Unique & Hidden Gem Activities for Families

Explore the best unique & hidden gem activities for families options for kids and families in Reading

Crystal Cave

Crystal Cave

Underground park with mineral formations. Subterranean attraction of rock formations, plus outdoor mini-golf & panning for gems.

Visit
Historic Ephrata Cloister

Historic Ephrata Cloister

1700s religious site offering tours. Visitors can explore the unique buildings & grounds of this monastic community founded in the 1700s.

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Refreshing Mountain Retreat and Adventure Center

Refreshing Mountain Retreat and Adventure Center

Casual cabins in a woodland resort. Relaxed cabins with kitchenettes in a resort offering an outdoor pool & sports.

Visit
Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area

Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area

Designated area for hunting & fishing. This expansive natural area offers opportunities specifically for hunters & people catching fish.

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Wolf Sanctuary of PA

Wolf Sanctuary of PA

Wolf refuge with guided tours. Family-owned wolf refuge with guided tours, including a once-a-month Full Moon night event.

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Lititz Springs Park

Lititz Springs Park

Private park with a bandshell for events. Privately run park offering regular concerts as well as a playground & concession stands.

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Hands-on House, Children's Museum of Lancaster

Hands-on House, Children's Museum of Lancaster

Interactive activities for kids 2 to 10. This roomy venue offers interactive exhibits, classes & events geared for kids ages 2 to 10.

Visit
Cornwall Iron Furnace

Cornwall Iron Furnace

19th-century iron-making complex. Historic 19th-century iron furnace & museum honoring the early American iron industry.

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Gem Miners Jubilee

Gem Miners Jubilee

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Wildlands Conservancy

Wildlands Conservancy

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Dutch Wonderland Family Amusement Park

Dutch Wonderland Family Amusement Park

Massive, family-friendly amusement park. Amusement Park has 44 acres of roller coasters, water slides, kids' shows, a castle & campgrounds.

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Haines Mill Museum

Haines Mill Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Museum of Indian Culture

Museum of Indian Culture

Exhibits & education in historic digs. Rustic facility with Native American artifacts & crafts, plus interactive programs & events.

Visit
Imagi Nation

Imagi Nation

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Coleman Memorial Park

Coleman Memorial Park

Large park with sports, a pool & trails. Roomy park with gardens, forest trails, athletic fields, picnic pavilions, an amphitheater & pool.

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Trexler Memorial Park

Trexler Memorial Park

Open grassy areas & walking trails. Scenic park with large old trees, grassy lawns & a duck pond, plus paths for cycling & running.

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Lehigh Valley Zoo

Lehigh Valley Zoo

Kangaroos, cockatoos, crocodiles & camps. Zoo offers kangaroos, cockatoos, bobcats, bison, pony rides, a penguin pavilion & a camp for kids.

Visit
Trexler Nature Preserve

Trexler Nature Preserve

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Lancaster Science Factory

Lancaster Science Factory

Interactive science museum for kids. Museum where kids can explore science, engineering & technology principles with hands-on displays.

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Treehouse World

Treehouse World

Kid-friendly activity place in a forest. Outdoor amusement center with treehouses, zip lines, bungee trampolines & other activities.

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Go N Bananas Family Fun Center

Go N Bananas Family Fun Center

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Da Vinci Science Center

Da Vinci Science Center

Double-decker, interactive science spot. Innovative exhibits & hands-on science experiments for all ages in a modern, two-story space.

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Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum

Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum

Local historical society museum. One of the largest historical society museums in the country, with 6 galleries on area history.

Visit
Quittie Creek Nature Park

Quittie Creek Nature Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Planet Trog Entertainment Complex

Planet Trog Entertainment Complex

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Pierre du Pont House

Pierre du Pont House

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Sand Island Park

Sand Island Park

Tennis programs, trails & a playground. Urban park with clay tennis courts, a clubhouse & lessons, plus a playground & biking/hiking trails.

Visit
Moravian Museum of Bethlehem - 1741 Gemeinhaus

Moravian Museum of Bethlehem - 1741 Gemeinhaus

Guided tours of 18th-century buildings. Tours are offered of 1700s buildings, with information on the town's founders & early history.

Visit
Burnside Plantation

Burnside Plantation

18th-century farm with period displays. 6.5-acre plantation with 1700s & 1800s farm buildings, living history exhibits & frequent events.

Visit
Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts

Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts

Museum in 3 connected 19th-century homes. Housed in 3 connected 19th-century homes, this museum features exhibits on decorative arts.

Visit
National Museum of Industrial History

National Museum of Industrial History

Exhibits of American machinery & tech. A collection of engines, printing presses & other artifacts, presented with historical context.

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Lehigh & Keystone Valley Model Railroad Museum, Inc.

Lehigh & Keystone Valley Model Railroad Museum, Inc.

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Kids Quest at Wind Creek Bethlehem Casino

Kids Quest at Wind Creek Bethlehem Casino

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Lost River Caverns

Lost River Caverns

Underground walking tours, museum & shop. Attraction since 1930 with underground walking tours, museum, trail, gem mill, store & picnic areas.

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Illick's Mill Park

Illick's Mill Park

Leafy park containing a historic mill. Riverside park with a historic grist mill, many mature trees & a peaceful atmosphere.

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Sanderson Museum

Sanderson Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Brandywine Museum of Art

Brandywine Museum of Art

Museum with paintings & sweeping views. Gristmill-turned-museum with paintings by Howard Pyle, N.C. Wyeth & others plus big windows & views.

Visit
The Woodlands at Phillips Mushroom Farms

The Woodlands at Phillips Mushroom Farms

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Newlin Grist Mill Park

Newlin Grist Mill Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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The Butterfly Atrium at Hershey Gardens

The Butterfly Atrium at Hershey Gardens

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Ashland Nature Center of Delaware Nature Society

Ashland Nature Center of Delaware Nature Society

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Where the Wild Things Play (Hershey, PA)

Where the Wild Things Play (Hershey, PA)

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Mt. Cuba Center

Mt. Cuba Center

Woodland gardens at a 1930s manor house. Parkland at a Colonial Revival mansion, planted with native species & open in summer for tours.

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Delaware Museum of Nature & Science

Delaware Museum of Nature & Science

Dinosaurs & other kid-friendly exhibits. Cozy, kid-friendly museum featuring dinosaurs, shells, a butterfly garden & interactive exhibits.

Visit
Brandywine Creek State Park

Brandywine Creek State Park

Historic preserve with forest & marshes. 933-acre preserve divided by 19th-century stone walls, with tulip poplar forest & nature center.

Visit
Morris Arboretum & Gardens of the University of Pennsylvania

Morris Arboretum & Gardens of the University of Pennsylvania

Variety of plants & trees on old estate. Afternoon destination drawing nature-lovers with its collection of flora on a 19th-century estate.

Visit
SPARK Creativity Center

SPARK Creativity Center

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Indian Echo Caverns

Indian Echo Caverns

Stalagtites & pools in underground caves. Caverns with impressive limestone formations & underground lakes, plus a gem mill on the property.

Visit
Challenge Family Fun Center

Challenge Family Fun Center

Mini golf, arcade games & batting cages. Indoor/outdoor family recreation spot features a mini golf course, arcade games & batting cages.

Visit
Natural Lands' Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary

Natural Lands' Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary

200-acre conservation site with trails. Vast nature preserve with a trail system, observation points overlooking the river & a library.

Visit
Bette's Family Fun Center

Bette's Family Fun Center

Spacious indoor play area with snack bar. Expansive indoor play area offering inflatable structures, video games & slides, plus a snack bar.

Visit
Hagley Museum

Hagley Museum

Gunpowder mills & du Pont family history. Riverfront site featuring regional industrial history, including gunpowder mills & the du Pont home.

Visit
Putt-Putt Fun Center

Putt-Putt Fun Center

Mainstay for mini-golf, games & more. Veteran mini-golf chain venue with arcade games & snacks, plus birthday parties.

Visit
Rockford Tower

Rockford Tower

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Alapocas Run State Park

Alapocas Run State Park

Forest with trails of varying length. State park featuring forest trails of varying length & difficulty for hiking, biking & jogging.

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Can-Do Playground

Can-Do Playground

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Marian Coffin Gardens at Gibraltar

Marian Coffin Gardens at Gibraltar

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Rockwood Park & Museum

Rockwood Park & Museum

Gothic mansion with hiking trails. 19th-century Gothic manor house featuring regular guided tours & park with gardens & paved trails.

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Awbury Arboretum

Awbury Arboretum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Sigal Museum and Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society

Sigal Museum and Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society

Center for regional history & exhibits. Resource for artifacts from pre-European settlers, decorative arts, textiles, tools & furniture.

Visit
Please Touch Museum

Please Touch Museum

Family-friendly, interactive exhibits. A large environment with a focus on ages 3-12 contains hands-on attractions, plus an on-site cafe.

Visit
Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse

Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse

Expansive play area with an iconic slide. Iconic playground with a historic wooden slide & 16,000-sq.-ft. playhouse on 6.5 wooded acres.

Visit
Delaware Children's Museum

Delaware Children's Museum

Interactive play for kids of all ages. Riverfront building for toddlers to teens features interactive exhibits & a climbing structure.

Visit
Hendrickson House Museum

Hendrickson House Museum

Swedish colonial farmhouse with tours. One of Delaware's oldest homes, this reconstructed Swedish colonial farmhouse offers tours & a shop.

Visit
The Treehouse

The Treehouse

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Visit
Hale Byrnes House

Hale Byrnes House

Historic brick home from the 1700s. This preserved private home from the 1700s keeps limited visiting hours. Available for rental.

Visit

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