Details: We spent the weekend in Pennsylvania. The first day was spent at Hershey’s Chocolate World (see separate blog post) and the second day was spent exploring caves and eating ice cream. We drove to each location.

Vanessa’s Thoughts: If you have the opportunity to visit the caves at Echo Dell Indian Caverns, you definitely should. It was really cool to explore the caves and do the other activities there. Our guide was Michael and he took us through the different areas of the cave. He showed us stalactites, stalagmites and some crystal clear lakes inside the caves. Some areas were very narrow or low but it was easy for me to move around inside. This was one time when I was glad I was not tall! We were not allowed to touch anything so that was a bit of a bummer, but it was still pretty cool. I recommend bringing a sweatshirt because it was a little chilly inside (mom said it was 52 degrees) but it wasn’t too bad since it was so hot outside.

While exploring the caves was interesting, my favorite part of the visit was gem mining. My mom purchased a bag at the counter and we brought it to the sluicing area. We grabbed a tray and my dad helped me pour out the bag and wash it with the water. It was really fun to find all the gems – I think I found 15 and they were all different colors and sizes! I wanted to get a second bag but mom said next time. There were other bags in addition to the gem bag you could purchase, such as a shark tooth bag and a treasure bag.

Afterwards, I visited the petting zoo. There were alpacas, goats and chickens. You could purchase food to feed them, though I jiggled the knob on the food station and free food came out, so I fed the animals for a while. It was fun!

After lunch, we went to the Turkey Hill Experience. There is a big cow in front of the building that you can take pictures with. Inside there were lots of fun things to do. We designed our own ice cream flavor on the computer, but we were not able to eat it, so that was disappointing – it was just a pretend ice cream. We also created a pretend ice cream carton design and a commercial. My dad’s commercial made me laugh. He was supposed to interview a cow but instead talked about random things. I sat behind him and it looked like my arms were his arms – it was really funny since my dad has big muscles and I don’t! We also got to sample ice cream, iced tea and lemonade. You could have unlimited samples, but I was getting full because we also did the Taste Lab.

The Taste Lab is where you actually create ice cream you can eat, so that was great. You have to start with a vanilla or chocolate base, and then you can include a flavored syrup and items from the inclusion wall. There were lots of options to choose from! I created a vanilla ice cream with chocolate cookies, chocolate chips and caramel sauce. It was super yummy but I could not finish it – it was too much ice cream! I never thought I would say that!

I had so much fun making my own ice cream, exploring the caves and mining for gems! If you are in eastern Pennsylvania then you should definitely check out both of these places!

Rating:

Mom’s Two Cents:

Echo Dell Indian Caverns was less then 10 minutes from our hotel and Hershey’s Chocolate World so if you are coming to Hershey, I definitely recommend stopping by. Reservations are not needed either so it can be a last minute decision. A guide takes you through the cave, which has been outfitted with lights to make it a bit more navigable. Michael was our guide and we found him to be very knowledgeable and a great storyteller. There are 71 steps that you need to go down to get to the cave opening so that is something to keep in mind if your mobility is limited. There is a small gift shop that sells a lot of Native American inspired items, among other things. This is also where you purchase tickets to the cave, buy the gem bags etc. The prices were very reasonable so it is definitely worth checking out.

We planned to get lunch somewhere near The Turkey Hill Experience so we looked up some places nearby on Google Maps. We went to Union Station Grill as it was only a few blocks away. It is definitely in a shady looking neighborhood so we were not sure what to expect but, we were pleasantly surprised. The food was good, the staff was friendly and the beers were cold. They had a nice patio area as well and it was definitely the most appealing looking eatery we passed. My husband enjoyed this meal much better than our dinner the night before.

The Turkey Hill Experience was not what I was expecting on initial glance as it is connected to the Turkey Hill gas station (and you don’t expect a fun, family friendly attraction to be next to a gas station). But once we found parking, which was a challenge, we went inside and had a great time. One could easily spend several hours inside exploring the different areas and learning how they make their ice cream and beverage products.

I am glad that we did the Taste Lab, but I don’t think we would do it again because it was sooo much ice cream. It was a lot of ice cream to eat at one sitting, but I did not want to throw it out and waste it and saving it was not an option since it was melting as we made it and would definitely not survive a car ride home. And after eating all the ice cream, I was too full to enjoy the other ice cream samples that came with general admission (the Taste Lab is an add on). Plus, now that I know how they do it, I feel as though I can recreate it at home. While the Taste Lab is fun and it was really cool to see the inclusion walls, you could have an absolutely fabulous time at the Turkey Hill Experience without this add on.

There is a lot to do in the eastern Pennsylvania area so it can easily fill up several days of vacation. You do need a car to get from attraction to attraction but it is a great outing for families within a few hours drive of the area – or families passing through on a road trip. There are also things to do in every season from hiking, skiing, and rafting to fall festivals and ice cream trails so there is something for every age group and interest. It is definitely an area with a lot to offer.

Resources:

Echo Dell Indian Caverns: https://indianechocaverns.com/

Turkey Hill Experience: https://www.turkeyhillexperience.com/

Union Station Grill: https://www.unionstationgrill.net/

Pennsylvania Tourism Office: https://www.visitpa.com/