I am going to start putting up day trip Idea's for north east PA. I know that I am always looking for cheap things to do to have fun with the family. With the way things are right now I am sure you are as well. I am looking for things that may not be as well known as some other places like hershey park for example. I am hopping that anyone reading this will look in their own area and let us know about fun day trips we could do there. So here we go.

The First day trip idea I have you will need to pack a cooler with lunch and drinks. In the morning check out Eckley Miners village. It still have houses from the early 1900's. When you get there check out the visitors center. They have Information there about the village itself. Amazingly there are still a few family's that live there.

If you want to check out the museum it does cost. Adult $6 age 12-64 Youth $4 age 3-11 and Reduced $5,50 age 65 and up. Not to bad, The museum is full of everything from funiture to clothes of the time. It's very interesting to see what they had to live with. Sorry kids no play station back then.They also have an auditorium where they show short film about Eckly. Worth checking out.

The Village itself is open to anyone who just wants to walk and see the houses. This is a great way to get rid of those extra pounds, and much cheaper than a gym. Grab some of those drinks you brought along for the walk, about half way down there is a nice shade tree with a table, you can sit and take in the view. There is also a walking tour. If you add a $1.50 to the adult and reduced prices from above and .50 cents to the youth price from above.. They have a guide that will take you into some of the buildings and give you details on them and how they were used. It is worth the little extra.

I think this is a great place to visit and take your kids. I have always said that if we forget history we are doomed to repeat it. This is a great place to see history, and yes this is where they filmed "Molly Mcquire."

There is a web sit you can check out. www.eckleyminers.org They do a lot of different events through out the years as well. So check the site to see dates.

After a morning of history it's time for a relaxing afternoon. Get the gang into the car and go about half an hour to Hickory Run State Park. There are many things to do here. If you enjoy hiking there many trails in which to go. The scenery is beautiful so you may want to take a camera.

One of my favorite place is the boulder field. This is left over from the last ice age and will impress you when you see it. It is over 15,ooo years old, just a few years younger than my mother-in-law. I hope she doesn't read this. The kids will love to clime all over these.

On your way back out you will come to picnic areas. These are nice and have grills right there. Good place to stop for lunch. There is a lake right there with a beach, so the kids can swim and you can tan. These areas are free to the public.  However there are NO lifeguards at the lake. It is swim are your own risk.  They do have it roped off and the deepest is around 4 1/2 feet.  Well I have to go blow up my floaties so i can get in the water.

Happy travels.

If you have questions about the park you can email hickoryrunsp@state.pa.us

They also have a camp ground if your looking for a weekend trip. It is very afforabled and they have shower on site. You can check out their web site at www.visitPAparks.com for more information on that.

Safe travels everyone.