I need some cheaper vacation ideas near Philly, we only like Disney

[DisneyHumbug]

Woodloch Resort in the Poconos has something for everyone....

 

[Rose23]

Take the train from Philadelphia to DC and enjoy the free monuments, Smithsonian, Arlington and the Cherry Blossoms. Train is pretty inexpensive, along with the DC Metro to take you around the City.

MUST DO:
National Archives - overwhelming experience to see the founding documents
Martin Luther King Memorial - beautiful
Vietnam Memorial - very moving experience

 

[mjkacmom]

My kids would pick Wildwood over Disney. They not only love the boardwalk, but they LOVE the ocean, and the waves.

 

[holden]

Check out Ocean City, NJ online. It is consistently chosen as one of the best vacation destinations for families in the US. Great beaches, wonderful boardwalk, sweet town, very family friendly. It's also close to all of the other shore towns, so you can do day trips to them if you want (Cape May, Wildwood, etc.). We love OCNJ so much we bought a vacation home there!

 

[eliza61]

Are you only looking for amusement parks?

You say you live near Philly have you ever been to Philly? Philadelphia is an awesome city especially in the summer.

Franklin Institute
Art Museum
Philadelphia Zoo
historical district
Aquarium
Phillies game (extremely affordable for a family of 4)

DC and what about NYC. Have you seen the Lion King?

 

[mrsklamc]

OP maybe try requesting travel guides from the cities and states nearest you, and then if something looks interesting, look it up on tripadvisor.

 

[havaneselover]

Take the train from Philadelphia to DC and enjoy the free monuments, Smithsonian, Arlington and the Cherry Blossoms. Train is pretty inexpensive, along with the DC Metro to take you around the City.

MUST DO:
National Archives - overwhelming experience to see the founding documents
Martin Luther King Memorial - beautiful
Vietnam Memorial - very moving experience

No cherry blossoms in August. I enjoy DC and take my kids there once a year or so (2 hour drive) but I wouldn't recommend vacationing there in August.

Ocean City, NJ is awesome but being from Philly I'd think the OP was already aware of that : )

BG/Water Country and possibly Great Wolf Lodge could be a great trip. And personally I don't see BG as an imitation of WDW in anyway. To me they are different and both wonderful. BG and Water Country have a very reasonable week pass I believe (according to the website it's $82/person).

 

[mickeyluvr004]

Disney Cruise Line. lol!
Depending on the time of year and how you typically stay in WDW it can be very close in price. It makes any theme park feel like crowded, hard work.

I'm waiting for a last minute special for a 3 nt March cruise for just me & ds13. We have airfare and a 1nt stay at BCV (renting pts.) but didn't book the cruise yet.
As a Plan B, I looked into booking a room at BC for 3 nts in case DCL never releases a special. 3 nts at BC is equivalent to an inside room for 3 nts, including unlimited food, non-alc drinks, snacks & free room service.

Castaway Cay is so heavenly, it will ruin the shore up here for you.

Have you checked with Vacationstogo.com? they have a 90 day ticker and it shows you the discounted prices. I have never been on a Disney cruise but would love to but it is pricey

 

[mrsklamc]

There's a site (I think cruise compete?) where you can put the word out to a bunch of different travel agencies that you want a specific cruise and they come back with 'bids,' you might try that.

 

[ldo]

I live in DC area and have been to Wllmbg/BG many times. It is an excellent family vacation spot--I give WDW and WDW resorts an A+ and Wlmmbg/BG would be a B+, IMHO. You can usually get a BG funcard for unlimited admission for $90 or so in the summer. Kids tickets for Wllmbg are very reasonable, plus, many times, if 1 person get an annual pass, they can bring up to 5 friends/family for free or $10PP or so in the summer. There are many timeshares in Wllmbg for rental on redweek, or book directly, expedia, etc.
Also, I would try to leave early AM from Phili, stay at a hotel near DC and do DC for 2 half-days. Aside from Metro/hotel, most DC museums are free--and it's on the way. happy travels! Elaine

 

[mbf]

My youngest dd lives in Philly and last summer our family did a Big Bus tour of Philly (stopped at several sites including the US Mint), Eastern State Penitentiary tour, and Phillies game. There were a million more sites in Philly we would have loved to tour (the Mutter Museum, Please Touch Museum, Penn Museum, and Penn's Landing are on deck for a future visit).

We followed it up with a trip to the No 9 Coal Mine in the Poconos and to Camelback Mountain Adventures for some zip lining and the mountain coaster there.

 

[PAcpl]

My youngest dd lives in Philly and last summer our family did a Big Bus tour of Philly (stopped at several sites including the US Mint), Eastern State Penitentiary tour, and Phillies game. There were a million more sites in Philly we would have loved to tour (the Mutter Museum, Please Touch Museum, Penn Museum, and Penn's Landing are on deck for a future visit).

We followed it up with a trip to the No 9 Coal Mine in the Poconos and to Camelback Mountain Adventures for some zip lining and the mountain coaster there.

You know what, I would suggested a stop in Philly just for that alone. We have been to Eastern State a few times and it is absolutely amazing. Just seeing a structure like that in the city is mind blowing.

Eastern State Penitentiary

 

[Jessica527]

Sorry I did not get a chance to read through the whole thing, but Pennsylvanian here!!

I just wanted to recommend a stay at Hershey Park in their campground. You can either camp or stay in one of their cabins. They have a shuttle to the parks and it is very nice!

 

[gracie1]

You know what, I would suggested a stop in Philly just for that alone. We have been to Eastern State a few times and it is absolutely amazing. Just seeing a structure like that in the city is mind blowing. Eastern State Penitentiary

This is where I want to go!! I plan on going this year. Philly is only a couple hours from me (I'm in Delaware).

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Our family went to Sedona/Grand Canyon last year - they said it was their favorite vacation so far (Disney included). You are absolutely going to LOVE the rafting/slot tour in AZ, that was hands down our favorite of the trip. I was nervous paying the amount that it cost but I say every penny was worth it. The Hummer Adventure tour was an absolute blast for our kids and the fact that it was only us and our tour guide made it that much more special. Also, the guide was fantastic with our kids, they loved him. Enjoy!!

Thanks! We're looking forward to it.

Have you checked with Vacationstogo.com? they have a 90 day ticker and it shows you the discounted prices. I have never been on a Disney cruise but would love to but it is pricey

Were you thinking Bonnet Creek or Beach Club? I'll check out vacationstogo.
If you can cruise outside of non peak times, it's not bad. Actually pretty close to staying onsite + park tickets + meals.
Now that they have 4 ships it seems it's harder for them to fill and they offer last minute discounts.
If March is anything like Jan & Feb for DCL, ds13 & I should be able to do a 3 night for around $800. I don't know of any all-inclusive resorts at that price and with Disney's level of service. This includes free room service, unlimited food & non-alc drinks. So much entertainment we couldn't do it all on a 7 nt cruise and still some days to relax at a beach. For us it's the perfect family vacation.
I try to stay away but it calls to me.

 

[mrsklamc]

Sorry I did not get a chance to read through the whole thing, but Pennsylvanian here!!

I just wanted to recommend a stay at Hershey Park in their campground. You can either camp or stay in one of their cabins. They have a shuttle to the parks and it is very nice!

OP said in her first post, not interested.

 

[Donnainnj]

I live near Philly and it seems me and my kids only really enjoy Disney. We've been everywhere around here, but have never been to Busch Gardens in VA. We're going to Disney in June. I would like to plan an August trip to have something fun planned. As much as i'd love to go back to Disney again that soon, I just can't afford too. Is Busch Gardens fun? I'm not really into big rides, or regular types of rides. I'm not far from Hershey and to me it's just another theme park. Is there anything special about Busch Gardens? Any other ideas for fun places like Disney...lol?

Not sure how old your kids are but if they are young we had a nice trip in NH. Santa's village, Storyland, Mount Washington, hiking, and my older girls and my husband zip-lined. It was a nice reasonable budget vacation, at a slower pace then Disney with great natural attractions. (We brought our two teens, but the parks were much more young child focused, the hiking and athletic activities available would appeal to older kids)

Another option,(for more money, but not crazy) if you could go late in August a cruise out of NYC/Bayonne may be possible. No airfare, which helps the budget, and the closer you get to school starting the lower the prices.
Donna

 

[mbf]

This is where I want to go!! I plan on going this year. Philly is only a couple hours from me (I'm in Delaware).

My dd and her BF went to the haunted tour this year during Halloween. She said it was awesome.

 

[gracie1]

My dd and her BF went to the haunted tour this year during Halloween. She said it was awesome.

I could never do the haunted tour at Halloween! I saw a video on their website and that was enough for me!! Lol!!

 

[aprilgail2]

I live near Philly and it seems me and my kids only really enjoy Disney. We've been everywhere around here, but have never been to Busch Gardens in VA. We're going to Disney in June. I would like to plan an August trip to have something fun planned. As much as i'd love to go back to Disney again that soon, I just can't afford too. Is Busch Gardens fun? I'm not really into big rides, or regular types of rides. I'm not far from Hershey and to me it's just another theme park. Is there anything special about Busch Gardens? Any other ideas for fun places like Disney...lol?

We go to Disney every few years, I like it but there are just so many other places to go and things to see other than Disney for us!
My daughter loves Williamsburg- we have gone there twice and she would go back again if she had her way. You could do a day in Busch Gardens and then Williamsburg and surrounding area. They have a water park in that area too.
Strawberry Park in CT. is an awesome campground, you don't need to camp, you can rent a park house there and still have the whole "camping feel" They have activities all day and night for all ages, we have a blast there.
Wildwood NJ is ok for a weekend but couldn't spend much more time there than that, same with the Poconos.