Anonymous wrote:If you are looking for a trip, go to Beckley, WV and go on the coal mine tour. The 3-year will like riding the coal car into the mine. There are also reconstructed period houses, school house, general store, & one or two museums.

This sounds very cool -- are there other things you'd recommend in the area? I thought maybe could combine with Harper's Ferry, but I just checked and they are 4-5 hours apart. I didn't realize WVa was so big!

We went when my kids were 7 and 4 and it was great. Definitely depends on your younger kid. My youngest would have been great at three, but my oldest at 3 never could have handled it.

If you are looking for a trip, go to Beckley, WV and go on the coal mine tour. The 3-year will like riding the coal car into the mine. There are also reconstructed period houses, school house, general store, & one or two museums.

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks and knowing my 3 year old it would be challenge if we couldn't go at his speed!

Mid you are going out that way, go to the Shenandoah discovery museum in Winchester instead.

I don't know where you live, but I heard that these are smaller - http://www.crystalgrottoescaverns.com/index.php

We had more fun with kids that age at Shenandoah Caverns.

I would wait as well, mainly because there's a ropes course in the park that my 9 y.o. DD loved and wanted to spend a lot of time on. I am sure your 5 y.o. would love it, but your 3 y.o. is probably too young to enjoy.

OP here - thanks and knowing my 3 year old it would be challenge if we couldn't go at his speed!

We went and there were people with babies in strollers. Its about 45 mins and you have to go up and down stairs, plus a lot of the ground under foot is wet and precarious / slippery. So if you think you can manage that go for it.

They are spectacular and very interesting. But I also recommend getting there EARLY just as its opening around 9am because if you get there around 11am you'll have a 90 mins + wait in the sun before you get inside.

We did it when our youngest just turned 5 - I was glad we didn't do it any sooner.

My 6yo thought it was really cool, but 3 might be a little young. It was several years ago, but as I recall, you have to be pretty rigid about following the path at a certain walking rate - can get boring and 3yos can get antsy and want to wiggle and run around. It's like a mile+ walk and not very stroller-friendly (has stairs in some sections).

Honestly, I'd wait a year or two. You can only go with a guided tour, which means when the tour stops, the only thing to do is listen to the tour guide. You can't run ahead with the three year old. And, like pp said, you can't touch anything.

6 year old, definitely. 3 year old you might end up carrying for part of it -- the caverns are extensive and the kids aren't supposed to touch ANYTHING, so that might be a bit of a hassle to supervise.

It's really neat, though.

is it worth it with a 3 and 6 year old??