Nearby vacation spot with almost 3 year old and very pregnant mom in April

[Anonymous]

I'm pregnant and due with #2 in June. We were originally thinking #1 (who is 2 1/2 now) would love something like Sesame Place or Dutch Wonderland, but it doesn't look like either one opens until the first weekend in May and we'd like to do a 3-4 day trip in April. May would be hard because I will be 8 months pregnant and probably unable to do a ton of walking (I was in a lot of pain last time and this time I started out 15lbs. heavier).

Does anyone have any preschooler+pregnant lady friendly suggestions for this spring that are within driving distance and somewhat affordable? I'm open to anything but because we're expecting #2 so soon, we don't want to spend a ton of money. I've heard great things about the Lancaster area but is that just a summer only option that we should save for next year since the little amusement parks will be closed?

[Anonymous]

Hershey - they are open a few weekends in April. Stay at the Hershey Hotel.

[Anonymous]

Tons ofyoung kid rides at Hershey. At least 30. No lie

[Anonymous]

OP here - for some reason I thought Hershey was on the same schedule as Dutch Wonderland. I'll check.

[Anonymous]

Philly. Zoo and Please Touch Museum and Reading Terminal Market. Stay at the Ritz if you can; it's really nice and has great bathtubs, which you and for child can enjoy.

[Anonymous]

Are you going yourself with your 3 year old or with your spouse? If it's just you alone, you might want to skip the amusement parks. I went to Sesame Place while pregnant and all the rides (even the tranquil looking ones) had disclaimers that pregnant women or people with health conditions shouldn't ride them and a 3 year old probably is too small to go alone on most rides.

[Anonymous]

Op here- my husband is coming too but you make a good point in that I may not want to spend $50+ on a ticket for stuff I can't even do, not to mention that I may be in pain and unable to walk a ton at one time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Philly. Zoo and Please Touch Museum and Reading Terminal Market. Stay at the Ritz if you can; it's really nice and has great bathtubs, which you and for child can enjoy.

Op here - I used to work in Philly and stayed at that Ritz a lot. You're right, the bathtubs are amazing and at the time they had bulgari toiletries.

[Anonymous]

OP,

Have you considered a "staycation"? Take field trips in the area. Go to one of the parks--like Frying Pan park in Fairfax (free) and see the farm animals. There should be newborn pigs, etc, there in early May. You could combine that with a visit to Udvar-Hazy Air and Space--which is free--except for parking. Go to Mount Vernon. Lots to see and do there. Go to one of the areas along the river that has boats and watch them. Same with trains. Keep it simple. Those are all fun things for a small child. I haven't done it, but I have heard that you can go watch the trucks in the p.m. at the dump come in and dump the garbage. Sounds silly, but fun for a toddler.

[Anonymous]

Lancaster has lots of train related activities--museum, rides, etc.

[Anonymous]

Lancaster might work well -- the buggy rides through Amish country are really nice. They leave from an outdoor "Amish" mall area that's great and easy walking. Awesome homemade ice cream -- Lapp Valley Farms. There's also an indoor farmer's market in Lancaster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP,

Have you considered a "staycation"? Take field trips in the area. Go to one of the parks--like Frying Pan park in Fairfax (free) and see the farm animals. There should be newborn pigs, etc, there in early May. You could combine that with a visit to Udvar-Hazy Air and Space--which is free--except for parking. Go to Mount Vernon. Lots to see and do there. Go to one of the areas along the river that has boats and watch them. Same with trains. Keep it simple. Those are all fun things for a small child. I haven't done it, but I have heard that you can go watch the trucks in the p.m. at the dump come in and dump the garbage. Sounds silly, but fun for a toddler.

OP here, thank you for the suggestion, but this is the sort of thing we do on the weekends anyway which is why we're hoping to get away for a bit and try something new!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lancaster might work well -- the buggy rides through Amish country are really nice. They leave from an outdoor "Amish" mall area that's great and easy walking. Awesome homemade ice cream -- Lapp Valley Farms. There's also an indoor farmer's market in Lancaster.

That does sound fun - I'll look into that, thank you!

[Anonymous]

Maybe Baltimore?

[Anonymous]

If you go the last week of April, you could do Dutch Wonderland on Saturday. I think Lancaster is a great place for a 3 year old and pregnant lady. I really love Dutch Wonderland. It is a really small amusement park with minimal lines, and lots of benches, etc. It is not walking heavy, kids can ride many rides by themselves. If a child starts crying on a ride, they stop it and let them off. There are several (incredibly bad) shows that my kids just love. There is plenty of shade.
The Bird-in-Hand family Inn has a really nice onsite playground as well as an indoor swimming pool.
The outlet malls there also have a playground.
Kitchen Kettle village has a small petting zoo and a playground.
There is a PA state park on the way there, that is along the river that is really great for Kite flying.