A Fun Day Trip to Kinzua Bridge State Park in McKean County

Kinzua Bridge State Park is located in beautiful McKean County, Pennsylvania and was established in 1963 by Governor William Scranton. The 339 acre park is home to the Kinzua Viaduct, once the tallest and longest railroad structure that was partially destroyed by a tornado in 2003. It has now been reconstructed into a pedestrian walkway and tourist attraction. 

The park encompasses 339 acres including a visitor's center, picnic pavilions, hiking trails, hunting areas, biking, etc. along with the scenic skywalk. This is the best area to view fall foliage in the Kinzua Creek Valley during the first two weeks in October. 

Park Hours: Open 365 days a year from sunrise to sunset. The skywalk is open daily, weather permitting.

We started our visit at the Kinzua Bridge State Park Visitor's Center where you can interact with park staff and take a self-guided tour through two floors of exhibits. We learned about the history of the bridge, the surrounding area and wildlife that calls the area home. It was very educational and both of our grandchildren enjoyed it. 

Once we were done at the visitor's center we headed out to the skywalk where visitors can stroll 600 feet out on the remaining support towers. If you're deathly afraid of heights, you'll want to skip it but if you're fine with heights...it's definitely worth doing. You can get some beautiful views of the area and the valley below. 

If you brought along your own lunch you can visit the shaded picnic area to enjoy it. There is a modern, public restroom in that area too. Please clean-up after yourself to keep our state parks clean. It was a great way to end our day.

You can learn more about Kinzua Bridge State Park by visiting the official website. If you're planning a visit I recommend you visit the site for up-to-date information on their operational hours and educational programs that they offer throughout the year. 

Family Fun at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island

The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island is one of the nicest aquariums that we've visited on the east coast. It's in a nice location and easy to get to. You'll find it located on 374 Airport Road in Manteo. Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic you need to secure your tickets and time of arrival ahead of time. Open daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. 

You'll see a variety of different sharks, sea turtles, marine fish, stingrays, alligators, toads, frogs, salamanders, jellyfish, starfish, snakes, lizards, skates, octopus, river otters, horseshoe crabs, sea nettles, green anoles, seahorses, There's a lot to see and do while at the aquarium so you'll want to allow about 2 1/2 hours in your schedule. 

Admission fees range from $10.95 to $12.95 with children 2 and under admitted free. Due to Covid-19 cloth face masks are required when entering the facility. No food or drink allowed. Cameras are permitted. We recommend that you leave all bags locked up in your car and wear comfortable walking shoes as you'll be doing a lot of walking. Service animals are welcome.

We took our two grandchildren ages 5 1/2 and 11 who had a really great time. We've been trying to get them out for educational experiences to help them with their virtual learning. Let's face it...kids need to have some fun while learning too! Our grandson loved seeing the sharks (he's all about sharks these days) while our granddaughter loved seeing the river otters and jellyfish. 

Tickets at this time are ONLY available for purchase online, so you'll need to visit the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island's website to order and reserve them. You can connect with the aquarium on Facebook too.