Just got back from our 6th Annual trip out to the Strasburg/Lancaster area. It started as separate trips back in 2009 with our daughter, but turned into an overnight affair with both kids. This time around, we stayed 2 nights at the Historic Strasburg Hotel (Clarion), and although there were periods of rain in the forecast (why not – it’s only our vacation time), we had a fun time.
Leaving our house shortly after 8am, and dropping the dog off at dog daycare (yes, we use these services) after finding out they didn’t open till 9am (doh!), we arrived at Dutch Wonderland around 11am. The best part of the day was no rain. However, it was very humid, and yet the kids walked most of the day, only stopped a few times for rides in the stroller. Note to self – much easier to push an empty stroller around a park!
My 4-year old son loved the whip, and enjoyed what are probably some of his last rides on the really small kids rides. My daughter on the other hand, rode the Sky Princess roller coaster, and enjoyed it so much we rode it six times! She’s definitely showing an interest in thrill rides. As much as I enjoyed riding it with her, it was kinda sad knowing that she’s getting so big so fast and we may only be visiting this park one more year. A new addition for 2014, their botanical gardens area got revamped into a Discovery Island, complete with animated dinosaurs and a kid’s play area. All in all the day was a lot of fun, and after a quick dinner at Panera’s, we headed to bed. Of course, that night, the kids sleep, but the parents didn’t – what would turn out to be the norm for the second night as well.
Monday, we did the annual pilgrimage to the Strasburg Railroad and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. Both great attractions! We upgraded our tickets and ate lunch on the train, riding in the air conditioned dining car, and laughing as the kids literally inhaled whoopie pies. The rest of the day we spent some time in the hotel pool, did some shopping, had our also annual dinner at Miller’s Smorgasbord (kids had ANOTHER dessert), and then headed in for another night of rain and no sleeping.
Tuesday, after checking out of the hotel, we drove into Lancaster, and visited That Pet Place, one of the largest pet stores in the country. Yes, it really is that big! They have a very large fish room, split into fresh and salt water areas, plus one of the largest collection of corral you can buy anywhere I’ve been. We spent over an hour looking around, then headed home. I definitely encourage anyone to stop by and visit the store – it was worth the stop!
Overall, we had a nice trip – would have been nice to sleep a bit more! The kids had fun and came home with a bunch of stop they wanted. My daughter in particular brought home a trove of random souvenirs. I’m still shocked at how quickly they’re growing, and wondering when we won’t want to visit the park anymore because they’re too big. But for now, it was another couple of days to relax and enjoy family time! Now, back to my regular scheduled running. (I think I walked a little over 4 miles at the park, based primarily on my wife’s FitBit step count.)