MOMS Club® of East Shore/Harrisburg PA
Area Attractions
These are some fun family activities in Central Pennsylvania!
HARRISBURG | Location | Notes |
East Shore Area Library | 4501 Ethel Street | FREE Offers various reading programs
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State Museum | 300 North Street Harrisburg, PA 17120-0024 | FREE. The animal exhibits and planetarium are on the third floor |
Curiosity Connection | in the State Museum | Kids’ museum; VERY cool with lots to do (not free) http://www.statemuseumpa.org/curiosity.html |
City Island | The Susquehanna River; reached via the Walnut Street foot bridge or by driving across the Market Street Bridge | Lots of free things to do as well as non free; playground; $2 train ride, $1 carousel, arcade; ferry rides; miniature golf; Senators baseball games; Walk the nature trail; or simply enjoy the riverfront view from this family playground. Free parking after 11am on weekdays http://www.harrisburgpa.gov/parksRec/cityIsland/ |
Olewine Nature Center | 100 Wildwood Way Harrisburg, PA 17110 | FREE nature center with activities for kids and walking paths http://www.wildwoodlake.org/nature-center/ |
Hop & Shop | Colonial Park Mall at Bonton Wing | Indoor play area, must pay to enter |
Friendship Community Center | Near Best Buy on Rt 22 | Indoor pool, kid classes, indoor play area http://www.lowerpaxton-pa.gov/index_lpt.html |
Ashcombe’s | West Shore South I-83 | |
Gymboree | On Rt 22 | Baby and kid classes |
Kindermusik Harrisburg Mall | Linglestown Rd Paxton street | Music classes for 0-7 years. FREE Enchanted Forest Playground/ Outdoor World - lots of real stuffed animals, real large fish |
Fort Hunter | At river end of Linglestown Rd | River Front, 2 playgrounds, historical buildings, events |
Outdoor Pools | Various | Koons, Colonial Penn, Moutain View, Hummelstown, Hershey, Dauphin |
Color Me Mine | Rt 22. | Ceramics, kids paint for one fee of $30 all summer |
Lingle Park | behind South Side Elementary school off Union Deposit Rd. | Playground |
Brightbill Park | down behind the Friendship Community Center | Playground, short nature trail |
school playgrounds | various elementary schools | Usually have equipment for all ages and lots of blacktop space for bikes |
Possibility Place | George Park off Nyes Road | Playground - wooden. Not open until July/August; 100% accessible for all children; misters; sandbox and table http://www.possibilityplace.org/ |
Koons Park | Linglestown Rd. past the square | Lots of space for bike riding; great playground; covered picnic tables |
Kohl Park | next to Lingle Park behind Southside Elementary | Playground |
Chuck E. Cheese | Union Deposit Rd. | 25 cent rides. Free entry. (Indoor) Noisy and chaotic but fun for the kids. Best early before lunch. |
Popcorn Hat Players | Strawberry Square Harrisburg | Kid-friendly plays; no snacks or drinks allowed during play |
Bumblebee Miniature Golf | Linglestown Road | Mini golf |
Whitaker Center | Downtown Harrisburg | Science museum. Nice toddler section on bottom floor. |
Strite’s Orchard | 1000 Strite’s Road Harrisburg, PA 17111 | Pick your own fruit |
Kinetic Clock | Strawberry Square | Three-story clanging, clinging, ball-dropping clock; often free entertainment in the atrium; shops and places to eat |
HERSHEY | ||
Chocolate World | Ride and Kisses factory are free | |
Cocoa Castle | Off Cocoa Ave. in Hershey | Huge playground; next to Derry Township pool; big sandbox area; next to rec. building http://www.derrytownship.org/_interior/index.asp?sectionID=dept&numberID=3 |
Bukllfrog Valley Road Duckpond | Off Bullfrog Valley Rd. near the Hershey Med Center | Walking/biking path; hungry ducks; creek perfect for throwing rocks into http://www.derrytownship.org/_interior/index.asp?sectionID=dept&numberID=3 |
Hummelstown-Middletown Railroad | Middletown, PA | Scenic train ride |
Zoo America | Hershey, PA | |
Hershey Museum | Hershey, PA | Has hands-on room for kids Check for hours. |
Children’s Garden at Hershey | Hershey, PA | Tour through 30 playful theme gardens filled with colorful plant life and educational experiences. Butterfuly House. |
Indian Echo Caverns | Hummelstown | Website has a coupon; cave tours; lots of steps; better for older kids (cave walls cannot be touched); playground; activities for kids |
Hershey Park | Hershey | Amusement Park. Rides, rides, and more rides! |
Chocolatetown Square | downtown Hershey | Library puts on free programs Wednesdays at noon; check website for current schedule |
Gruber’s Playground | rear of the Southpoint Meadows development off of the Middletown road, near Country Market | Picnic tables under trees, benches, swings and wonderful slides and climbing things. There are 2 play areas; one has 7 slides with about 5 of them being 15 ft or longer. There is a smaller playground for the 1-2 year old with smaller slides, a telescope and little tunnels to climb through |
Adventure Sports | Route 743 just 4 Miles south of Hershey | Golf; go-karts; ice cream; batting cages; bumper boats; arcade; driving range |
LANCASTER | ||
Strasburg Railroad | Rt. 741 East of Strasburg Lancaster County | Train museum and rides; Day out with Thomas once in June and once in September (dates may change) |
Dutch Wonderland | Lincoln Highway East Lancaster, PA | Great for younger kids; lots of rides and a great pool/splash zone |
Hands on House | 721 Landis Valley Road Lancaster, PA 17601 | Hands-on, interactive children’s museum; lots of cool programs |
Hershey Farm | Route 896, Strasburg, PA 17579 | Free walking trail, free self-guided tour of their flower and vegetable gardens, free children's play areas, free photo opportunities with various Amish buggies, and free on-site farm animals to see |
That Fish Place | 237 Centerville Road, Lancaster, PA 17603 | See tropical fish, reptiles, and much more at the world's largest aquarium and pet supply store |
The Choo Choo Barn | Route 741E, Strasburg, PA | With over 150 animated figures and vehicles and 22 operating trains, the Choo Choo Barn is located in the heart of Lancaster County's Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and very close to the Strasburg Rail Road, the Railroad Museum Of Pennsylvania, and the Toy Train Museum (national headquarters of the Train Collectors Association). 1,700 square foot display. Thomas' Trackside Station, an officially licensed "Thomas The Tank Engine & FriendsTM" store. |
Cherry Crest Farm | Five acre corn maze; wagon tours; petting zoo; food vendors; picnic area; bee hive observation; baby chicks hatchery; hay shoot giant slide and hay jump | |
OTHER | ||
Imagination Station | Enola (west shore) | Huge wooden playground like Cocoa Castle |
Lake Tobias | north of Halifax; website has detailed directions | Animal park; bus “safari” rides through animal habitats; animals come on the bus; picnic tables; fishing; play area for kids; petting zoo; reptile house; animal show |
Little Buffalo State Park | Newport, PA website has directions | Huge pool and sprinkler/splash yard with water features http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/littlebuffalo.aspx |
church vacation bible school camps | area churches | Usually free or low fee; last about a week; themed |
Knoebels Grove | Rt. 487 Elysburg, PA 17824 about 1.5 hours | Best for kids say 5 and under. All the kiddie rides are together, in the shade, and there isn’t tons of walking. They have cheap games to play; you can bring food in, no charge for parking, and pay per ride. There is no admission fee. The swimming pool is great and they have a big pool and a toddler pool with a frog slide, swings, bouncy rides, and sprinklers. There are also slides for the older child. |
Mount Gretna | East of Harrisburg | A historic community, beach, mini golf, |
Roadside America | Shartlesville PA off I-78E | HUGE indoor miniature village/train set up; some parts are interactive; The exhibit spans more than two hundred years in time and lets you see, in exquisite miniature, how people lived and worked in pioneer days right up to the present. |
Cabela’s | off I-78E | In addition to offering quality outdoor merchandise, the massive 250,000 sq. ft. showroom is an educational and entertainment attractions, featuring a cor of museum-quality animal displays, huge aquariums and trophy animals interacting in realistic re-creations of their natural habitats. across from a Cracker Barrel |