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Happening Now
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October 12:
Bark in the Park.
Talk about getting everybody involved. You, your grandchildren and a favorite pet can enjoy a one-mile or three-mile hike along the beautiful Perkiomen Creek and Trail while fall leaves are turning color. There will be vendors, demonstrations, food, and fun. At Central Perkiomen Valley Park, Lansdale, Pa. (website) Hide details
Bari Koral Family Band.
This acclaimed band, brought to the area by Radio Disney, sings pop songs for kids and adults. A kid-friendly lunch buffet is available at extra cost. At World Café Live. (website) Hide details
Count’s Halloween Spooktacular.
All guests are invited to dress in costume and enjoy trick-or-treating, a walk through the Count’s castle, hayrides, a special live Halloween show, and more. At Sesame Place, Langhorne, Pa. (website) Hide details
Freddy’s Fallfest.
It’s that time of year, of course, for hayrides, pick- your-own pumpkins, pig races, cornstalk mazes, giant slides, pony rides, crafts, and delicious food. And it’s all in one place. At Freddy Hill Farms and Family Fun Center, Lansdale, Pa. (website) Hide details
2008 Scarecrow Competition and Display.
At this annual scarecrow contest in Lahaska, creators are vying for $4,900 in prizes, so it's serious business. But you and the grandchildren will have fun either entering the event or choosing your favorites in several categories, including the Kids Only! Scarecrow, a chance for kids, 12 and younger, to compete against one another in building a scarecrow. Open a world of possibilities as you create a scarecrow. Winners announced on the website on October 4. At Peddler's Village. (website) Hide details
Pumpkinland Harvest Festival.
Everything is impressive here: the characters roaming around, including Dora the Explorer and Buzz Lightyear, and the 100 tons of pumpkins. Families can also enjoy the cornfield maze, hayrides, face painting, and tasty food. At Linvilla Orchards, Media, Pa. (website) Hide details
The Art of the Brick.
A museum show featuring artist Nathan Sawaya's creative sculpture artistry with LEGO building blocks. Using more than 1 million LEGO pieces, Sawaya spectacularly transformed and manipulated them into exciting works of art. This exhibit is sure to captivate the imagination of grandparents and grandchildren. At the American Swedish Historical Museum. (website) Hide details |
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Help With This Page
In the City Guides section, you'll find the best things to do with your grandchildren. To get started, choose a city below or select from among movies, home activities or things to do in the car. Whatever you do, have loads of fun with your grandchildren.
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| | Brimming with beautiful parks, major museums, historic sites and a downtown area easily conquered on foot, Philly is the perfect destination for grandparents and grandchildren of any age. —Compiled by Beth D'Addono | |
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This beautifully restored train station, which was featured in the films Trading Places, Witness (starring Harrison Ford), and M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable, is alive with the hustle and bustle of busy urban commuters. The grandchildren will be thrilled to take a suburban rail train to and from the station, especially if the outing includes lunch at McDonald's or one of the other eateries. The statue of an angel lifting a dead soldier honors Pennsylvania Railroad employees killed in World War II. Septa and Amtrak operate at the station.
Info: Varies
Hours: Trains vary
Age: Toddler, Child, Pre-teen, Teen
Planes
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Dem bones, dem bones, dem big bones. That's part of what you'll see at this venerable natural science museum, home to more than a dozen dinosaur skeletons, including the dreaded T-Rex. A tropical butterfly exhibition and ample specimens of geology and gems round out an impressive collection. In the Outside-In hands-on nature center, grandchildren can touch a hissing Madagascar cockroach or a snake, crawl through a tree trunk and examine fossils under a microscope.
Info: Ages 13 and older $10, 3 to 12 $8, 65 and older $8, military and students with ID $8
Hours: Monday to Friday 10am to 4:30pm
Age: Child, Pre-teen, Teen
Museums & Exhibits
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This gem of an aquarium, just across the Delaware River, is swimming with action, from the 760,000 gallon exhibit of fish, turtles, and stingrays to the West African River Experience, where the grandchildren can get up close and personal with Button and Genny, two 3,000 pound Nile hippos. Or check out the 550,000 gallon Shark Realm, a 40-foot clear walk-through tunnel surrounded by 20 sharks and hundreds of sea creatures. Little ones will love the touch tanks filled with starfish, stingrays, and dogfish sharks. The 3-D glasses are a hit in the 4-D Theater, where special effects let you experience wind, water spray, and motion. For fun, take the Riverlink Ferry from Penn’s Landing instead of driving.
Info: Adults $18, ages 2 to 12 $15, 2 and younger free with paid adult
Hours: Daily 9:30am to 5pm
Age: Toddler, Child, Pre-teen, Teen
Animals & Nature
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More than 25 vintage aircraft and many artifacts and exhibits make this museum fun for veterans, history buffs, and anybody who love airplanes and the military. The grandchildren can climb aboard a giant cargo plane and sit in the pilot’s seat, go on a scavenger hunt, and check out exhibits like Rations: It's What's for Dinner.
Info: Free
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 4pm
Age: Toddler, Child, Pre-teen, Teen
Planes
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The Mummer’s Parade — Philly’s answer to Mardi Gras — takes place on New Year’s Day every year (subject to weather). As parades go, this is a biggie, with 12,000 marchers, enough sequins and feathers to outfit a gaggle of Vegas show girls and strutting string bands. The grandchildren will love the spectacle; just dress for the chilly weather. An indoor rehearsal show called Mummer’s Fest takes place at the PA Convention Center December 28, 29, 20, and 31. Donation suggested.
Info: Free
Hours: January 1, 8am, weather permitting
Age: Child, Pre-teen, Teen
Local Unique
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Choppers of all types — more than 35 in all — are on display at this kid-friendly museum, which has a toddler learning area complete with a control tower, knobs, and gadgets to play with and a child-size helicopter with flashing lights and helicopter sounds. Exhibits on the history of helicopters and the science of flight appeal to all ages, and grandchildren love climbing into helicopters to get a feel for the controls. Take the kids on a helicopter ride on the third Saturday of every month from 11am to 3pm. It costs $35 per person for a six to eight minute ride.
Info: Adults $6, ages 65 and older $5, students with ID and 2 to 12 $4, 2 and younger free with paying adult
Hours: Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday 12pm to 5pm, Monday to Tuesday by appointment only
Age: Toddler, Child, Pre-teen, Teen
Planes
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This division of the Arden Theatre Company is dedicated to producing high quality children's shows that rival anything on the mainstage. Shows like Ferdinand the Bull, Looking Glass Alice and the Dinosaur Musical will delight you and your grandchildren. After each performance, the director leads a Q&A session, giving kids the chance to ask questions. Afterwards, they can meet the cast in the lobby.
Info: Admission: varies
Hours: Box Office: Monday to Saturday 10am to 6pm, performances vary
Age: Child, Pre-teen, Teen
Live Performances
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Live life in the fast lane at this family fun center that includes an arcade, laser tag and moon bounce playland with indoor electric go-karting. There’s a pro-style main track and a junior track aimed at grandchildren ages 6 to 11. A restaurant offers kid-friendly snacks and treats.
Info: Go-karts $10 per ride for junior track, $15 to $20 for main track, other games vary
Hours: Monday to Tuesday 4pm to 8pm, Wednesday 4pm to 9pm, Thursday 12pm to 9pm, Friday 12pm to 11pm, Saturday 11am to 11pm, Sunday 11am to 8pm; Playland: Monday 11am to 8pm, Tuesday to Wednesday 12pm to 8pm, Thursday to Friday 12pm to 9pm, Saturday 12pm to 11pm, Sunday 11am to 11pm
Age: Child, Pre-teen, Teen
Planes
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Bartram Gardens
54th Street and Lindbergh Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19143
(215) 729-5281
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Follow in the footsteps of early visitors George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson to America's oldest botanical garden, a 45-acre horticultural gem not far from downtown. This National Historic Landmark overlooks the Schuylkill River and includes the 18th century home, barn and farm buildings of naturalist, botanist, and explorer John Bartram. The grandchildren will have fun going on a treasure hunt for the oldest living Gingko tree, or spying the different buildings that mark the Philadelphia skyline which you’ll see from the riverside meadow trail.
Info: Free, house tour $5, ages 62 and older $4, 12 and younger free
Hours: Daily 10am to 5pm
Age: Toddler, Child, Pre-teen, Teen
Animals & Nature
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America’s most decorated battleship is now a floating history museum along Camden's waterfront. Commissioned in 1943, this 45,000 ton battlewagon saw action in almost every campaign in the U.S. Pacific offensive of World War II, as well in Korea, Vietnam and in the Middle East in the 80s. The grandchildren will have fun climbing up and down ladders, inspecting fighter guns and, for an extra $5, trying out the 4-D flight Simulator, which puts them in the middle of a dog fight over Iwo Jima. For a real thrill, spend the night with grandchildren 7 and older and board the ship; $50 per person includes chow, an after-hours tour of the ship, a ride on the 4-D Flight Simulator, and a bunk in the crew's quarters.
Info: Adults $15, ages 62 and older and 6 to 11 $11, active military and 5 and younger free; Guided Tours: Adults $17, 62 and older, veterans, and 6 to 11 $12, active military and 5 and younger free
Hours: January to February, Monday to Friday 9am to 3pm; March and October to December, daily 9am to 3pm; April to September, daily 9am to 5pm
Age: Child, Pre-teen, Teen
Attractions & Landmarks
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