1. Go creek stomping.
Historic Pool Forge in Churchtown has an easy entry creek access point. There is also a shaded playground and pavilion perfect for a packed lunch.
Boehringer’s Drive-In
Another entertaining venue for creek play is at Boehringers in Adamstown (be sure to get some ice cream while you are there too!).
Talmage Park in Brownstown, also has an easy entry. Walk back the fitness path and you’ll see a picnic table along the creek.
Take some tubes down to the Pequea Creek and float down the creek! There is a bridge before the Pequea Campground where you can park. You’ll need another vehicle to pick you up at the campground.
2. Visit a local pool—not just your community pool.
There are many pools around the county great for families including Lititz, Ephrata, Reamstown, and New Holland.
Woodcrest Retreat Pool
Think outside the box too, and consider looking into campgrounds. We found that Woodcrest Retreat has better prices than our local pool!
Refreshing Mountain Pool
Refreshing Mountain also has an exciting pool and often has Local Flavor half off deals available, so that’s a great way to save.
Or consider the FREE wading pools and splash pads in the area!
3. Spend the day at a place with air conditioning.
That Fish Place, in Centerville, is actually a pet store with tons of animals and fish, but it is a great place for kids to explore over 88,000 square feet of retail. Experience everything from dogs, to cats, to birds, to reptiles, to small pets, to pond animals, to wild birds, to fish in aquariums and more! And its all FREE.
Of course there are many other indoor museums you can consider as well, including the Hands on House, the Choo Choo Barn, Lancaster Science Factory, Turkey Hill Experience and the North Museum.
4. Listen to an Audio CD while driving to a field trip.
Only about an hour’s drive away is the Herr’s Potato Chip Factory Tour and The Crayola Experience. Or maybe you even want to venture out to the Baltimore Aquarium!
On your drive there, turn on the AC and listen to a book on CD. We recently went to the library and found Wooton’s Whirled History: A Mix of Melody Makers (Adventures in Odyssey). It was the most incredible thing I’ve listened to in awhile. I couldn’t believe how captivating it was even for adults! And how we learned and remembered the stories of how songs like Amazing Grace, Jesus Loves Me and It is Well With My Soul came to be.
My younger kids also enjoyed Bear’s Loose Tooth, Corduroy and The Gruffalo.
5. Splash in a waterpark, splash pad or waterslide!
Dutch Wonderland, Hershey Park, Dorney Park and Sesame Place are all within reasonable distance of Lancaster.
If those aren’t in your budget, consider going down town to Binn’s Park and stepping on the water fountain spray features (see photos here), or visiting one of the other FREE wading pools and splash pads in the area!
Woodcrest Retreat 225ft Waterslide
Another idea could be to get a few families together and visit the Woodcrest Retreat waterslide. You need to have a group if you are not a registered camper. Or if you pay to visit the pool, the slide is included!!!
If all else fails, stay in your backyard!
I created a pinterest board to share with you called How to Beat the Heat with Your Kids. There are tons of ideas you can do with water or ice, and you don’t need a pool to do them!
I look forward to trying the towel water balloon toss and the squirt gun water races with my kids. And you can’t go wrong with a sprinkler made out of a soda bottle!
UPDATE > Another idea we tried recently was riding the Lebanon Valley Rails to Trails. The trail was almost completely shaded and nice and cool to ride on the 90 degree day that we were there.
