Fun Adventure Friday ~ Strasburg Rail Road Santa’s Paradise Express AND a TICKET GIVEAWAY!

Mychal is just a girlie girl raising two crazy little boys in Chester County. To read more about her sometimes dirt covered life, stop by My Life In Mommyland.

Today’s adventure comes just in time for the holiday season. Santa’s Paradise Express, the Stasburg Rail Road and the ChooChoo Barn make the perfect holiday tradition. 

Climb aboard one of the magnificently restored cars and be transported back to a simpler world. Don’t worry about the cold, each car is heated by a coal stove, so they’re nice and toasty. 

As the monster steam engine pulls out of the station the fun begins. Incase the beautiful Lancaster County countryside wasn’t enough, carolers, horn players and Santa himself move throughout the cars for your enjoyment. Santa was the crowd favorite with our family. The boys lit up as soon as they saw him enter our car. 

Not only does the man in red stop to chat with each child and have his photo taken, he also gives every child a little treat. The boys got little lantern pencil sharpeners, that they thought were the coolest thing since sliced bread. Cameron even took his to school. 

The train ride is about 45 minutes long and it’s a blast from start to finish. 

But wait, there’s more…

The Strasburg Rail Road also has a ton of fun to enjoy around the station. 

Your kids will love the Cranky Cars and the Cagney Train. Then warmup in the Tinsel Trolly and enjoy a few holiday stories in the Story Caboose. In addition to all the fun activities there are a few gift shops and the Trackside Cafe. 

When you’re finished at the rail road, chug on over to the ChooChoo Barn. 

I’ve seen a lot of train displays in my life but this one is by far the coolest. When you walk into the little gift shop you have no idea just what lies behind the curtain. 

It’s HUGE!!! I could have spent hours upon hours gawking at the train display. At 1700 square feet, the ChooChoo Barn is as big as my first house and it’s chockfull of things to look at. 

The train display, with 22 moving trains has actual animated people. I have NEVER seen that before at I have to say that seeing those little people hammer away on the roof of a barn was pretty neat. As you make your way through the display, don’t forget to keep an eye out for the 51 Santas, there’s even a Where’s Waldo Santa! The boys had a blast trying to find them all and got so excited with each new sighting. 

The lights dim from day to night and back again giving you a whole new perspective on the display. One of my favorite features was the house that caught fire. There’s actual smoke, firemen come to save the day and use real water to put out the (not so real) flames. 

The level of detail inside the ChooChoo Barn is nothing short of spectacular. 

When we finished our tour of the Strasburg Rail Road and the ChooChoo Barn, we got some delicious snacks at Uncle Leroy’s (next door to the ChooChoo Barn) and headed home. The boys raved about their trip and want to go back again before the end of the season. 

The Strasburg Rail Road has become a beloved holiday tradition for our family and we would highly recommend that you make it a tradition for your family as well. 

This was such a fun adventure that I’m thrilled to be able to share the experience with one lucky Philly Burb Moms family. That’s right folks, one lucky winner will win a four pack of tickets to ride Santa’s Paradise Express on December 16th at 3pm AND four tickets to check out the ChooChoo Barn before December 31st. 

Fun Adventure Friday: Exton Square Mall

Exton Square Mall 

Let me set the stage for you…

It’s cold and rainy (or snowing) and you have got to get out of the house with the kids. They’ve been inside for days and are bouncing off the walls. It’s too cold to go outside to play and hey, you need a new pair of jeans anyway.

So you pack them into the car and head to the Exton Square Mall. After parking your car in the garage, so you all stay dry, you make a beeline to the playground. You think to yourself, “I hope there’s an open bench”. 

You turn the corner and see the old play area is gone. 

That’s right folks, the play area at the Exton Square Mall is gone. Not to worry though it’s been replaced by something much better than the old one could ever hope to be. 

Enclosed, with only one way in or out, with plenty of room for tired moms (or dads) to sit in comfort, the new play area offers so much more than it’s predecessor. The play area as a bunch of nature themed creatures to climb on, under, through and around so there’s plenty to keep your little ones busy. Around the perimeter of the play area are fun interactive toys to explore. 

The new play area is much bigger than the old one so it can easily accommodate a large number of kids. You’ll never have to tell your kids it’s too crowded for them to play again. 

There are convenient cubbies for your kids to put their shoes in that are right by the entrance. The entire play area is carpeted to provide a soft and squishy landing should your youngster fall off a giant flower. 

If you have older children they might have to find something else to do since the new play area is geared for the younger kids (under 42”). Of course you must also stick around while your kids play since this area is still unsupervised. 

The whole play area was pretty well thought out and will make a great addition to the Exton Square Mall. Have you been there yet? What did YOU think? 

Mychal is just a girlie girl raising two crazy little boys in Chester County. To read more about her sometimes dirt covered life, stop by My Life In Mommyland. 

Fun Adventure Friday: Philadelphia Zoo

The Philadelphia Zoo

Ok, I know this isn’t in Chester County but it’s close enough and worth the journey into the big city.

It’s the zoo so it’s going to be fun, engaging and educational all on it’s own. But the Philadelphia Zoo has something exciting going on right now and they’ve just extended it until November 25th.

Trail of the Lorax is a 3D exhibit that your kids can have fun interacting with all over the zoo. When you get to the zoo they’ll give you some 3D glasses that you’ll use at different places throughout the zoo to learn about the orangutan and the importance of protecting our wildlife.

My kids haven’t even seen The Lorax yet and they still loved going to each of the action stations by following all the clues the Lorax left behind. 

If you lose your glasses it’s no big deal, they’re handing them out everywhere. 

The rest of the zoo is just as fun as it was on that elementary school field trip all those years ago. 

Inside the avian center there’s a cute little video about the migration of birds. It’s animated and moves across a number of different screens. The kids loved it in the summertime because it gave them a little break from the heat and it was funny and interesting. 

I’m pretty sure that it was that little movie that got my six year old interested in migration, what it is and why some animals do it. The bonus of the movie is that it’s included with your admission. 

While most of what you see at the zoo is included with your admission there are a few extras that your little ones might want to take part in. If you’re not willing to plunk down the extra money you might want to look to avoid the train, swan boats, carousel and most definitely the Zooballon.

Note the 3D glasses

You can use the Philadelphia Zoo app for iPhone and Android ($1.99) to help you avoid the things you don’t want to see and find the things that interest you the most. The app is also helpful in planning your trip to the zoo. 

A trip to the Philadelphia Zoo can set you back a few bucks when all is said and done and if you think you might make it there two or three times in the next year a membership is probably the way to go. We brought our own lunch to try and save a little and I always avoid gift shops (they end either in tears or with an empty wallet). 

The Philadelphia Zoo has a lot to offer and kids of all ages will have a great time while learning about animals and conservation. This is definitely worth the trip out of Chester County to see.

Mychal is just a girlie girl raising two crazy little boys in Chester County. To read more about her sometimes dirt covered life, stop by My Life In Mommyland. 

Fun Adventure Friday {Highland Orchard}

Highland Orchards 

Highland Orchards is one of those places that we’ve been going since Cameron was an infant. This will be our seventh fall of apple and pumpkin picking and I can’t wait. 

From five months…

…To five years!

Fall isn’t the only time to visit Highland Orchards though, May through October Highland has something yummy for you to go out and pick. From apples to sweet corn you can add some fresh picked goodness to your menu. Our favorites are the strawberries, apples and pumpkins, which gets us back to Highland Orchards a few times a year. 

If you go during the week you can drive your own car out to the fields. The kids think that’s pretty cool but they think it’s much cooler when we visit on the weekend. When you visit Highland Orchards on the weekend you get to take a ride in the shuttle. The kids loves to bounce out to the fields in the open sided shuttles. They giggle as they slide across the seats bouncing from field to field. 

While I’m sure it’s frowned upon, we’ve been known taste test the apples while out in the fields. Gotta make sure they’re yummy, right? 

When you’ve finished picking some delicious treats in the fields you have to stop by their bakery for some of their apple cider donuts. One word…AMAZING! The black bean salsa is also a favorite of ours.  

Now that you have some fresh picked goodies and a few donuts (that you’ll probably eat  in the car on the way home) let the kids run around in the Kids Korral. What kid doesn’t like to see some furry creatures up close? Give the goats a little snack! Hold out a handful of “goat food” and watch all the goats within sniffing distance flock to your child’s little hand. 

Highland Orchards offers a fun family adventure. The kids love to see where their food comes from and it doesn’t get much more fresh than picking it yourself. 

The fall season will be hear before we know it, make sure Highland Orchards is on your list of places to take the kids to enjoy a fun family adventure.

Mychal is just a girlie girl raising two crazy little boys in Chester County. To read more about her sometimes dirt covered life, stop by My Life In Mommyland. 

Fun Adventure Friday: Herr’s Snack Factory Tour

Located in the far southwest corner of the county, the Herr’s Factory is a bit of a hike from just about everywhere. The Herr’s Snack Factory Tour is tastiest tour you’ll go on and that makes it worth the trip. 

The first thing you’ll see is a short video that tells you how Herr Foods came to be. It’s actually an interesting story and it’s a love story too. After the movie you break out into tour groups and wait to be taken out of the theater. This is the part my boys have the most difficulty with, if we’re not the first to go on the tour they get tired of waiting. You might want to pack something for them to do while they wait incase you’re not in one of the first groups to go on the tour. 

Once on the tour all is well again. 

Over the course of the tour you see pretzels, corn chips, popcorn and potato chips. The smells are amazing and it’s really interesting to see how our favorite snacks are actually made. Yes, this is an actual working factory, it’s the real deal. You catch a glimpse of all the processes right up to packaging and shipping. 

I’m not sure if the kids are too interested in the how or why but they love to watch all the machines at work. 

The Herr’s Snack Factory Tour saves the best for last! The tour ends with hot chips fresh off the presses. They’re still warm, it doesn’t get much more fresh than that. 

After snacking on those fresh, warm chips you head back into the visitor center where you’re given a free bag of chips. 

It is important to know that there are a couple points along the tour that you will have to go outside to move between buildings, but the tour is stroller and wheelchair friendly. 

If the tour leaves you hungry for more there is a great gift shop where you can purchase just about every flavor of snack Herr’s has to offer. There are even snacks that are not available in stores. In addition to all the tasty snacks, the gift shop also has neat Herr’s logo goodies. Cool cups for the kids. A coffee mug for mom. A shirt to remember your visit. It’s amazing the amount of cool merchandise they fit in that little gift shop. 

The down side to the tour? No cameras are allowed so you don’t get any cool photos of the kids enjoying the tour. I understand the reasoning but wish I could have had a few photos along the way. 

Not too far from the Herr’s Snack Factory Tour is Nottingham County Park. Stop there after your tour for a picnic lunch and some playtime before you hop back in the car to head home. 

The kids really enjoy the Herr’s Snack Factory Tour and it really is a must see here in Chester County. This adventure gets two thumbs up from my boys! 

Mychal is just a girlie girl raising two crazy little boys in Chester County. To read more about her sometimes dirt covered life, stop by My Life In Mommyland. 

Fun Adventure Friday: Longwood Gardens

Longwood Gardens

Hands down one of our favorite places to visit in Chester County is Longwood Gardens. In the years we’ve been visiting Longwood it has certainly gotten more child friendly. With the tree houses and the indoor and outdoors children’s gardens there are plenty of fun, kid friendly things to do. 

The kids never get tired of visiting Longwood Gardens and it’s a great place to visit all year long. With beautiful blooms and fireworks half the year and beautiful lights and trains the other half. 

They often have fun activities for the kids and special events on days off from school. Craft and learning stations scattered throughout the gardens give the kids something new to try as they run around in the fresh air. 

My kids love to run through the mist of the fountains during the main fountain show. It’s the perfect way to cool off on a hot summer day. I even get in on the action from time to time. 

Monday and Tuesday mornings your preschooler can enjoy story time and a fun craft. The kids can learn about garden related topics in a fun environment and it gives you a great excuse to get out of the house. 

The best way to visit Longwood Gardens? As a member! Sure membership is a little pricey at $120 for a family, but it pays for itself quickly. Your membership also gets you discount on other things Longwood Gardens has to offer as well as discounts at garden centers and nurseries in the area.

Also going on now is something that you’ll want to let the kids stay up late to see. British artist Bruce Munro has his first ever light installment in the United States and his largest ever installment at Longwood Gardens right now. There is even an iPhone app to give you more details as you walk amongst the lights. Hurry though, the installment is only open until September 29th. 

A comfortable drive from most places within the county, Longwood Gardens is a must see (often) attraction. 

Mychal is just a girlie girl raising two crazy little boys in Chester County. To read more about her sometimes dirt covered life, stop by My Life In Mommyland. 

Fun Adventure Friday: Walk Amongst The Butterflies

Springton Manor Farm

While Springton Manor Farm is full of interesting things to keep your kids occupied, I wanted to tell you about one part of the farm that is a must see. 

When you get to Springton Manor Farm, don’t blink or you might miss the turn off for the Butterfly House. We did and it sent us on an extra adventure around the property. Thankfully the staff was very helpful and was able to point us in the right direction.

What adventure would be complete without the picture with the face cutouts? 

My little creatures

Once inside we were in a kind of holding room that was closed off from the outside world and the butterflies inside the butterfly house. There we found some really nice ladies who told us about the butterfly house and asked Cameron a few questions about butterflies. I like it when I can sneak in something educational with our fun adventures. 

We were given sheets with butterfly photos and sent inside to try and see how many different butterflies we could find. 

You really can get THAT close

I’ve seen plenty of butterflies before but I have NEVER been this up close and personal with so many all at once. It wasn’t overwhelming, and they didn’t swarm us or anything but it was pretty amazing. They didn’t seem to even notice we were there as they landed all around us going about their short little lives. 

There were even little stations where you could learn more about the butterflies. Our favorite was the Chrysalis Chamber where you can see the chrysalises of the different butterflies up close. We even got to see a few freshly hatched butterflies.  

Learning about chrysalises

The woman who was working there was so nice, she even came in with us and showed us where the caterpillars had been nibbling on some milkweed and was even able to track down a few fat caterpillars for the boys to see. She was great about engaging the boys in conversation about the lifecycle of butterflies and she even taught me a few things. 

Logan getting a closer look

When we had had our fill of the butterflies we were able to do a fun stamp activity that taught us a little more about the lifecycle of butterflies. We checked ourselves for hitchhikers and off we went for a picnic lunch in the shade. 

We would highly recommend that you put the Springton Manor Farm Butterfly House on your list of fun places to visit. Keep in mind that this trip might not be for everyone though. The butterfly house is fairly small and there is no room to run around. If your children are a little rambunctious you might not want to visit the butterflies. 

Mychal is just a girlie girl raising two crazy little boys in Chester County. To read more about her sometimes dirt covered life, stop by My Life In Mommyland. 

Fun Adventure Friday: Indoor Fun with Cheap Movies!

Beating the heat with an indoor adventure 

Yet another disgustingly hot summer is upon us. Not even the kids want to go outside right now, but I desperately need to get the boys out of the house. 

I’ve known about the Summer Movie Express at Regal for years now but have never been brave enough to take the kids. 

Neither of the boys have ever been to a movie in the theater because I was always afraid of spending all that money just to have to leave because it was too loud or they got board. Then I was afraid of trying to wrangle both kids alone at the theater. 

With this being the summer where I get out and try new things I decided to give it a try. The worst that could happen is I’m out three bucks. 

Summer Movie Express…where have you been all my life?!? Can you really beat $1 a person to go see a movie in the theater?

I was worried about how crowded it would be, but they actually had the movie showing in three different theaters at the same time so there was plenty of room to stretch out and not bother anyone else. 

We paid twice as much for the popcorn as we did for the three of us to get into the movie but for the three of us to see a movie with popcorn for less than ten dollars it’s a bargain. Most mothers brought their own snacks and I’m not sure how Regal feels about that but it’ll sure save you a ton of money. 

If you’re thinking about taking your kids to the $1 movies you should know that they are not first run movies but the kids don’t seem to mind it. The boys loved the experience of going to the movie theater, munching on some popcorn and seeing a movie on the big screen. 

Thankfully we didn’t have a million trips to the bathroom, just once before and once after. The boys were so riveted by the movie that they didn’t want to miss a thing. That was another reason I was hesitant to take them to a movie, I was worried wed spend most of the time in the bathrooms. 

If you’re looking for something to do with the kids on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning we highly recommend the Regal Summer Movie Express. The show time is early enough that it doesn’t kill the entire day and you can make it home in time for naps. We even made an afternoon out of it and went to lunch when the movie let out. 

The Summer Movie Express runs for nine weeks, so there is still time to get the kids out and see a movie. 

Even though the movie was something the boys had seen before they gave the whole experience four thumbs up!  

Mychal is just a girlie girl raising two crazy little boys in Chester County. To read more about her sometimes dirt covered life, stop by My Life In Mommyland. 

Fun Adventure Friday: Stroud Preserve

Stroud Preserve 

I promise that Logan had fun.

This week the boys and I visited a hidden gem in Chester County, Stroud Preserve. With more than nine miles of walking trails that range from easy to moderate it is a great place to get out and be one with nature. 

When Cameron was in preschool he was fortunate enough to have two AMAZING teachers. Coleen and Jodi have come up with some wonderful, science based programs for preschoolers and Kindergarteners. When Cameron was in their enrichment class we received directions for a hike at Stroud Preserve. We never got to take that hike with his class since it rained but I held on to the directions knowing that someday we would go. Now I get to share them with all of you. 

The boys were so excited for this adventure and they were really engaged with the conversation about all the great things at the preserve. We talked about the birds we saw and I showed them the birdhouses that are scattered throughout the preserve. They listened to the sounds the insects made and counted the butterflies. 

One of many rest breaks.

With the directions, which you can print out for yourself HERE, there was also a list of things for us to look for. Whenever one of the boys would find something off the list they would get so excited. Cameron also loved holding on to the directions and being our tour guide. Of course it did get us lost…TWICE! 

We would highly recommend taking your family there for a stroll through nature. It was so nice to unplug for a while and hear nothing but the crunching of the ground beneath our feet, and the songs of nature (of course we heard the boy’s chattering on too). 

When we got to the top of the hill and took in the views of the beautiful Chester County countryside, even the boys stopped for a minute. 

The Chester County countryside.

I will warn you, little one’s will tire out quickly. Logan was sobbing that he was tired and wanted to go home for part of our journey. He was much better after a snack and a little rest though. 

At one point we were pretty deep in the woods and I wondered if we had taken a wrong turn (again). The pathway was barely wide enough for us to fit through single file, and I had visions of the Blair Witch Project dancing through my head. We did eventually make it out though. 

The hollow tree along the path.

Want to visit Stroud Preserve with the kids? There’s an app for that.

That’s right, you can use your Apple or Android device to take the SCVNGR Challenge. There are ten challenges to work through using signs, hands on activities and opportunities to reflect on their experience. Complete all ten challenges and get a free T-shirt. How cool is THAT?!? The app is a great way to get our tech savvy kids out and interested in what nature has to offer. I only wish I had known about the app before we went. Oh well, it’s an excuse to go back again.

The down side? Stroud Preserve would be a wonderful place to have a picnic, but unfortunately they don’t allow it. Stroud Preserve and the Natural Land Trust want their visitors to follow the Leave No Trace Principles when visiting. I can respect that, Stroud Preserve is too beautiful of a place to spoil. 

Check out what Stroud Preserve has to offer, it’s good, FREE fun!

Stroud Preserve Printable Download

Mychal is just a girlie girl raising two crazy little boys in Chester County. To read more about her sometimes dirt covered life, stop by My Life In Mommyland. 

Fun Adventure Friday: Meet Mychal

Hi! I wanted to take a minute to introduce myself and let you know what you will be seeing here for Fun Adventure Friday.

My name is Mychal, and I blog about my life as the mother of two amazing little boys. Cameron (6) and Logan (3) have changed my life completely and everyday as their mother is an adventure. Feel free, when you’re done here, to check me out at My Life In Mommyland. 

I am also the wife of a very hardworking golf course superintendent. Bill spends most of his time at the course in the summer, leaving the boys and I to our own devices. 

For the past six years, as a mother, I’ve stayed at home waiting for Bill to be able to go out and do things with us. Often times the boys and I were left disappointed and bored all summer long. I’ve also been afraid to take the boys anywhere without him there. After all, I am outnumbered when I’m alone. 

All that changes THIS summer! We’re stepping out and we’re going to have some fun. 

I’m going to share my adventures with you every other Friday and let you know about all the fun we had at various places in and around Chester County. My hope is that when you read about all the fun we had, you’ll want to try these places out too. 

I plan to share my tips for an easy visit, and what we loved (or didn’t love) about the places we go. 

If there is any place that you’d like to see us visit and let you know what we think, please feel free to comment here and let me know where we should go. My boys and I will be your guinea pigs. 

I’m looking forward to our many adventures this summer!

Mychal is just a girlie girl raising two crazy little boys in Chester County. To read more about her sometimes dirt covered life, stop by My Life In Mommyland.