Action Sports Park  (Skate Boarding's Finest)                Perkasie,  Bucks County

Alan Seeger Natural Area                      Belleville, Huntingdon County

 

This is one of our best kept "local" secrets, I think.  We take our kids here every summer for a fun day trip in the great outdoors.  Just 10 miles from Boalsburg, it is a beautiful place to hike and to enjoy splashing in Standing Stone Creek, and to "get away from it all," without having to go very far at all!

How to get there: East of State College on US Rt 322, turn south on Bear Meadows Road at the sign for Tussey Mountain Ski Resort. Alan Seeger Natural area is 10 miles south along this road, one mile past the Detweiler Run Natural Area. When you reach Stone Creek Road, turn left (east) for one-quarter mile across a small bridge and into the Alan Seeger parking lot.

 

address:  Rothrock State Forest, Belleville, PA 17004

website:  http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/oldgrowth/alanseeger.aspx

Safety Town at Mason's Mill Park                   Huntingdon Valley, Montgomery County

Aunt Arlene brought this up yesterday. What a great Fall & Spring  activity for the kiddos!  Masons Mill offers a unique community complex known as "Safety Town," to teach children how to obey traffic laws. Renovated in the summer of 2003, Safety Town is one of the park's many family attractions, which also include three modular play equipment units, a water spray pole for hot summer days, a fitness trail (.72 mile) with 18 stations, wooded walking paths, three picnic pavilions equipped with charcoal grills, drinking fountains and picnic tables, a concert gazebo, horseshoe pits and a 30-acre nature walking area.

Northampton Municipal Park                                              Churchville, Bucks County

 

This is a great park for kiddos of all ages. There is a pretty swanky playground for tots as well as older kids, tennis, basketball, fields, a walking trail, a pavillion offering shade and restrooms. Not to mention the beautiful Butterfly Garden of Remembrance and soon to be the home of the Miracle League of Northampton's Baseball fields!

Churchville Nature Center                                         Churchville, Bucks County

A unique place for education, preservation, and conservation, Churchville Nature Center is a facility of the Bucks County Department of Parks and Recreation, and is an area rich with diversity.  The contrasting environments of meadow, marsh, woodland, pond and lake are all within an easy walk.  The Churchville Nature Center welcomes people of all ages … for study, active exploration and contemplation.

South Abington Park                                       Clarks Summit, Lackawanna County

The township has a terrific parks which features ball fields, basketball courts, a children's playground,  a picnic pavillion and notably, covered bridges that lead to a fabulous walking trail.  PLUS During the winter months residents can take advantage of a skating rink or take advantage of the sledding hill.

Stoney Batter Natural Area                                                Lemont, Centre County

Need something to do the day after the big game? Take the kids on a hike up Mt. Nittany.  The Stoney Batter Natural Area is the beginning of the trail to the Mt. Nittany Overlooks.

Briarbush Nature Center                                           Abington, Montgomery County

Briar Bush grounds feature over a mile of trails winding through a variety of natural habitats. Native plants and wild animals can be found here year round, especially at the Bird Observatory. The Museum is full of interactive exhibits, touch tables and play areas and is home to over 30 resident animals.

The Nature Center also has plenty of programs for the kids Infant Sign Language, Magic Mornings, Preschool Pioneers and Jr. Birders Club.  Click here to see the programs.

Clark Nature Center                                                  Newtown, Bucks County

I pass this place quite a bit enroute to downtown Newtown, quite a nice little place. Originally named "Mount Pleasant" in the mid 1800's, the house was sold to Newtown Township in 1997 to be preserved in perpetuity.

There is a wilderness trail that loops the entire 50 acre property and along two seasonal streams. Grab the kids and a jogging stroller only (not paved) for the sites and sounds of nature. If you are quiet enough, you may see turkey, deer, and the numerous species of birds that call this park home

Ringing Rocks                                                            Upper Black Eddy, Bucks County

What is special about Ringing Rocks? Well the rocks silly.  There  is a field of boulders, about 7-8 acres in size, that are, let's say unusual. When the rocks are struck with a hammer or another rock, they sound as if they are metal and hollow and ring with a sound similar to a metal pipe being struck.Needless to say kiddos love it. They bounce around from rock to rock to hear the different sound of each rock. Really, they do. I watched it. They do it for at least an hour. I think the climbing if also fun. . .