Turkey Hill Experience: A Review

We've been working on expanding our resources for local families by reviewing more regional attractions! Who doesn't love a good day trip!? Over the past few months we've added reviews and information on the Blog about Hershey Park Christmas Candy Lane, Knoebels, Legoland Discovery  Center (coming soon!) and our next one features Turkey Hill Experience!

We took the kids out for a day trip to Turkey Hill Experience in Columbia, PA a few months back to meet up with some college friends and to check out the attraction. I for one LOVE ice cream and have been interested in checking it out for a while.

                                                                    

The drive out from the Lehigh Valley is super easy - a simple drive out 222 will take you about an hour and a half to get there.  We found it was really easy to find because honestly there really isn't much else that exists in Colombia, PA. Parking was easy, we were able to park right on site and walk right up to the entrance. I believe on days when it is busier they do utilize a shuttle service for patrons in case parking in the moderately sized lot is at capacity. Take a look at directions to the facility here.

Plan your Visit

Check their annual calendar for open dates and hours, take note of holiday hours/closing dates. Then you'll need to choose exactly what you want to do while you are there! There are a few different options for things to do while you visit Turkey Hill Experience! Choose from "The Experience" "The Taste Lab' and their "Tea Discovery"

The Experience

This is the largest part of the attraction and where you can really spend the most of your time. Keep in mind that this isn't a true factory tour but an 'experience' similar but smaller in scale to what Crayola Experience offers in Easton as in it is not an actual working factory.  Children can try on their own hat (see above) and practice sorting flavors.

  

  You will find interactive exhibits that teach children about how Ice Cream and Turkey Hill's famous Iced Tea is made. Unlimited ice cream tasting of some of their classic flavors (they're different each time you visit!) and tea tasting.  You will also find science information about how ice cream is made, experience sniffing out different flavors and you can even star in your own ice cream commercial.


There is indoor place space for toddlers including a slide, and small ball pit. Children of all ages can easily enjoy the exhibits, though older ones will certainly get more from it than younger ones, theres definitely fun to be had by all. Ages 2+ would be ideal.

Within the Experience you can also sample delicious Turkey Hill iced teas too!

The Taste Lab 

A make your own flavor experience!

This is booked separately from your regular ticket and really should (highly suggested) be booked in advance because this is popular and the spaces are limited and fill quickly especially on the weekends.

You'll add flavoring, mix ins and combine it all to make your own signature flavor. My only criticism of this part of the visit was that it wasn't truly "ice cream" but soft serve. In my opinion it doesn't really count as "ice cream" and doesn't taste as good either.

The reasoning behind using soft serve is that it is softer and easier to stir than a traditional hard ice cream would be, which I understand but that also creates another problem.  My additional minor criticism is that the portions are quite large and due to the experience of creating  and mixing the flavor taking up a bit of time my kids were mostly left with soup by the end. They definitely enjoyed the process but very little got eaten and there was no way to take it home and keep it cold.

Criticisms aside I do still highly recommend including this in your visit because it extends the time you get to spend there and it really is fun for the kids.

Tea Discovery

Learn all about the history of tea while you sip and sample a wide variety of tea flavors and types. We didn't experience this option while we visited, as our average group age seemed a bit young to appreciate it. But what fun for a tea lover. You can learn more about this option for your visit

here. 


We definitely enjoyed our visit to Turkey Hill Experience and recommend it as a great day trip for any season. Questions???
Leave us a comment and we will get back to you! 

Disclosure:
Absolutely no compensation was received in exchange for this article. We visited this attraction on our own accord and paid full price admission, we also will not receive any type of compensation should you decide to visit. We have shared this information solely for the benefit of local families. The reviews and opinions are completely ours and have not been influenced by Turkey Hill Experience.

Hershey Park Christmas Candylane

The craziness of the holidays can make it hard to schedule in some real quality family time.  I'm terrible at planning holiday outings because I often get caught up in the craziness of the season and our weekends fill up FAST in December with family birthday events, decorating, tree hunting, and more. So we took one of our last unbooked free weekends for a little family field trip to experience Hershey Park's Christmas attractions.

We're excited to share some tips and tricks for visiting the park during the season and share all of the different attractions you will be sure to not want to miss.

Ticket Savings Tips

• If you purchase your tickets online before you arrive your will save up to 35% on your admission (1 day discount ends 11/27).

• Get in the night before your purchased visit day for FREE - Just present your ticket at the main entrance 2.5 hours before closing the night before your visit and enjoy a fun-filled evening! Most daily tickets qualify for this offer.  Admission at 7:30pm for 10pm closings or 6:30pm for 9pm closings.
• There is LOTS to fill your visits with! Book consecutive day tickets for even bigger savings and MORE fun! Packages for 2 or 3 day visits are available to reserve online. 
• Thinking of staying over? Book a local hotel or stay at one of Hershey's signature lodging options - Hershey Lodge or The Hotel Hershey you can bundle your trip include your stay, tickets and additional attractions
• Chocolate World attractions, the tour here is free but they've added some additional offerings that are paid.  These are available in a bundle pack at a pretty decent discount.

Making the Most of your Visit!

• This isn't rocket science but chances are its not going to be a balmy 50 degrees when you visit, so bundle up, the walk from the parking lot is pretty long (they do have shuttles you can use). Dress the kids in layers, pack mittens, hats and scarves, we definitely should have had more for our kids to wear (it was REALLY cold!). 
• Schedule some indoor activities interspersed throughout the day to break up the cold if it is especially chilly. 
• Plan your day based on what you specifically want to do. We didn't do this well and missed out on doing a few things the kids really would have loved. So grab a brochure (pictured below) and check the show times, character visits and other schedules so you can make the most of your day. 
• There is also an interactive app that may be helpful during your visit! You can download it here.
• If you can plan to do more than one day! There is really a TON of stuff to see and experience and its easy to spend two full days exploring. 

Sweet Lights . Hershey Park . Chocolate World

Hershey Sweet Lights are a beautifully decorated path of seasonally themed lighted decor. Travel in the cozy warmth of your own car as you drive through a winding path of holiday glow. Tune your vehicle's radio to their station and watch as lights dance along with the music!



These are open to visitors every night from November 10th- January 1st. Check out a preview of the experience! Here's a short video of our visit to the Sweet Lights. *If you present your admission ticket at guest services at Hershey Park you can get Sweet Light admission for one car for just $18.15 (+ tax) and some change. Note: Admission tickets to Sweet Lights is less Monday-Thursday!

'Tis the season! 🎄❤️⛄️#hersheysweetlights #familyfieldtrip

A post shared by Miss. Chickadee (@lvfindandgoseek) on Nov 10, 2017 at 5:53pm PST

Hershey Park is decked out in hundreds of thousands of festive holiday lights, decor and offers incredible themed food, drinks and treats everyone will love.  Its the amazingness of Hershey Park with a holiday twist. Experience 50 of their awesome rides plus additional attractions and entertainment including visits with Santa.

Their evening light show inside of the park - NOEL. After dark this display if 200,000 dancing lights synchronized to your favorite Christmas music goes off nightly at starting at 5 PM with show times every half hour.

                     

Ice skating near Santa's Reindeer Stables. For just $3 per skate rental (personal skates are not allowed) you can skate inside the park! While you are skating you can visit with Santa's reindeer (Roudolph too!) who are housed right nearby!

Music Box Christmas: An Enchanted Journey
We had the chance to see this from the front row, thanks to some friends we tagged along with who showed us the ropes while there for the first time! My children were mesmerized. 


The production was impressive to say the least. The performers were talented, the music was lovely and familiar and the dancing was great as well. The show is offered a number of times throughout the day, if you visit definitely try to make plans to see it. You can see the full schedule with dates and times here. 

Beautiful show! @hersheypark

A post shared by Miss. Chickadee (@lvfindandgoseek) on Nov 11, 2017 at 1:10pm PST

So Much More! 

                

We found that once we arrived there were even more activities and entertainment than we were able to read about online. Character experiences, storytime and the "Our Friends From the Sea" show were all great surprises. What is a more time honored holiday tradition than making Christmas cookies!?! Visit the Cookie workshop in Hershey Park at Kissing Tower Hill to buy a cookie and take part in dressing it for the season and catch a cozy storytime!

Before you go don't miss everything Hershey's at Chocolate World! Their Free Chocolate Tour includes a full history on Hershey's, interactive displays, and a chocolate treat to finish it off!

Additional attractions in the facility include a chocolate tasting experience, a 4-D Theater, gift and coffee/cocoa shop and a create your own candy bar experience. These attractions are tickets and can be purchased in a bundle for a discount.

You can also grab tickets for the Hershey Trolley Works Tours at Chocolate World! Trolley Works even has a special Sweet Lights Tour!

We (sadly) weren't able to squeeze an a visit here on this trip (see exhausted 5 year old below), but promise to come back and give it a full review soon!





 Don't be fooled by my kids' faces (I made the mistake of waiting to take these until the end of the day and 2.0 was super tired and chilly).... We had a great time visiting Hershey Park and the Sweet Lights! 




We hope you'll consider checking it out and making it part of your family's holiday experience this year!

Sponsorship/Affiliate Disclaimer: 

lehighvalley.findandgoseek.net only exists because of hours upon hours of work that comes directly from the heart of a mom who wants to make the Lehigh Valley a better place to raise your family. Because of our effort we publish a resource that makes your life as a parent easier, makes the Lehigh Valley more welcoming to a family new to the area and helps make the Lehigh Valley a more vibrant and engaging place for families to grow and live. In order to make it possible to continue doing this we must find ways to generate income from our work. At times you will see posts from sponsors who pay us a fee to help them spread the word about their business or event. This article contains no affiliate links but we have received tickets for free in exchange for our honest review. Barters and fees that we receive from our sponsors and affiliates help make the website the best it can possibly be, they put food on our family's table and allow us to keep doing what we do! By patronizing the businesses who support us and by choosing to opt in to offers we share with you you keep lehighvalley.findandgoseek.net running - making it possible for us to continue to provide information and engaging content for years to come. Without you and without our valued sponsors the website could not continue to operate. We love all of our LVFGS Families and thank you for your support.

Lehigh Valley Birthday Party Guide

Summer has been certainly taking it's sweet time moving on this year but fall is coming and if your kids have fall or winter birthdays it can be hard to plan an indoor party a if you don't have a ton of room for entertaining.  

We've gathered some amazing ideas for birthday party locations in the Lehigh Valley that won't break the bank and take the stress of planning a party off of your shoulders! 

One of the area's newest party locations is Imagi Nation... We've loved this place since they've opened in fall of 2016 but recently Imagi Nation is seriously upping their game! They've added a real fire truck to their space and added a diner and construction zone to their imaginative world for kids! 

Visit Their Market Cafe, Doctors's office, Media Center, Real Fire Engine, Construction site and more!

If their full range of imaginative kids activities weren't enough to entertain the kids at your event, you can add on a ice cream making experience from their Ice Cream Lab to round out the fun! 

Parties for 10 children start at just $259

There are a few other points about this special place that we would be remiss if we didn't mention...

• The playtime is actually directed by the birthday child, they get to chose the activity spaces that that they want to go to, the birthday child gets to direct the flow and direction of the play!
• The effort needed to put forth to plan/host/throw the party here is non-existent Imagi Nation will l take care of everything for you, and even offers a printable invitation.
• You are not responsible for clean up afterward, grab your items we brought and be on your way!
• Imagi Nation provides each of your guests a coupon for discounted return visit. 
• Each Imagi Nation Ambassador is a certified and experienced educator skilled in engaging children in play while developing their social skills.  This is an element that really helps Imagi Nation stand out! Parents can relax knowing that their children are being entertained and well cared for by professionals. 

Up next is a Birthday Party favorite of kids everywhere in the Lehigh Valley. Their two locations (Easton and Allentown) cater to a wide range of kids (3 through 10) and possibly even older with some of their cool add on options (Cosmic Bounces, Blaster Wars and Balloon Drops)

Bounce U Hosts a streamlined party perfect for parents looking for a high energy event that requires little planning.  

Guests will be welcomed by Bounce U party pros who helps facilitate your event along the way. The party will take place in both of their will equipped bouncing rooms that feature a number of different attractions including giant slides, inflating batting stations, obstacle courses and more.  Once the bouncing fun is done the party gets moves to a private room for refreshments, chosen based on your party packages. 

Pricing starts at just $179 and Bounce U regularly offers specials as well, so subscribe to their newsletter for updates and exclusive deals. See specials that are being offered right now here and subscribe to their newsletter! 

The Mill is the ultimate indoor play experience for kids of all ages! With their extensive list of awesome activities kids from age 5 through their teens will love this space. 


 The Mill offers Bubble Soccer, Laser Tag, Aero Ball, and indoor mini golf! all in one location!

You can easily and affordably can host a party your kids will absolutely love. They can choose their activities, you get a space to share pizza and refreshments and an assigned professional to help with your event.

Pricing starts at $250 for 10 guests and includes pizza, paper products, you choice of events (Bubble Soccer, Laser Tag, Aero Ball, and indoor mini golf) , a souvenir for the guest of honor and you can bring in your own cake to celebrate with. You can add on guests and extra food too if you need it!

We love how The Mill is making hosting parties for children who are a a bit older super fun, safe and easy for Lehigh Valley parents to host! 

The Udder Bar - Who doesn't LOVE ice cream? Planning a party around this sweet treat seems pretty fun! 

The Udder Bar has thought of everything! They have dairy free ice cream for guests with allergies and italian ice too! Their parties include a hostess, games, a craft, and everything the guests need to create their own delicious sundae.

See their full menu here (it's ALL delicious) and stop in to see their space! 

To inquire about hosting your event at The Udder Bar just contact at info@theudderbar.com with the subject Birthday Party.

Kids can get out their creative energy at Paint and Party! The birthday child will choose a painting they love and will be lead by an experience artist to create their own masterpiece! 

This beautiful sunny kids painting studio is surrounded by windows and makes for such a fun and bright atmosphere. Parties can be as big a 30 children and cost $325. There is no guest minimum and families can bring in their own food, drinks and refreshments. 

These parties offer an incredible value if you have a crowd of kids to invite. The space in ample for children to all have their own painting spot and there is plenty of room to set up your treats in the back of the studio. 

Are the kids bouncing off the wall? gymtiME is ready to host an awesome birthday party for you that is sure to get those wiggles out! 

Customized parties are available from children ages 2 through 12. 

little ME: 2 to 4 years

Our little ME Birthday party is designed for children ages 2 to 4 years old. Two of our very qualified lead instructors will lead you, your child and your friends through 1 hour of activities in our TWO gymnastic rooms!

MAT tiME: 5 & Older

Our MAT tiME Birthday party is designed for children ages 5 years & older. Two of our very qualified instructors will lead your child and friends through 1 hour of activities in our TWO gymnastic rooms! Our Lead instructor will design an age appropriate gymnastic based obstacle course and skills to be introduced and incorporated throughout the party. 

WARRIOR CHALLENGE: 6 to 12 years

Our gym tiME Warrior Challenge Birthday party is designed for children ages 6 to 12 years old. Two of our very qualified lead instructors will lead you and your friends through an AWESOME OBSTACLE COURSE fit for WARRIORS! Both rooms will be filled with approx. 10 obstacles each to test your strength and endurance. 

Parties at gymtiME are super reasonable and start at $220 for members and $245 for non members. for up to 15 guests. Enjoy a clean private party space, paper products, invitations and a experienced hostess/instructor to help you along the way. 

Get WILD at your next party with Wildlands Conservancy!

This out of the box birthday party spot is perfect for your little nature lover. A number of different programs are available to choose from including some that offer an up close visit with a number of precious animals that are in the care of the staff at the Wildlands. Additional options include s'mores over a campfire and an outdoor hike, or during warm weather months  you can host a tubing party on the river!  If their location in Emmaus, PA isn't convenient they will come to you (within 25 miles) and give a one hour presentation at your home or other venue. 

Hosts can bring in their own food and cake and provide a trained naturalist to help lead your party.  Spaces available include their indoor educational center or their outdoor pavillion. 

Party pricing is based on package choices and starts at $200 for 20 guests.  One awesome park of hosting a party with The Wildlands Conservancy is that the money you've spent to host your party goes back to a locally run non-profit organization that is working to help preserve green space where we live, rescue and heal injured animals and help educate adults and children about the value of conservation. 

Still looking for the perfect party spot? 

Click here to see our full birthday party location list here! 

Sponsorship/Affiliate Disclaimer: 

lehighvalley.findandgoseek.net only exists because of hours upon hours of work that comes directly from the heart of a mom who wants to make the Lehigh Valley a better place to raise your family. Because of our effort we publish a resource that makes your life as a parent easier, makes the Lehigh Valley more welcoming to a family new to the area and helps make the Lehigh Valley a more vibrant and engaging place for families to grow and live. In order to make it possible to continue doing this we must find ways to generate income from our work. At times you will see posts from sponsors who pay us a fee to help them spread the word about their business or event. This article may contain affiliate links from businesses that give us a very small portion of your purchase should you decide to purchase. Barters and fees that we receive from our sponsors and affiliates help make the website the best it can possibly be, they put food on our family's table and allow us to keep doing what we do! By patronizing the businesses who support us and by choosing to opt in to offers we share you keep lehighvalley.findandgoseek.net alive - making it possible for us to continue to provide information and engaging content for years to come. Without you and without our valued sponsors the website could not continue to operate. Opinions expressed in this article are 100% honest and real and are not in any way altered based on sponsorship agreements, barters or payments we have received as a media partner. We love all of our LVFGS Families and thank you for you support.