Tips for Families

Philadelphia is a wonderful destination for families, with its accessible layout and historical sites that are meaningful to all ages. From the kid-friendly Please Touch Museum to Sesame Place amusement park to the "Once Upon a Nation" characters dressed in Colonial-era garb who, in summertime, perform throughout Independence National Historical Park, there is a wealth of attractions for children. Visit www.gophila.com/family for some excellent packages and ideas.

Children under 12 (and in many cases, under 18) can stay free with parents in most Philadelphia hotels, and some hotels offer one-bedroom/pull-out-sofa suites geared toward families that can be more affordable than booking two rooms. Several hotels offer free breakfasts and even dinners to kids. Be sure to reserve cribs, playpens, and cots in advance.

Many of Philadelphia's finest restaurants, such as Fountain at the Four Seasons and Lacroix, are happy to accommodate children, and there are dozens of casual restaurants where kids and parents can all dine well.

A good resource for family travel in Philadelphia is Metrokids, a newspaper that lists cultural attractions geared toward families, along with special issues devoted to factory tours, Camden's Adventure Aquarium, and the like. Visit www.metrokids.com.

Children will love visiting Sesame Place, Washington Crossing Historic Park, Hershey, PA, and Amish Country. These destinations are a wonderful mix of history and pure fun (and chocolate, of course, in Hershey) that conjure up a past or different way of life, and basic American themes such as freedom and independence.

Familyhostel (tel. 800/733-9753; www.learn.unh.edu/familyhostel) takes the whole family, including kids ages 8 to 15, on moderately priced U.S. and international learning vacations. Lectures, field trips, and sightseeing are guided by a team of academics.

Recommended family travel websites include Family Travel Forum (www.familytravelforum.com), a comprehensive site that offers customized trip planning; Family Travel Network (www.familytravelnetwork.com), an award-winning site that offers travel features, deals, and tips; Traveling Internationally with Your Kids (www.travelwithyourkids.com), a comprehensive site offering sound advice for long-distance and international travel with children; and Family Travel Files (www.thefamilytravelfiles.com), which offers an online magazine and a directory of off-the-beaten-path tours and tour operators for families.

Another great resource is Frommer's Unofficial Guide to the Mid-Atlantic with Kids (Wiley Publishing, Inc.).