Hiking at Bushkill Falls in the Pocono Mountains

Bushkill Falls is located in northeastern Pennsylvania in the beautiful Pocono Mountains. The park is comprised of 8 privately owned waterfalls and opened to the public in 1904. Bushkill Falls as often referred to as the Niagara Falls of Pennsylvania.

The 8 waterfalls are: Bushkill Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Bridesmaid Falls, Laurel Glen Falls, Pennell Falls, and three unnamed falls. The tallest waterfall is over 100+ feet tall. Within the park you'll find the waterfalls and over 2 miles of hiking trails and walkways. Some of the trails are rated "easy" to walk and other's are for more "experienced" hikers.

When you arrive at the park you'll want to purchase your tickets at the Entrance Building. This is where you'll also find their wildlife exhibits and pick up a park map. If you arrive after the building closes, you can purchase tickets at the Main Stand. Admission ranges from $8.50 to $16.50 per person. Children 3 and under are admitted free with a paying adult. The park is closed December through March.

In addition to hiking you can rent a paddle boat, go mining for gemstones, play miniature golf, visit the children's playground and/or pay for a fishing permit (during fishing season). On the grounds you'll find picnic tables (bring your own lunch), a Snack Bar (where you can buy hot & cold foods/beverages) and the Fudge Kitchen where you can purchase some sweet treats.

You'll find four shops where you can pick up your favorite souvenirs, gifts to take home, t-shirts, hats, hiking gear and make sure you visit the Trading Post for some great Native American items. There are plenty of shopping opportunities to explore.

You can learn more about Bushkill Falls by visiting their official website online or by connecting with them on Facebook and Twitter.  Looking for additional information? Give them a call at 1-888-287-4545.

Breakfast at the Historic Highspire Diner

The Highspire Diner is located on 2nd Street in Highspire, Pennsylvania. It's a small hometown diner that opened for business in 1953 and still retains its 1950's charm. You'll find it open for business 7 days a week on Monday, Saturday and Sunday from 6 AM to 2 PM and on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 6 AM to 8 PM.

Like most diners these days, they ONLY accept cash, no credit cards with the majority of their menu items being priced under $10.00. They offer the classic breakfast, lunch and dinner options that you typically find at a small hometown diner, with a generous kid's menu.

Here are just a few examples of their menu items:

Breakfast: Eggs, Home Fries, Sausage, Bacon, Pancakes, French Toast, Steak & Eggs, Omelettes, Grits, Cream Chipped Beef over Toast, Scrapple, Waffles, Corned Beef Hash,  Bagels, Muffins, Coffee, Milk, Juice.

Lunch & Dinner: French Fries, Onion Rings, Chicken Wings, Corn Dogs, Hot Dogs, Hamburgers & Cheeseburgers, Hot Soups, Chili, Fresh Salads, Roast Beef, Roasted Turkey, Meatloaf, Grilled Chicken Breasts, Hot Sandwiches, Pies, Cake, Ice Creams and a variety of Fountain Drinks and Milkshakes!

Local Specialties: Rope Sausage and the Famous Sideliner.

On the day we visited we enjoyed their breakfast. Our order was quickly taken and within 15 minutes was on our table. Everything that we tried was delicious, the type of food you would prepare in your kitchen at home. You can choose to sit in a booth or at a counter with stools, of course this will depend on how crowded they may be on the day that you visit.

We enjoyed looking around the diner and seeing all of their retro 1950's decor. It reminded me a lot of the things that I used to see as a child in my grandma's house. A beautifully decorated diner that is extremely clean! We really enjoy visiting small hometown diners like this!

Beachfront Playground Fun in Wildwood

Thousands of families flock to Wildwood every year for their summer vacation and are always looking for free and low-cost things to do with the kids. Let's face it, most families today are on a budget and that includes watching their money when on vacation.

When visiting the Wildwood island you can find a lot of fun things to do with the family that are free! One such activity is to visit the FREE beachfront playground that starts around 16th Street and runs south, along the world-famous boardwalk. You can walk to it from your hotel/motel or find parking nearby.

You'll find several playground apparatus for the children to play on. There are bouncy cars, wooden fire trucks, ships, school buses, train cars, wooden monster trucks, etc. All of them are on the sandy beach path that runs along the boardwalk for several blocks.

Along the way you'll find public restrooms (open during the summer in-season), park benches and water stations where the kids can rinse off their sandy hands and feet. Also during the summer season, you can sometimes find a food cart vendor parked along the street selling hot dogs, ice cream cones, soft pretzels and cold beverages. You can head up onto the northern end of the boardwalk and get something to eat and drink too.

These playground areas are right on the beach! If you want to take the family over onto the beach for an afternoon of fun...these particular areas would be great ones to visit. The kids can play on the beach, in the surf (ocean water) and then spend a little time playing on the playground. Just make sure that responsible adults are with the kids at all time!

Looking for more free and low-cost activities to do with the kids? You can find a bunch of our personal recommendations right here on the blog. Just click on the NEW JERSEY category and you can easily find them.