I'm trying to figure out where to go on vacation next year. My son will be 1 1/2 and my daughter will be 3 1/2. I'm thinking renting a house might be our best bet, but we're not into the beach that much--more into mountains, lakes, etc. Does anyone have any good suggestions? We'd like it to be no more than 10 hours driving from Philly, preferrably less than 6 hours.
We are currently renting a house on a lake in the Poconos. It was a 2 & 1/2 to 3 hour drive from the Philly area. There is a pool in the community, an arts & crafts center, an animal park. We also went blueberry picking nearby. It's another option not to far & not the beach!
Hey K.,
We actually just came back today from our mountains trip. We have a cabin in Entriken, PA near Lake Raystown. It is about a 3 hour drive from West Chester. I have been going there since I was a baby with my family. THis weekend we took our 3 month old and our 2 year old. Lake Raystown has lots of recreational things to do- including a water park that has a special area (and special pricing) if you just want to use the baby pool and water works area. Check it out at www.lakeraystown.com The prices are very reasonable and the area is beautiful and scenic. Good luck!
-T.
We have traveled to Pigeon Forge (Gatlinburg/Sevierville area) TN. I love TN. My kids really enjoyed themselves - as we are not big beach people either (except for the gulf beaches and islands). There was a lot to do - but it was in fact about a 10 hour drive. I wish we had started going earlier and made a tradition of it, I think the whole area offers much to do:
Hiking, shows, rafting (as they get older), pools, shopping, historic areas, great scenery, gatlinburg aquarium and ripleys.
We rented a chalet in the mountains and that alone was great. Hottub on the deck and game room. http://www.sugarmaplecabins.com/ was who we rented from - but you can see from their site some of the views.
I admit it was a long trip down, but worth it. We left on a friday after work and spent the first night in Virgina to break up the drive.
Try the Pocono Mountain area. There are many "developments" that have lakes w/ beaches, pools, play grounds with a lot of other activities in the general area. You can go as close as Big Boulder which is about a 1 1/2 - 2 hour drive and still have the mountains and trees. I remember going to the pocono's every summer as a kid, and now my in-laws have a home there and my kids love it as well.
