Family Fun in Philly This Summer is as Easy as 1-2-3

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Across the Philadelphia region this summer, new and redesigned children's attractions are sprouting up with the same speed that many parents feel their kids are growing up. Some of the innovations are child-focused, while other experiences appeal to everyone in the family by providing fun learning tools to bring mature subject matter to the child's level. Thanks to the diversity of the destination and its offerings, kids and their parents can interact with giant sand castles, talking 3-D images of Ben Franklin and even life-sized LEGO animals—all during one or more fun-filled, educational and affordable trips to Philadelphia and The Countryside®.    

Families with big itineraries can book one of 70 hotel packages—including the popular Philly Overnight® Hotel Package with free hotel parking—featured on visitphilly.com/withlove. When they check in, guests receive a special gift at check-in: Philly Fill-Ins word games, a five-pack of With Love postcards, a With Love pin and the Official Philly Brag Book, featuring 200 reasons to love the Philadelphia region, along with maps and coupons. The packages are bookable online at visitphilly.com/withlove or by calling the hotel directly.

A Historic Kind Of Town:

• New this season at Valley Forge National Historical Park, children ages six to 12 can take a guided walk through the park and complete all of the activities required for them to become members of the National Park Service's junior ranger program, which launched just last year. While the junior ranger certification program can be completed any day of the year, the free walks will run daily from June 19 through September 6, 10:30-11:30 a.m., and leave from Varnum's Quarters. 1400 N. Outerline Drive, King of Prussia, (610) 783-1006, nps.gov/vafo
• "Reinvented" and "re-imagined" describe the new Lights of Liberty experience that will envelop participants in 18th-century history by engaging 21st-century technology. The nighttime walking show—set to debut its redo in mid-summer 2010—will employ digital 3-D technology so the images that are projected onto some of the nation's most seminal buildings (think Independence Hall) come to life more vividly than ever. A year-round indoor show will also be added, enabling Benjamin Franklin to host a short exploration of the nation's most resounding symbols in 360°, 3-D imaging. Further, when Lights of Liberty's home base opens in early summer, the new center will house a theater, a box office for all Historic Philadelphia activity tickets and an expanded gift shop. 6th & Chestnut Streets, (215) 629-4026, historicphiladelphia.org
• Summer 2010 marks the first summer season for the most recent addition to the Betsy Ross House: a shop that demonstrates Ross' career as a skilled upholsterer. America's only 18th-century upholstery shop encourages "customers" to engage with a costumed re-enactor while she works, learning about her tools and her business. From May 24 through September 24, visitors can also see Heavens to Betsy! The Selling of an American Icon, featuring products and advertisements that have used Betsy's name and image over the past 100 years. 239 Arch Street, (215) 686-1252, betsyrosshouse.org

Animals Above & Below The Sea:

• The magical world of the Philadelphia Zoo becomes even more fantasy-like with Creatures of Habitat: A Gazillion-Piece Animal Adventure, an exhibition designed to call attention to endangered animals with recreations constructed out of LEGOs. From April 10 through October 31, dozens of endangered animals built by Sean Kenny, one of just nine LEGO-sanctioned sculptors in the world, will be on display throughout the 42-acre zoo. Elsewhere at the zoo, kids will find entertainment geared to their interests at Rock n' Roar concerts held every other Tuesday beginning on June 22 at 11:00 a.m. and at Creatures of Culture, highlighting cultures of the world through performances, crafts and demonstrations. May 8-9, July 10-11, August 21-22, October 9-10. 3400 W. Girard Avenue, (215) 243-1100, philadelphiazoo.org
• When it opens in mid-May, the Stingray Beach Club will bring the tropics to the Delaware River, where an island-themed stingray oasis will beckon kids of all ages to feel and feed stingrays in a supervised environment within Adventure Aquarium. While the older kids are interacting with the larger-sized rays, their younger siblings can feed smaller rays in a touch pool designed just for them. Once they're done admiring the sea creatures, young children can romp around in Sand Castle Island, a man-made beach complete with a moat, a 13-foot sandcastle and interactive water features. 1 Riverside Drive, Camden, NJ, (856) 365-3300, adventureaquarium.com
• From June 5 through September 6, visitors can dive into Creatures of the Abyss, making its U.S. debut at The Academy of Natural Sciences. In order to plumb the depths of the ocean, full-scale models, preserved specimens, exploration vehicles and a bioluminescence theater shed light on the mysteries of the deep sea and the bizarre creatures that live there. 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, (215) 299-1000, ansp.org

More Not To Miss:

• The Franklin Institute is adding to its array of science-focused edu-tainment with two re-imagined permanent exhibitions. When Electricity debuts in March, visitors will be able to manipulate electrical phenomena, light up a sustainable dance floor, peruse authentic Franklin collection historical artifacts and tackle questions of sustainable electricity generation and use. Changing Earth will also return as a permanent display—one that explores the interconnectedness of water, air and land. The exhibit invites guests to immerse themselves in the powerful sensory experiences of Earth's changes by discovering a fog screen, a multimedia climate-change game and a weather-prediction reporting station. 222 N. 20th Street, (215) 448-1200, fi.edu
• Children can follow their noses to become "Official Scent Seekers" at Longwood Gardens' Making Scents: The Art and Passion of Fragrance exhibition, running from April 10 through November 21. Upon entering the exhibition, giving visitors a whiff of the history and science of perfume, kids can grab a guidebook that directs them to special stations where they learn about natural fragrance derived from plants and the people who study it. 1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square, (610) 388-1000, longwoodgardens.org
• If the mere opportunity to watch a professional soccer game isn't enough to compel youth league players and fans to sing "Ole," perhaps the kid-friendly environment at the Philadelphia Union stadium will. For starters, there will be occasional concerts in the parking lot, and, once inside, fans can participate in skill challenges and games throughout the inaugural season (April through November). 1 Stadium Drive, Chester, (610) 497-1657, philadelphiaunion.com
• Celebrating its 30th birthday this year, America's most kid-oriented theme park is truly all grown up. Sesame Place will mark the occasion with a season-long birthday party that includes special concerts and performances, amped-up entertainment, a new rock n' roll show starring Elmo and enhancements to the favorite annual Halloween event The Count's Spooktacular. 100 Sesame Road, Langhorne, (866) GO-4-ELMO, sesameplace.com
• The South Street Headhouse District has long been a hotspot for shoppers, diners, sightseers and bar crawlers, but now it's adding a fresh group of regular visitors: children. Every weekend from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the pedestrian-heavy thoroughfare will dance with live, family-friendly sidewalk performances, from jugglers to flame throwers to poets to musicians—some of whom are children themselves. In its second year, the Summer Arts Series will be bigger and more dynamic than ever, with up to 12 performers scattered around the district, including Headhouse Square, each performing at approximately 4:00 p.m. on Fridays and from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. South Street from Front to 10th Streets, (215) 413-3713, southstreet.com

Looking Ahead To Autumn:

• When the National Museum of American Jewish History opens the doors of its new home in November, the building will contain a youth and family gallery that offers younger visitors the opportunity to explore a Jewish family's journey westward. Within the gallery, kids can pack for their journey, crawl inside a covered wagon and shop for goods at a trading post in a realistic and dramatic Western setting. 101 S. Independence Mall East, (215) 923-3811, nmajh.org
• Beginning in the fall of 2010, the President's House Commemorative Site will open so that visitors can see the exposed underground remains of the home where Presidents Washington and Adams lived during their terms with at least nine enslaved Africans. The exhibition includes video re-enactments—scripted by Lorene Cary, famed author of The Price of a Child—told from the point of view of some of the enslaved. 6th & Market Streets, (215) 597-0060, phila.gov/presidentshouse

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside® a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region's vitality.

For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit visitphilly.com or uwishunu.com, where you can build itineraries; search event calendars; see photos and videos; view interactive maps; sign up for newsletters; listen to Hear Philly, an online radio station about what to see and do in the region; book hotel reservations and more. Or, call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Historic Philadelphia, at (800) 537-7676.

SOURCE Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation