Top 10 Things for Kids in Schuylkill County

Jerry’s Classic Cars & Collectibles Museum - https://jerrysmuseum.com/

Ranked as the #2 attraction in Pottsville by Trip Advisor, Jerry’s Classic Cars & Collectibles Museum is a journey back in time to the age of hopscotch, playing jacks, pinball machines,  

394 South Centre Street Pottsville, PA 17901, 570-622-9510

Roadmaster wagons, roller skates, penny candy, drive-ins, rock & roll, and classically designed cars. Inside you’ll find a car showroom, barbershop, millinery, soda shop, kitchen, drive-in theater, bandstand, library, auto parts store, and a fun pinball machine that really works! May through October Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays, 12 Noon to 5 PM.

Pioneer Tunnel & Coal Mine - http://www.pioneertunnel.com/

Pioneer Tunnel is a horizontal drift mine 1800 feet straight into the side of the Mahanoy Mountain. You make the trip in comfort, riding in open mine cars pulled by a battery-operated mine motor. The temperature inside the mine averages 52 degrees, so a sweater or jacket is recommended.

Travel back through time on an old-time narrow gauge steam locomotive, the Henry Clay. Built in the 1920s, The Henry Clay takes you on a scenic three-quarter mile ride around the side of Mahanoy Mountain to show you another kind of mining called strip mining at the Mammoth Stripping. GPS: 2001 Walnut St. Ashland, PA, 17921. Call 570.875.3850.

Hawk Mountain - https://www.hawkmountain.org/

Founded in 1934, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is the world's first refuge for birds of prey and an international center for raptor conservation. Their 2,600-acre mountaintop preserve offers incredible scenic overlooks, eight miles of trail, a Visitor Center, native plant garden, and the Acopian Center for Conservational Learning.

Hawk Mountain is open daily from 9am-5pm year-round, has a 900’ ADA accessible Silhouette Trail, offers corporate meetings and retreats, provides engaging educational programs, and is home to awesome events including eco-tours, Birds & Brews, and their Arts Tour and Sale.  1700 Hawk Mountain Road, Kempton, PA 19529. Call 610-756-6961.

Fighter’s Heaven: Muhammad Ali Training Camp

http://fightersheaven.com/

In 1972, the great Muhammad Ali began preparing for his biggest fights at a training camp in rural Deer Lake, PA, called Fighter's Heaven. Today, through the preservation and restoration of the Training Camp, we're creating a destination that will, for decades to come, remind some, and educate others, about the remarkable and inspirational life of Muhammad Ali. Our Public Opening is being planned for June 2019. Hours will be from 10:00am-5:00pm on Saturdays & Sundays. Visits/Tours can be arranged for weekdays by contacting us with a day and time that works for you. 58 Sculps Hill Road, Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania, 17963. Call (570) 968-2961.

Sweet Arrow Lake County Park – www.sweetarrowlake.com

The Sweet Arrow Lake property is located in Washington and Pine Grove Townships, Schuylkill County. Major access routes include Sweet Arrow Lake Road along the northern border of the lake and State Route 443, which provides access to the southern portion of the site via

Clubhouse Road. The park is 183.47 acres and comprised of roughly 60 acres of water and 123.47 acres land.

Open to the public daily, you can enjoy hiking, fishing, kayaking and boating, disc golf, picnic pavilions, a playground, and more!  

The park has monthly events and programming, along with boat, kayak, and disc golf rentals. Open daily, year-long.

108 Clubhouse Road, Pine Grove PA. Phone: 570-527-2505

Mama Millie’s Bakery & Something Sweet Candy Shop- Find us on Facebook

Sometimes you just gotta indulge! Why not go all the way with a trip to Momma Millie’s Bakery and Something Sweet Candies?

Momma Millie’s Bakery is a family owned bakery open daily from 8 – 5 that offers an array of goodies guaranteed to please every child. Cupcakes, pies, muffins, cannoli, baklava, an array of cookies, and the ever-popular whoopee pies are just some of the treats you’ll find! 216 N Centre St., Pottsville, Pennsylvania 17901. Phone: (570) 622-1022

Something Sweet Candies- Whimsical & bright, this family-owned business offers a large assortment of candies. They’ve got old-fashioned hard candies, penny candy, gummy candy, novelty treats, chocolates, fudge, sodas, sugar free candies, and more! They offer custom gift baskets, candy trophies, candy bouquets, & customized candy buffets for weddings, showers, birthdays, graduations, or any celebration. Everybody deserves a little Something Sweet! 300 N Centre St., Pottsville, Pennsylvania 17901. Phone: (570) 728-2960

Swatara State Park - https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/SwataraStatePark/Pages/default.aspx

The 3,520-acre Swatara State Park consists of rolling fields and woodlands situated in the Swatara Valley, between Second and Blue mountains. The scenic Swatara Creek meanders the length of the park and is surrounded by forests and wetlands that support a diversity of wildlife. Suitable for hiking, biking, mountain biking, kayaking, fishing, XC skiing, wildlife watching, and fossil digging.

That’s right, fossil digging! The bedrock of Swatara State Park is predominately sedimentary rock formed during the Middle Devonian Period, about 375 million years ago. The area was a shallow, sunlit seafloor where mostly filter-feeding organisms thrived in gentle sea currents. Today, we find these concentrations of shell and skeletal matter exposed as rock.

An Upper Mahantongo Formation that contains significant marine fossil beds is exposed at a site along Bear Hole Trail. It provides excellent opportunities for fossil collecting, including the state fossil Phacops rana, a type of trilobite.

https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/Education/GeologyEducation/IdentifyingandCollecting/Pages/default.aspx

1450 Suedburg Road, Pine Grove, PA 17963. Phone: 717-865-6470

Pioneer Evergreen Farms Fall Festival - https://pioneerevergreenfarms.com/fall-festival-activities/

Enjoy a beautiful fall foliage hayride in the east-central mountains of Pennsylvania. Over 25 festival attractions include: Obstacle Course, Bounce House, Water Balloon Launcher, 200' Mountain Slide, Pumpkin Patch, Cow Milking Contest, Caterpillar Crawl, 60' Tube Slide, Bucking Bronco, Corn Crib, Pedal-Car Go-Karts, 3-Acre Tree Maze, Ring-A-Duck, Gypsy’s Gem Mining, Petting Zoo, Horse & Pony Rides, Pioneer Express Train Ride, The Chalk House, and more! Peruse our extensive array of flowers, plants, arts, crafts, and gifts.  Enjoy delicious food including Apple Dumplings, Barbecue, Hot Cocoa & more! There’s something for everyone to enjoy. Open Fridays 5-9, Saturdays 12-9, and Sundays 12-7. Buses welcome with reservations. And parties, too! Please call Kenny @ 570-366-2619 to schedule. Reservations recommended. Easy to find, located right off of route 61. 159 East Adamsdale Road, Orwigsburg, PA 17961. Phone: (570)-366-2619

WK&S Train - https://www.kemptontrain.com/

The Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern is a small tourist railroad located in Kempton, Pennsylvania. The railroad runs on three and a half miles of track that were once part of the Schuylkill & Lehigh branch of the Reading Company system. The Reading Company was known as a mighty coal hauler, but the S&L was a rural, agricultural branch sometimes called the “Slow & Lonesome.” 

The branch was perhaps best known for the “Berksy,” a local passenger train that carried students to and from the only area high school at Slatington.

Although not super big, the WK&S is largely unmatched in terms of authenticity and scenic diversity. Passengers are treated to rolling farm fields including an orchard and often a pumpkin patch. There are forests, fills, cuts, tree-covered hills, a bridge over scenic Ontelaunee creek, and the two old-time towns of Trexler and Wanamakers. Passengers even get a good view of their own train thanks to some sharp curves along the line. With special excursions including the Bow-Wow Express, Story-time with Mrs. Claus, Kid’s Fun Weekends, Harvest Moon Specials, Pumpkin Patch Trains, Santa’s Express, and so much more, you’ll make the trip again and again! 42 Community Center Dr., Kempton, PA 19529. 610-756-6469.

Orwigsburg Kite Festival - Find us on Facebook

The Orwigsburg Kite Festival is Saturday July 13^th 2019, from 11-3 at Blue Mountain Recreation Commission, 669 Red Dale Road, Orwigsburg, PA 17963. This festival is great for anyone who’s young at heart! Admission is free and activities include a free kite (while supplies last), face painting, games & prizes, arts & crafts, super bubbles, photo booth, music, ice cream, & more! Sponsored by State Farm Josh Rex Agency and The Arts Barn. Info at 570-366-3800.

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