Where should we go??????

[gregga]

I need some fresh ideas!

My family is big on 3-5 day getwaways and we have the chance to go on two more trips in 2010. Over the last 5 years we've been to countless amusement and water parks, cities, zoos, resorts...etc. And still, I'm sure there are plenty of places out there that I'm not familiar with. We usually go 4-5 hours in any direction (no planes) from Long Island. My daughters are 14 and 5, so there needs to be some diversity & fiscal sanity.


thanks in advance
gregg

[gregga]

ooops..guess the title should say, "where"

[leffler817]

I'm guessing you have been to Hershey, PA? I went there when I was 14-ish we went to Hershey factory, fun park, and then on to Sesame place which I don't know if its still around. How far are you from Corning, NY? There is a glass museum which has glass making workshops for kids that are really cool. You can also go up tp Watkins Glen to camp/hike/swim and see the falls and gorge. All of that is right off route 17/86 or whatever they are calling it now. lol. My only other thoughts are 1000 islands, lake george up north, or if you're adventureous go rafting in Indian lake. They block the lake an release it to create yearlong rafting adventures.

[Anubias Design]

I'll second Hershey. Sesame Place is still here, app. 15 minutes from me, but the 14 yr old won't be into that. The 5 year old probably won't appreciate Corning yet. Other options off the top of my head would be Williamsburg, Assateague, Chincoteague (spelling on those?) and another good option might be renting a cabin in one of the state parks in the pine barrens. We did this 2 years ago and it was fantastic. You must rent for a week but I think it's still under $500 for the week. There are cabins right on lakes and the cabins include kitchens and bathrooms so it's not that rustic. We took teenage and toddler daughters and had a great week. We rented a canoe for a couple of days and used that on the lake, went for hikes, took a river trip in the canoe, swam in the lake, had a blast.
Mark

[gregga]

We did Hershey and Sesame Place on the same trip 2 years ago. Enjoyed both places. I actually lived in the Corning area for 11 years, so I've done the Corning Glass works and Watkins Glen to death.

Mark, where/what are the Pine Barrens?

[emartin]

If you haven't been to Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ that is another great amusement park. They also have the Wild Safari thing which is one of those places you get to drive your car into the animal exhibits like rhinos, giraffes, buffalo, water buffalo, ostrich, etc. Recently they fenced off the baboon area because there was lots of complaints (including us!) of the baboons ripping windshield wipers off of cars, ripping weather stripping off, etc. So they are caged in now.

The tiger (both the orange and white tigers) are fenced off naturally, and so is the elephant and lions. There are also kangaroos, wombats, black bears, etc there. Nice place...

Then there's Hurricane Harbor. THOUGH KEEP IN MIND, THEIR ADMISSION IS SEPARATE FROM GREAT ADVENTURES.

And then you are about an hour away from the Ocean, and then about an hour to an hour and a half from Philadelphia.

About another 1hr-1.5hr is Cape May Zoo, which is free (well, they want you to donate, which can be as small as like $1/person) and they have pretty decent exhibits including some rare Chilean Flamingos that were from Michael Jackon's Neverland Ranch.

[emartin]

Mark, where/what are the Pine Barrens?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Barrens_%28New_Jersey%29

Beautiful area, but bring lots and lots of mosquito spray/lotion.

Great fishing area too :).

[the_watcher]

I don't know if you asked this question last year....

But the Lancaster and surrounding areas have a ton of things to do...
1: Shopping outlets.
2: That fish place
3: Shady maple smorgasbord (farm and market) excellent food
someones birthday they eat for free.
4: Millers smorgasbord excellent breakfast.
My top 3 picks ever for breakfast ....
5: There is a excellent chocolate candy etc store on 222 North
if you go that way... and plenty of farm produce along the way.
6: Of course Hershey Amusement Park is right there 222 & 78 ....
7: Zoo America is right there as well
8: Plenty of other things around the surrounding areas if you search.

If not there is always the Baltimore harbor area .....
In any case enjoy your vacation .....

[triscuit]

You know, heading north can be an economical vacation, despite the slightly longer drive. You've got the White Mountains in New Hampshire, or a ton of options in Maine. For something a bit closer- Boston is fun to run around in. The aquarium, science museum, Cambridge, the harbor: lots to do there.

[zcfish]

if you enjoy hiking but not spending all the time driving then:

http://www.mohonkpreserve.org/

all kids like climbing rocks and this place has plenty. in the summer there are always rock climbers. there's a natural lake on top of the mountain you can swim (but you have to pass the test first). you can stay in the hotels in new paltz so you're not really roughing it. when we went there last winter we brought the bikes there's a bike trail in new paltz that go to different historical places. oh. you can checkout atlantis nearby and if you're into shopping then westbury outlets.

[jerseyhokie]

Have gone to this place for 10 years, usually a huge hit with families:

http://www.ridinhy.com/index.asp

its basically an adirondack dude ranch. The main attraction is horseback riding, with both a morning and afternoon ride ranging from slow walks to adult fast gallops. Has an incredible ammount to do with a daily schedule usually having 10 to 15 activities for different age groups. Crystal clear mountain lake with rowboats and paddle boats as well as a guarded swim area. Indoor pool as well. As a pitch to the wife, all meals are prepared for you and included. Homestyle type cooking. Over the mountain is lake george and lake george village which is a bit more touristy. Back to the ranch, there are all your standard athletic fields, as well as shuffle board, arts and crafts and nightly bingo. I could go on and on but i really highly recommend it during the summer or fall, when the days are longer. Family run for years and excellent staff. On the way back to LI you could stop to see howe caverns, largest caverns on the east coast. No idea what your family interests are, but that should fall just within the distance limit.

And there's always baltimore and the inner harbor and national aquarium.

[emartin]

And there's always baltimore and the inner harbor and national aquarium.

I was just thinking of suggesting that as well!

Baltimore Inner Harbor is an awesome place and very family friendly. There's also the water taxi system that can take you to other parts of the city including one area (name escapes memory) where there are loads of restaurants, pubs, etc.

There's also a science center there (never been to it, but I assume it is similar to Liberty Science Center in NJ).

[emartin]

If you head out to PA, there are two cave systems I visited in the past that I loved

Crystal Cave

Lost River Cave

http://www.crystalcavepa.com/

http://pacaves.homestead.com/PA-CAVES.html

[Longstocking]

It's a bit farther... but I say the Outter Banks in NC.... it takes us 5 hours... probably 6-7 for you. Water is warm... beach... shopping... I'm sure there are kids things...

I don't have kids so not sure.. but I know a friend of mine takes his kids every year there.

[emartin]

If you don't mind driving 18hrs44mins you can always drive to Disney World in Florida LOL

[fischfan13]

If you don't mind driving 18hrs44mins you can always drive to Disney World in Florida LOL

You must drive slow.:neener::eclipsee_steering::neener:

[emartin]

You must drive slow.:neener::eclipsee_steering::neener:

Google maps says it takes that long when I searched for directions from Long Island, NY to Disney World, FL: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=long%20island%2C%20ny%20to%20disney%20world %2C%20fl


I can make it down to Richmond, VA in about 4 hours :)

[cichfrk]

If you don't mind driving 18hrs44mins you can always drive to Disney World in Florida LOL

it took me 16 hours to drive to Disney last April with just 5 rest stops. My but is still hurting for 1 week! I don't think, I'll do it again anytime soon....:whistle: but it's worth the effort after all.

[sccichlids]

http://www.assateagueisland.com/ponyswim/ponyswim.htm

[spyder]

If your kids are into American history Boston has a ton of cool things to do and sites to see. You can walk the freedom trail and see many historical sites. ALso check out Legal Seafood some of the best food in Boston.

[pogi2009]

If you haven't been to Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ that is another great amusement park. They also have the Wild Safari thing which is one of those places you get to drive your car into the animal exhibits like rhinos, giraffes, buffalo, water buffalo, ostrich, etc. Recently they fenced off the baboon area because there was lots of complaints (including us!) of the baboons ripping windshield wipers off of cars, ripping weather stripping off, etc. So they are caged in now.

The tiger (both the orange and white tigers) are fenced off naturally, and so is the elephant and lions. There are also kangaroos, wombats, black bears, etc there. Nice place...

Then there's Hurricane Harbor. THOUGH KEEP IN MIND, THEIR ADMISSION IS SEPARATE FROM GREAT ADVENTURES.

And then you are about an hour away from the Ocean, and then about an hour to an hour and a half from Philadelphia.

About another 1hr-1.5hr is Cape May Zoo, which is free (well, they want you to donate, which can be as small as like $1/person) and they have pretty decent exhibits including some rare Chilean Flamingos that were from Michael Jackon's Neverland Ranch.

I was in Six Flags Great Adventure (also Safari) last weekend. Man... if there is only one ride you gonna do... do the Kingga Ka... its awesome.. you need to leave all loose things, such as bags, etc. 128 miles/hour in 3.5 secs almost 90 degrees climb to 456 feet with a twist half way and dropped you downn... phew...