We wanted to know how a local family would spend a Family Day together, so we asked the Boyer Family from Lebanon, PA. Join this family of six as they spend a fun filled day and find adventure in the Lebanon Valley!
As the summer winds down and the school year looms ahead of us, we have been looking for opportunities to soak up the last of these warm summer days as a family. We set aside one such day as our own family adventure day to explore some places we’ve been meaning to go right here in Lebanon County.
We began our little adventure day with a trip to the Farmer’s Market, where the girls got to experience the magic of Cheek’s Stone Rolled Ice Cream. If you’ve never seen this before, you have to try it. They make it by pouring a runny ice cream base onto an ice pan which freezes it in seconds. Then they take a smooth metal spatula, and scrape it into rolls of ice cream, finally topping it with whatever your heart desires–toasted marshmallows, strawberries, or cookies and cream–the options are endless! Our kids watched the entire fascinating process from behind glass.
While we were there, we also perused the other booths in the Farmer’s Market, stopping to enjoy the fresh flowers and picking up some apples for a snack at the park. The girls also noticed with glee that TTT Star Sushi is now offering boba tea (aka “bubble tea”), so we will definitely be back for another family trip!
After the girls had eaten their fill of rolled ice cream, we headed to Coleman Memorial Park. The forest-themed playground at Coleman Memorial Park is a frequently requested destination in the Boyer household. They especially love to go there with their daddy since he will spin them around on this spinny thing until they’re walking around dizzy.
Because it is so heavily wooded, it is the perfect place to go when it is hot outside, and I have taken several families to Coleman Park when they want that beautiful forest look for their family photo sessions.
But the best part about Coleman’s Park lies in the fact that there is something for everyone here. They have lots of basketball/tennis courts, pavilions for events, and they host Music in the Park in the summertime over at their large outdoor amphitheater.
If you are a bicycle enthusiast and are looking for a way to get your kids into the sport, there is a new dirt pump track that recently opened. If your family, like ours, is not quite ready for something that extreme, there are many trails that are open to walking, biking, or scootering, whichever you prefer.
Today, we took one such trail with our scooters and found a massive eleven foot sculpture of a parent looking down at a child. It was an incredible experience, walking up to that sculpture and feeling like a kid again as you peered up into the face of the bronze parent. This town truly is filled with all sorts of gems like that to find!
After we had scootered around and worn out the kids a bit, we spread a blanket near the sculpture to feast on our crunchy apples from the farmer’s market. Delicious!
With that, we packed up and headed to our last (and most highly anticipated) stop in our adventure day: The Lazer Factory.
With an impressive floor of arcade/table games, a two-level laser tag field, and a playplace with an inflatable bounce house and huge slide structure, my kids were more excited for this than the day Frozen 2 came out in theaters. And that’s saying something!
The twins went straight for the bounce house while my husband got suited up for laser tag with our two oldest daughters. If you’re looking for a way to work out some tween angst, look no further! There’s nothing like shooting at your dad in a 6,000 square foot black light arena for that! Once the twins had run around the playplace like gerbils in a cage, we watched their big sisters play laser tag from the viewing station up top.
Afterward, we all practiced our driving skills in the racing arcade game, shot some monsters, played an 8-foot game of Pac Man, and opted for air hockey to finish out the night.
We left the Lazer Factory tired but happy. From rolled ice cream at the farmer’s market, to the playground at Coleman’s Park, to arcade games at the Lazer Factory, it had been a full day of family fun here in Lebanon county and we were ready for a good night’s sleep. Adventure Day complete!
Hi, I’m Naomi. I’m married to the best guy in town and am a mom of four fabulous daughters. I’m also a local family photographer here in Lebanon who creates fun, meaningful portraits in all seasons of life.
