Cherry Crest Farm, Strasburg RR... advice for young family?

My husband and I will be vacationing in Hershey, in late August, with our children ages 5, 3, and 1. (Might try to leave baby with grandparents.)

We%26#39;ll definitely be going to Dutch Wonderland, Hershey Park, and Chocolate World.

Can%26#39;t decide about Strasburg train ride, Cherry Crest Farm, or an Amish homestead/store/restaurant.

I%26#39;m a notorious optimist and an over-planner, so I would appreciate straight advice. ;o)

Thanks!

Cherry Crest Farm, Strasburg RR... advice for young family?

The train ride was great fun for our 5 year old.... very roomy, large windows, a great chance for kids to get out of the car and stretch....

Cherry Crest Farm, Strasburg RR... advice for young family?

Dutch Wonderland, Cherry Crest, Strausburg Railroad %26amp; Chocolate World are all supper choices for your little ones. Don%26#39;t forget ZooAmerica in Hershey as well.

Hershey Park might be a bit much for the little ones as it really is geared to bigger kids. The are the perfect ages for Dutch Wonderland.

While in the Lancaster area, they would probably really enjoy one of the many Buggie Ride operations available. While these are obviously not run by the Old Order Amish, they do use tradional buggies and the ride is what the kids would be most interested in anyway.

Hope this is some help. Any other questions you think of let us know.

Dan

We just came back from a 10 day trek across PA with our 5yr old. We went to Pittsburgh, Mill Run, Hershey, and Strasburg.

Hershey: Chocolate World is fun but expensive with little one%26#39;s if you let them do the interactive stuff. Our 5yr old LOVED the ';free'; chocolate tour...we had to do it a few times. Hershey Park is geared towards older kids, but there are plenty of rides for the little ones too. The only complaint I had was that they were spread all over the park rather than in a kiddie section. We decided not to pay the full admission to watch our son ride kiddie rides and got in for $22 at 5pm. We still had plenty of time for him to ride a lot of rides, but not go to the zoo. We spent that morning at Hershey Gardens which was fabulous and our son loved it too. They have a wonderful interactive children%26#39;s garden and butterfly house, plus a lot of space to run and romp. There%26#39;s also a fabulous antique car museum about 2miles from Chocolate World. We stumbled across it because it was next to our hotel, SpringHill Suites. It was really nice and had several interactive areas for kids.

Strasburg: This was the crown jewel of our vacation for our train loving 5yr old. It really depends on how much time you have. We stayed 2 days, but would have been better off with 3. We stayed at the Red Caboose Motel, made of actual cabooses rented out as rooms(petting zoo, Amish buggy rides, movie on the barn at night, shaking dining car restaraunt, etc). It%26#39;s not the Hilton, but it%26#39;s fabulously kid friendly and the new owner has made HUGE improvements. It%26#39;s located next to the Toy Train Museum which is the largest model train display around. We all enjoyed the steam train rides, although they%26#39;re pretty much 20 min each way, but at least the scenery is Amish farmland rather than highways and industrial parks. There are countless packages for train rides. It really depends on your kids. We decided that 2 rides would be MORE than enough(for mom/dad), so we did the dining car (a little expensive, but what%26#39;s new?) and then the first class car later in the afternoon timed just right for a needed rest/snack. In between, we walked across the street to the RR Museum which was really nice and highly reccomended, especially with boys. We didn%26#39;t plan to visit Cherry Crest Farm, but ended up spending an afternoon there the 2nd day because our son saw the ';jumping pillow'; from the train the 1st day. As it turns out, this is a fabulous place for young kids. There are endless activities for them. We were there 4 hrs and only covered about 60%. We tried the corn maze, but had to give up after 1.5hrs due to another schedule (I%26#39;m an overplanner too). The maze is fun, but not good for those with young kids. It takes a long time and gets tiring for little feet. We didn%26#39;t have time for Dutch Wonderland but heard it%26#39;s great for little ones. Instead, we reserved tickets to Sight %26amp; Sound Theatre. They perform fabulous stage shows based on Biblical stories. The tickets are fairly expensive and sell out weeks in advance, but it%26#39;s worth it if you enjoy this kind of thing. Currently the story is ';In the Beginning';. Our son was spell-bound for 2 solid hours with the stage, live animals everywhere, etc. We didn%26#39;t explore the PA Amish because we have plenty here in Ohio and spend a great deal of time in that area.

Just down the street from the Strasburg Railroad is the Choo Choo Barn, They have a model trian dispaly the kids will love, plus you can eat at Isaac%26#39;s Deli. In the center of town is the General Store and Creamry (a not to miss waffle-type cone filled with ice cream). South of town on Rt 896 is the Amish Home and Farm. The kids will love to roam about the farmland. Do Hershey when the kids get older.

I entirely agree with going to Hershey Park, Chocolate World and Dutch Wonderland. The little kids will definitely enjoy all three attractions. I would not recommend Cherry Crest Farm. You will be baking in the sun with 2 or 3 impatient kids. The Strasburg train ride will be fun, as would Choo Choo Barn - a model train display just down Rt. 741.

Last time we went we did the Strasburg train - and I thought at least one of them actually stopped at Cherry Crest Farm and picked you back up on the way back. We did not take that option so I am not really sure - but it should be on the website. Both the Strasburg railroad/museum and Cherry Crest Farm are worth it. Dutch Wonderland would probably be better for your younger kids - but ZooAmerica is great, so personally I would go for Hershey!! We also go to Chocolate World EVERY visit to the area. I think I must have been there at least a dozen times.

Choo Choo Barn is fantastic -we visit every time we visit area. Amish Farm and House was good too - but I havent been in years so it may have changed. I will be in the area next week for a family reunion.