Our summers are slow. My boys are not into camp. We go to bed late, wake up later, allow our brains to slowly acclimate to the world. The rest of the world is in camp… so it’s my job to keep us moving, not fighting, and cool.
In the summers I have my boys from Tuesday morning through Thursday afternoon when they go to their Dads. I thought this would be a perfect time to take a mini road trip. I wanted to stay at a cool AirBnb but being a travel agent I get awesome Marriott perks so decided to go for the money saving option.
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Stop #1: Lakota Wolf Preserve
Lakota Wolf Preserve is located in Columbia, NJ. There is a campground attached to the preserve. Educational tours are run by Jim Stein and Becky Mace, the husband and wife duo who set up and run the preserve. The preserve consists of 4 wolf packs, a lynx, a bobcats and foxes. Tours run twice a day at 10:30am and 4:00pm. Weekday tours require a reservation and you must arrive 30 minutes early. There is a shuttle up to the preserve entrance or you can walk the 1/2 mile trail through the campground (only with closed back shoes). Tours are $15 for adults and $7 for kids (11 and under).
The tour runs approximately 1.5 hours, consisting of a description of the purpose of the preserve, the behavioral patterns and social structure of the wolf packs, and interaction with man. It is awesome to hear Becky call all the wolves to howl in unison!
Stop #2: Delaware River Tubing
We slept at the Marriott in Bethlehem, PA. The next morning we woke up early for the free breakfast (it ends so early!!) and then headed to Milford, NJ for tubing. The Delaware River Tubing trip includes tube, life jacket, and lunch! A shuttle bus takes you to the entrance and will also pick you up at the other end.
We arrived at the office around 10:30am. We were given a bracelet for our tube, one for lunch, and I received one for my car keys. There are options to upgrade your tube to include a head rest. The office also contains many options to buy water shoes, water bags, and water guns. I highly suggest bringing a water bag. I was able to pack my super compact sandcloud towel, phone, chapstick, water and sunblock in my waterproof bag.
The 5-6 mile stretch takes about 3 hours in total to tube down. Half way through the trip there is the Hot Dog Man where you can choose between a hot dog, a hamburger, or a veggie burger ($2 extra). This comes with a drink and chips. It was fun to watch people make it over to the right side as to not pass the hot dog man as they floated by.
Stop #3: Round Valley Reservoir
We finished tubing around 2pm on a very hot day so we needed to keep cool. We stopped in Frenchtown for some iced coffee and browsing and then headed to Round Valley Reservoir. We arrived after 5pm so there was no fee to enter. There was a cute little beach with a lifeguard, roped in swim area, and bathrooms with changing areas.
Stop #4: Dutch Springs Aqua Park
Dutch Springs Aqua Park is in Bethlehem and on the way home for us. We set the alarm again for a super early breakfast (8:45am… haha) and headed to Dutch Springs. We arrived right when it opened on a cloudy day. Groupons are available but have to be bought at least 24 hours in advance. The morning was awesome. My kids, ages 9&11, both had a great time. My 11 year old loved getting sky rocketed into the air on “the blob” and My 9 year old loved climbing up the climbing wall and sliding down into the water. The park starts to get crowded with camps around 12pm so getting there early was a major bonus!
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39 thoughts on “Three Day Road Trip: Summer Family Fun Close to NYC”
This looks like a super fun adventure! Tubing is always a great summer activity.
This is a great getaway! We just did an Aqua park a few weeks ago, it was fun! Plus river rafting, my kids would love that!
The tubing reminds me of an area near to where I live, and funny thing is there are often notices on the radio and in the paper saying it’s not a loop. Many people are having to be rescued!
What a fun getaway! I love tubing – we often do that on our local river if it’s really hot out!
I love water tubing. Grew up doing it on the brandywine river in Chadds Ford, PA. So fun for your boys and great way to keep them busy and outdoors exploring.
What a fun road trip! My family would love the wildlife preserve and the tubing. I love little opportunities to have some summer fun.
What a nice little road trip with your boys! It looks like they really enjoyed themselves and now they will have great memories of the Summer of 2019!
What a great adventure for your boys. The Lakota Wolf Preserve looks like such an interesting place!
Lots of time in the water – I like it!
Sounds and looks like a perfect way to spend your summer days!
What a fun experience!
Looks like when we visit we should bring water guns! So much fun.
I love little road trips! This one looks so fun!
I love the wolf preserve! My daughter would love this.
This looks like a great way to stay cool! We love tubing in the mountains. So fun. Love all the fun pics!
This looks like so much fun my kids would love it!
Wow! Those wolves are beautiful! What a amazing opportunity to get up close to them.
These are great ideas. I have a friend that lives in Milford, NJ, yet I have never heard of this tubing park. How deep does the weather get? It looks like a lot of fun.
I really didn’t even know that all this existed in NY. Thank you for sharing!
The wolf preserve looks so interesting. I am not much on swimming in rivers or lakes, I have an unrealistic fear. lol!
Looks like you and your boys had a great time!
Looks like a GREAT weekend! We try to go tubing on our local river at least once a summer (more if we can squeeze it in). It’s always such a fun afternoon.
I would enjoy visiting Lakota Wolf Preserve. Learning about animals is a great vacation.
Oh, I think the wolf preserve and the aqua park would be huge hits with our family. I don’t know if my nerves could handle seeing my kids be bounced high in the air on those blob things, though! 🙂
Oh my this looks like it was a fun trip!!! I LOVE river tubing! And that aqua park looks awesome!!! I bet the wolf sanctuary was pretty cool too.
What a fun road trip! I’ve got one that would love to visit that wolf preserve. And my other two are pretty adventurous so they’d love tubing.
What a fun trip! That wolf reserve looks really neat! These will be things your kids will never forget.
We love tubing. So much fun. In fact, my daughter says it’s the ‘right’ way to go down the river. lol
River floating looks like so much fun! I bet my kids would love that!
I have swum in the Delaware River before and it is swift! Looks like a great trip!
The tubing and aqua park sounds like fun! Great job planning your trip! And thanks for the tips on how to save money on the trip!
Nothing better than tubing and a water park in the summer!
I love anything that involves water! The tubing sounds great, as well as the reservoir and the aqua park.
Lots of fun places here. Don’t you just love the summer?
Looks like a great three day summer road trip! Lots of family fun in these pics 🙂 My girls would love the wolf sanctuary, so beautiful.
What a great trip! I’ve never been outside of the city in NY but it looks beautiful.
I would love the Delaware River tubing. So fun! It looks like you all had a grand time and I love the joy on your faces!
This trip looks fabulous. I wonder if it was open this past summer with the pandemic and all. I will have to look into this for next summer since my boys would this!
Let me know if you need any help:)