Ringing Rocks Cmpgrnd & Crayola Fctry, Easton, PA

 

Spent Saturday at the Crayola Factory - not really the factory but a 3-story activity center about 6 miles from the factory.  It includes a live demo of making crayons which is a must-see, and the kids enjoyed every minute with the chalk, crayons, clay, etc.  As an adult it had the feeling of a big advertisement of all their product lines, but I expected that and it was done well.  The third floor includes a museum on canals (a canal runs through Easton), which is an associate of the Smithsonian Institution.  It includes a 100-foot hands-on canal demo with water and small boats where you move your boat up and down a set of locks and ramps.  Very cool.  There is a McDonald's on the ground floor so lunch is easy.  Parking is a big complaint - if they have dedicated parking we didn't see it so we parked on the street at a 2-hour meter and then took turns all day running out every 1:55 to feed it.  The area isn't exactly affluent so each run out to the car presented us with some local flavor.  Nothing scary, just don't expect to see anyone walking around in a tux.  Or a suit.    There is an ice cream parlor directly behind the factory in the alley (can't miss their advertisement hanging on the wall as you look out the window) with exotic cones and flavors, a  nice ending to the day after spending some $ in the Crayola store on the first floor.

 

A bit of a trip at 3 1/2 hours one-way.  Way more than we usually do for a weekend, heck we can get to the beach at that distance.  But, necessary to see the factory since they can't move it closer.  As always it was easier than I expected since I'm still not used to how smooth the 'pod pulls compared to our popup, or how easy setup now is.  We even stopped half-way for a bathroom break in a Rite-Aid parking lot, and ran in to get some popsicles.