Road Trip through Eastern Pennsylvania: the best stops for family fun

Join us on a road trip through Eastern Pennsylvania, highlighting some of our favorite destinations. We’ve ordered them geographically from the southern to the northern part of the state. This makes it easy to plan a fun road trip for your family.

Eastern Pennsylvania road trip stop #1: Philadelphia

The City of Brotherly Love is our first stop along our road trip through Eastern Pennsylvania – it is full of options for family fun. If you are looking for free things to do, stop by Love Park if it’s a nice day to take some photos by the giant LOVE sign or in front of the fountains at Logan Square Park just a few blocks away.

Walk or take the metro about a mile to explore Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and take a timed tour. You can also walk through the adjacent Liberty Bell Museum. These attractions are all free.

If you are willing to some money spend on tickets, the Philadelphia Art Museum is iconic, huge, and worthwhile to visit. But, you can always opt to just climb its stairs and take a photo with the famous rocky statue!

Our children love the Philadelphia Zoo (the first zoo created in the US, with a cats walk for the big cats that you will see overhead and all around!), and the Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University, mainly for the bugs.

The Franklin Institute is an awesome (and also quite large) museum with a giant model heart/play area, a huge climbable spider web, and many interesting exhibits related to science.

Any of these are great options, and you can find more information and more ideas on family friendly activities in Philadelphia on this post.

Road trip stop #2: Allentown

Going a bit farther north, you will come to Allentown and the surrounding area, which is mountainous and lovely. We enjoyed the resort at Bear Creek Mountain, which is one among several great options in the area for skiing and snowtubing in the winter.

If it is summer time, the Allentown Rose Garden is a really pretty little park and a relaxing place for a stroll. It is free with plenty of nearby free parking. A pavilion and a wide variety of colorful blooms make it another great place to take family photos.

About 40 minutes east of Allentown you can visit a lesser known, but very unique attraction called Ringing Rocks Park. Make sure you bring a hammer! No, it’s just to keep your kids in line, but rather to strike the various boulders so you can hear the different musical tones they emit.

Road trip stop #3: The Poconos

A little farther north you will come to the Poconos, and the picturesque little town of Jim Thorp. This town is known as the gateway to the Poconos, and is a fun place to visit in its own right. The parking area next to the train station is reasonably priced, though it can get crowded.

From here you take a train tour, visit some of the many unique eateries and shops, walk a lovely trail across the bridge into the mountains, or simply throw stones along the banks of the Susquehanna River (because after all, what entertains kids better than a river and some stones?)

Great Wolf Lodge or Kalahari are favorite resorts if you’re looking for a waterpark experience. Camelback Mountain, Blue Mountain, and Shawnee Mountain are a few resorts known for their skiing.

For hiking, Bushkill Falls is a really beautiful attraction, with a fun network of wooden walkways, stairs and bridges that gives you a variety of views to enjoy. But there are also plenty of waterfalls you can see for free! The Delaware Water Gap is a gorgeous area with a variety of hikes, such as the family-friendly hike to Dingman’s Falls.

Road trip stop #4: Wilkes- Barre

Though it’s not “touristy” at all, the Wilkes-Barre area has a lot to offer, and is a fun place to find some quintessential Pennsylvania experiences. We enjoyed several free parks in the area. The Seven Tubs Recreation Area contains some unusual and lovely formations or “tubs” created by continuous glacial melt. They created tiny waterfalls, pools, and miniature gorges in different shapes throughout the park. The terrain is steep in parts, so exercise caution.

Another experience we enjoyed in this area was taking a tour of the Lackawanna Coal Mine. We learned about the mining history of the state while exploring underground. Of course, the kids enjoyed wearing hardhats and riding in the cart.

You can also visit the Steamtown National Historic site and take a short train ride. It is reasonably priced, with plenty of lovely views. Finally, Montage Mountain is a well-known ski resort near this area.

Eastern Pennsylvania road trip stop #5: Montrose

Keep heading north to finish out your road trip through Eastern Pennsylvania by visiting the lovely (and uncrowded!) Endless Mountains region. Make sure to stop by the small town of Montrose, with it’s historic buildings and mountain-town charm.

Just outside of the town of Montrose is beautiful Salt Springs State Park. To see the gorge and waterfall, park in the first parking lot and climb the hill, following the path. You will come to the gorge and follow the rim (carefully) until you are overlooking the waterfall. We had a wonderful time sledding here one December, and it is also great for snowboarding or cross-country skiing. If you’re interested in the down-hill kind of skiing, Elk Mountain Ski Resort is great for any skill level.

This area also hosts the D&H Rail Trail, a 38 mile trail. You can access the trail in Simpson, PA, and actually take it all the way to the New York border if you want to. The gravel trail works well for strollers or bikes since it is wide and flat. We also noticed that there were signs along the way where you could scan a QR code to get to trail friendly businesses for folks who’d like to hop off the trail at different points and enjoy the towns.

Enjoy your road trip through Eastern PA! Find more family-friendly attractions throughout Pennsylvania on this post.