Last weekend was the big dog show weekend in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, culminating in the all-terrier Montgomery County Kennel Club show on Sunday. I needed/wanted to go for a few dog and dog club related reasons, but did not relish the long 7+ hour drive (each way) by myself. So I convinced Douglas and David to come along with me. I’d go to my dog club banquet on Friday night and the dog show on Sunday, but we’d skip the Saturday show, and do some family sightseeing instead.
There is quite a lot to do in the Philadelphia area – art, science and natural history museums, the zoo, plus historical exhibits like the Liberty Bell and Valley Forge.
We decided to give Doug the choice. He picked Crystal Cave in Kutztown. Boys and rocks.
I’m a bit claustrophobic and generally the idea of being in a cave gives me the creeps. This wasn’t too bad. The tour guide did an excellent job moving us through the cave, and the cave rooms themselves were fairly large, with very tall ceilings, so I didn’t get that “pressed in” feeling. Doug absolutely loved it.
The cave formations themselves are eery. Some could easily be alien life forms from a sci-fi film.
After the caves, we decided to head back and do a quick visit to Valley Forge. We’d been a number of times in the past, but Douglas didn’t remember it. On the way we stopped for lunch at a Texas Roadhouse in Royersford.
This was our first ever visit to this chain, and we were pleasantly surprised by the hospitality — warm and gracious — and the food — excellent. As first-time guests, they gave us a free bottle of their steak sauce, and asked us to fill out a brief questionnaire about our experience. I wrote in the comments that we very much enjoyed the food and wished there was a restaurant near us in Massachusetts. One of the managers made a point to come out and let us know that there were a few, including one not far from us in Worcester.
Why so good? Everything is very fresh. Homemade rolls, lots of choices for side dishes and good steaks. Is it Morton’s or Ruth Chris? Of course not. But when you are on the road looking for a quick reasonably priced meal, it’s a nice alternative to the burger and tex-mex lite chains. I particularly appreciated the 6 ounce filet for $16.00. It’s the right amount of meat for me and the price was fair. It was also very tasty.
We got to Valley Forge too late for an organized trolley or walking tour (although we have done the trolley tour in the past, and it is excellent). Instead we bought the self-guided one-hour CD tour ($15.00) and proceeded to drive through the park and learn a little history on the way.
Douglas wasn’t too interested at first, but we confiscated the Nintendo, and eventually he got into it. Admission to the park and buildings is free; there is a fee for the trolley tour.
As with all national parks, there are also special programs worth checking out if you are slightly more planful about your visit than we were this time The park buildings close at 5pm, but the grounds are open until dusk. The last ranger-tour of Washington’s Headquarters is at 4:30 pm.
The centerpiece — literally — of the park is the National Memorial Arch. This time, we saw two wedding parties doing their formal photos. My pictures of them on Flickr.
You’ll also see lots of deer at Valley Forge. In fact the deer population of the park is a bit of a problem; if you are interested, you can read more at the park website.
For visitors, though, it is nice to see these pretty animals up close and vertical as opposed to lying by the side of the road, a sad but familiar site along Pennsylvania highways.
Other things to do in the area: We’ve also enjoyed wandering around the community of Doylestown, although we did not get up that way on this trip, and Longwood Gardens. Little kids would enjoy Sesame Place, although the weather never cooperated for that when Douglas was younger and now at nine, he’s well past it. If you like to shop, the ginormous King of Prussia mall is nearby.
Where to stay: I like the Marriott Springhill Suites in Plymouth Meeting. Reasonably priced ($89 AAA-rate), all-suite hotel. Indoor pool. Free breakfast. Free in-room Internet. Near the Plymouth Meeting Mall, which offers many restaurant choices including Benihana, another good choice when traveling with kids. The mall also has an arcade which entertained Douglas (and Dave) on Friday night while I was at the dog club banquet and on Saturday night while I made a quick run to Macy’s.
Word to the wise: Traffic in the Montgomery County area, especially on the Turnpike and its feeder roads, is awful nearly all the time. Plan accordingly.
Sunday, Douglas & I went on Boston Harbor Cruises Tall Ships Cruise. While the cruise was a bit pricey ($40 each) and at 90 minutes, about 30 minutes too long for Douglas, it was a great way to see the Tall Ships. I’m a bit claustrophobic so anything that keeps me out of crowds gets my vote.
Based on this, and other experiences with Doug, if you are planning a harbor cruise, I’d recommend one that is an hour or less, OR one with a full meal. Kids like the food part The trip from Long Wharf to Old Ironsides is a very good length.
Then, lunch at Legal Seafoods. For a very special treat, your kids can have a full lobster dinner at about half the price of an adult’s lobster dinner.
I have two Father’s Day excursions for you, one worth the drive if you are in the Boston area, and the other well worth a weekend getaway. Both are annual events; you go this year or you wait until next.
The Boston area – Stow MA
Every year on Father’s Day weekend — June 20 & 21 - the Collings Foundation in Stow opens its doors to visitors for Wings and Wheels Weekend. It’s a great opportunity to see the Foundation’s collection of vintage aircraft and automobiles. You can also book a ride in one of the vintage aircraft, but this must be done in advance. $10 adults, $5 kids.
The Quechee Balloon Festival in Quechee Vermont is well worth the trip North. Dave and I went years ago, and last year we finally made it back with Douglas. There are activities all day long, but the highlight is the balloon ascensions in the morning and early evening. This year, we are planning our weekend to attend the Balloon Glow on Friday at approximately 8:30 pm. Balloon rides are available, but should be booked in advance.
Local accommodations: There are motor inns nearby in Quechee and White River Junction, but I recommend going a bit further and staying at the Kedron Valley Inn in South Woodstock. If they are full up, try the Woodstock Inn, and if you like bed & breakfasts, the Inn at Chelsea Farm, our Vermont neighbor.
By the way, if you are looking to visit the Woodstock area, we also rent our house. Check it out on Cyberrentals. This year, we will be there on Balloon Fest weekend, but we have lots of other availability this summer as we have just started renting it.
Back to the balloon festival. Admission is $10 adults, $5 kids; tickets are good for the entire weekend and dads accompanied by a kid are 1/2 price on Sunday.
Family eats in the Woodstock/Quechee area: There are a lot of great restaurants in the area, but if the family has spent the day at the festival, you want something fast and friendly. For lunch, I recommend the Farmer’s Diner in Quechee and for dinner, Bentleys in Woodstock.
Going to Concord Massachusetts to see the cradle of the American Revolution?
When hunger pangs strike, be sure to check out a little bit of La Belle France, La Provence restaurant at 105 Thoreau Street.
You order and pay at the counter, but they’ll bring your food to you. They also do take-out and catering.
Choices include a variety of quiche, sandwiches and salads, and of course yummy French pastries and bread. There are plenty of seats, including a few tables outside in nice weather.
There are a lot of places to eat in Orlando. Everything from fast to fancy food. We stay in our timeshare, and if we’ve spent the day in a theme park, it’s nice to come back to the “house” and eat in.
But, we do eat out a few times on every trip. Most lunches, some dinners. Here are some of our favorites from our last trip.
Universal City Walk:Bubba Gump’s Shrimp Factory has a great kid’s menu, plus they serve the food in neat little boats. Awesome margaritas, which come in handy if you’ve spent the most of the day in one theme park, and will be going to another after your late lunch.
On past trips we’ve eaten at the Nascar Cafe, which is great fun for stock car aficionados, but the atmosphere is a bit loud.
Downtown Disney: Every trip to Orlando, we almost always end up at Fulton’s Crab House. Terrific service. Terrific seafood. Terrific Bloody Mary’s. On our last visit, we ate quite late (9 pm) so Dave and I split the cold seafood plate appetizer. I had a few oysters to start and he had the crab cake appetizer. More than enough food. Douglas had fish, which he loves, and my older niece tried King Crab for the first time. Pricey, but well worth it for your family splurge dinner. ALL the restaurants at Downtown Disney have similar meal prices, so you might as well go for what you want.
For lunch the day we were flying home, we tried the new restaurant, T-Rex. Very similar to Rainforest Cafe, including gift shop at the exit and a regular “show,” but with a dinosaur theme. Douglas was quite impressed with the geodes scattered through the restaurant. I thought the food was pretty good, and recommend the fish tacos. Service was excellent.
Other restaurants at Downtown Disney that we’ve eaten at in past years, and recommend: Bongo’s Cuban Cafe, Cap’n Jack’s and the House of Blues Gospel Sunday Brunch.
I promise to tell you all about my adventure with the python at Gatorland but it will have to wait until I am back home and able to download more photos. Right now I am in San Francisco for the New Comm Forum conference. In the meantime, here are some tips for getting around Orlando with kids.
Buy the chewing gum BEFORE you get to the airport. They do not sell chewing gum anywhere in the Orlando airport. The clerk at the newstand who told me this said it was a maintenance issue. I can understand their point; hundreds, thousands of kids travel through that airport every day. If only a small number of them dispose of their gum inappropriately, they’ve got a huge mess.
If you are planning to spend the day at Epcot or Magic Kingdom, and stay for the fireworks at night, make a dinner reservation at one of the sit-down restaurants. Everyone will appreciate an opportunity to sit down for a quiet meal after a long day traipsing around the park. At Epcot, I recommend France or Canada for good views, good food. Disney Dining – 407-WDW-DINE (407-939-3463)
Universal sells an add-on to its ticket that lets you bypass the regular line. This is well worth the money; we had two-park, two-day tickets, and bought the add-on for our first day in the parks.
Susan Getgood: Mine is slim compared to some folks. And I’ve added a few things since I posted this.... Kyle Judkins: That looks like a pretty packed schedule! I haven’t been to very many conferences, so I’m... RhodeyGirl: Just found your blog- hope I get to meet you at BlogHer! Susan Getgood: Hah! I doubt that. Everything seems to have piled into Thurs. and Fri. which is kind of nice, as it... Elisa Camahort Page: Gee, i hope we’ll have time to say “hello”, you are probably busier than I...
Last weekend was the big dog show weekend in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, culminating in the all-terrier Montgomery County Kennel Club show on Sunday. I needed/wanted to go for a few dog and dog club related reasons, but did not relish the long 7+ hour drive (each way) by myself. So I convinced Douglas and David to come along with me. I’d go to my dog club banquet on Friday night and the dog show on Sunday, but we’d skip the Saturday show, and do some family sightseeing instead.
We got to Valley Forge too late for an organized trolley or walking tour (although we have done the trolley tour in the past, and it is excellent). Instead we bought the self-guided one-hour CD tour ($15.00) and proceeded to drive through the park and learn a little history on the way.
The park buildings close at 5pm, but the grounds are open until dusk. The last ranger-tour of Washington’s Headquarters is at 4:30 pm.
You’ll also see lots of deer at Valley Forge. In fact the deer population of the park is a bit of a problem; if you are interested, you can read more at the park website.
