast of Lancaster, offers some of the most fun shopping you can find anywhere with antiques, specialty shops, and boutiques in Reading and specifically then at Reading's Vanity Fair Outlet Mall. Shopping and fun take on a whole new meaning at this one-of-a-kind shopping destination, and the laid back nature of the VF Outlet Mall makes this a great place to shop with children of all ages.
There are lots of other wonderful things to do all over Pennsylvania during Christmas time, but celebrating family holidays with Hershey kiss street lights, Amish folk on buggies, and Santa at the Strasburg Railroad are sure to brighten your family's Christmas season and bring memorable joy to the hearts of your little ones.
No comments:
Post a Comment