If you’re looking for a small town getaway in a peaceful location, Bucks County, Pennsylvania is an ideal destination. Visitors come from nearby Philadelphia, New Jersey, Baltimore, DC and New York to escape the hustle and bustle of work life. Whether you’re taking a train ride or entertaining your kids with a trip to Sesame Place, Bucks County has activities that the whole family can enjoy.
Peaceful Weekend Getaway In Bucks County, Pennsylvania
After a short drive from a neighboring city, you can arrive in Bucks County and immediately take in the serene views of farmland. Nestled in between Shady Brook Farm and C. L. Prickett Antiques is a business center where the Hampton Inn & Suites is located. Since the hotel is also next to a Dunkin Donuts, you can even satisfy your sweet tooth upon your arrival.
Relaxing Stay At The Hampton Inn & Suites In Newtown
As you walk into the lobby of the Hampton Inn, you are greeted by exquisite decor. From the artistic lighting to the hard flooring, the lobby has a modern, family friendly vibe. You can easily access the complimentary breakfast buffet in a small nook by the lobby. Right outside the doors is a large pool and a private courtyard.
After arriving, we checked into our suite. I was happy the suite came with two double beds, a kitchenette, a work space, seating area, and dining area. When you’re traveling with kids who eat messily and you’re there on business, having separate spaces for eating, working, and sleeping is very helpful.
At the check in desk, we received our bag of complimentary tickets from the Visit Bucks County tourist bureau. Inside, there was also a treat for Georgiana, her very own Elmo (her favorite Sesame Street character)!
Equipped with a new souvenir and our swimsuits, we headed out for a day at Sesame Place for Labor Day weekend.
Visiting Elmo And Friends At Sesame Place
Located in Langhorne, Sesame Place is a convenient, fun attraction. Whether you want to visit the dry rides or the water rides, the park has plenty of activities for all guests. When you visit Bucks County, Sesame Place can easily be a half day activity. If you have other attractions to see or tired kids, five hours here is plenty. You can also visit all day to get the most from your experience, but you don’t need to drag the day out here because there’s plenty more to see in the area.
As I mentioned in 5 Tips For Visiting Sesame Place, Sesame Neighborhood is a fun place to visit first. While the kids wait to take photos with a character, you can take photos of them checking out the different stores and the firetruck.
We had an incredible time. Since the park is geared towards young kids, we made sure to include Georgiana in all of the rides. You can find plenty of rides more suitable for older kids too.
One fun stop was seeing Elmo the Musical – Live at Sesame Place! If you visit, you should arrive half an hour early to get seats. From interactive skits to bubbles flying through the air, the show is exciting for kids. This is also a nice place to cool off if it’s a hot day.
During your visit, Sesame Place is a simple way to make the kids happy. You can spend a few hours there to give your kids the awesome weekend they’re hoping for, then head on to discover the many other attractions that Bucks County offers.
Eating A Quick Bite At Green Parrot
After visiting Sesame Place, we worked up an appetite. For a quick meal, we stopped at Green Parrot in Newtown. Since we arrived early, we walked around the all-American small town. With tree-lined streets and unique shops, the area looked like a nice walking district.
Stepping into the Green Parrot, we were impressed with the friendly service, and we were happy to see that many families were dining there. One highlight of our meal was the Philly Egg Rolls. Since we were traveling so close to Philadelphia, we had wanted to try a Philly Cheese Steak at some point. The Philly Egg Rolls were a fun twist on a classic regional dish.
For dinner, I had the Parrot Crab Sauté, and for dessert I had the highly recommended Bread Pudding, which was enough to feel the whole family. We also ordered a delicious local ice cream. The restaurant also had a nice draft selection worth checking out if you visit.
Serene Views In New Hope
On the second day of our visit, we drove to New Hope, a picturesque town that many people traveled to for Labor Day weekend. Located on the banks of the Delaware River, New Hope offers many fun activities, including boat rides.
Whether you want to explore the area’s beautiful views or stroll through the town shopping for antiques and clothes, this small town is well worth stopping by during your visit.
The New Hope & Ivyland Railroad
When we arrived in New Hope, we stopped at the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad. Getting to the railroad first thing in the morning is smart because it is much less crowded earlier in the day. You can park your car next to the railroad and explore the city after riding the train.
At the train station, kids can play on the carousel and check out the gift shop before boarding. There are also easily accessible, clean restrooms.
Before boarding, we were excited to go live on my Facebook page to share some details of our visit. You can check out the video below, which shows the girls riding the carousel as I check out the coach car and the open air car.
Even though I was eager to visit the breezy open air car, we decided to start our voyage in the first class Parlor car. When you visit the first class car, you get a complimentary drink for each guest. This is the only car on the train that is air conditioned. The first class car also has lighting, comfortable seating, and nice decor.
We were very happy that mid-way through our voyage, the train photographer came up to us and gave us a family photo he had taken of us with the train conductor. Then, we were led to the open air car to see a new perspective.
One of the special things about the open air car is that children are allowed to stand at the very back of the train, which becomes the front of the train, as the train reverses back to its station. This made for a very unique, memorable experience. As we sped by rivers and through the woods, I loved that my kids would be able to cherish the fun memory of riding a train.
Riding the train at the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad was a once in a lifetime experience. Whether your kids love playing with train toys or you dream of riding a train through Europe, visiting this train station is highly recommended during your visit to Bucks County.
Incredible Dining At Marsha Brown Restaurant
After riding the train, walk down the street to discover shops and restaurants unique to the New Hope area. Although there are many dining options in the area, the Marsha Brown Restaurant offers an experience that is quite unlike what you can find at other restaurants. The Marsha Brown Restaurant is located in a renovated, 125 year old stone church with 40 foot ceilings.
Inside, dine on the second floor to discover an incredible 30-foot mural. After sitting down, my daughter gasped at how beautiful the dining area was and exclaimed, “This is a really nice restaurant mom! It’s nicer than the places we usually go!”
On the second floor, you also get a clear view of the incredible stained glass windows. As you dine, you can easily imagine how beautiful this location was as a church. With such an immaculate setting, the restaurant is very serene for a family meal.
In addition to having a beautiful dining area, the Marsha Brown Restaurant also offers incredible creole food. I joked with my kids that the food brought me back to me Louisiana roots (even though I moved out of Louisiana before I could eat solid food), but really, the food was spectacular.
After trying the Real Gumbo Yaya soup as an appetizer, I decided on the Jambalaya for my lunch. With a delicious mixture of ingredients and a balance of spices, the Jambalaya was perfect. I would visit New Hope again just to order it.
Ryan ordered the Crispy Catfish Po Boy. I had a few bites, and I loved it! The fries came lightly seasoned, but we were able to order some without seasoning for the kids.
Eating the last meal of our weekend excursion at Marsha Brown Restaurant was incredible. With an authentic creole taste, the food was delicious. Being able to enjoy the food in such a beautiful surrounding was a very special experience.
Dessert At Moo Hope
Right across the street from Marsha Brown Restaurant is an ice cream shop called Moo Hope. With bright fun decor, Moo Hope offers a nice selection of ice cream. My daughters each ordered a refreshing scoop of mint ice cream. On a hot day, this was the perfect treat to have before heading home.
From the streets of New Hope to the rides at Sesame Place, Bucks County had something to offer the entire family. Even though we were only in Bucks for two days, we enjoyed many fun activities. Taking a weekend getaway was a refreshing way to enjoy one last summer weekend.
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Disclosure
I received a free item, but it in no way influenced my opinion.
I would love to visit this place but the US is jsut too far from my country philippines. it is also expensive to travel in the us. =D
Yes, it sounds far! If you ever come to the US, this is a nice spot to see!
Thanks for sharing your family holiday pics & meals with us. I’ve never heard of any of these places, but then the US is a big ole place. I’m based in the UK right now so don’t tend to get back to North America very often, and so I enjoyed your little visual tour of your holiday.
Yes, it sounds like we’re pretty far from you! The UK has beautiful places too.
I really enjoyed the virtual tour and the photos helped a lot 🙂 It seems you had a lovely weekend with your family. I can see the girls had a wonderful time there. It’s great that you’re spending quality time with each other!
So glad you enjoyed the post and found it useful!
Looks like such a lovely trip! The girls look adorable on the train together and what a great photo of them with their hair blowing in the breeze like that 🙂 Looks like a good assortment of things to do for everyone and those philly egg rolls I would definitely try!
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed the post! Yes, the train and food was a highlight of the trip!
Awwwww looks like y’all had a fun trip! I haven’t been to seasame place since I was a kid!!! So much fun there!
You aren’t far from there, right? It was such an easy drive for us!
That’s a weekend well spent! I love that you all had fun and it’s always nice to spend some quality time with the family in a place as beautiful as this! I am loving the food as well!
Yes, the food was delicious, and we were so happy to spend time together!
This looks awesome! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Glad you enjoyed!
Oh my gosh, they are so beautiful!!
It was a great visit!
I definitely have to check out that church turned restaurant. That is seriously cool!
It’s really incredible! We loved visiting there.
Looks really nice and such a change, I’d like to have a ride in an open car train.
It was one of the coolest activities my kids have done this year. They loved it.
Looks like an incredible place to visit! Thanks for sharing!
We had an amazing time! Glad you enjoyed reading it.
This sounds like the perfect family getaway, as it is close enough to drive to from many major cities. Love how many interesting and fun things there are to do for the whole family. Your girls look like they enjoyed all the activities and it sounds like you and your husband did too! Thanks for sharing the highlights of your time in Bucks County.
It was so enjoyable to get away together for the weekend. I’m glad you enjoyed reading it, Beverley!
What an awesome trip! I was in Philly a few weeks back, wish we’d had the time to go here too! The New Hope & Ivyland Railroad in particular looks awesome 🙂
Yes, it wasn’t far from Philly, which looked like it had loads you could do in the city as well.
Looks like a lovely family getaway!
We loved it! Glad you stopped by to read about it.
This was an interesting read. A restaurant is located in a 125 year old stone church… I have never seen it before!
Yes, I had never seen anything like it either! What an interesting business concept.
Your family is beautiful and it looks like you guys had such a fun getaway with loads to do and lots of delicious food to eat.
Aw, thank you so much! We had an incredible time together, and yes, the food was great!
What a great family getaway. My little guys would love this – especially Elmo! Great post!
Yes, Elmo was a major highlight for the kids!
This place looks awesome! My goal for this year was to travel more to show our kids where we live and the amazing places close by!!
This is a great place to go with kids. I agree, finding a nearby vacation spot is a great idea for young families.
This looks like the best and most relaxing getaway. I hope that you had a lovely time x
We did, thank you!
What a lovely place to visit! I’m looking forward to exploring Pennsylvania when we take a visit there in a few years.
Sounds like a good idea. It’s a really pretty area.
Wow look an amazing family get away. Lovely photos
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed reading about it.
What a lovely getaway to Buck’s County, it looks like the perfect family trip. It is great that children can stand at the back of the train!
Yes, it was perfect for the whole family.
Sesame Place sounded like so much fun for the kids. Your experience on the railroad sounded great too.
Yes, both Sesame Place and the New Hope & Ivyland railroad were major highlights of this trip!
The hotel looks very charming. I’ve never been to Pennsylvania but if they have Sesame Place I may just have to go! Looks like an excellent time.
Yes, for a Hampton Inn, it was really nice! Very homey and well decorated.
Looks like such a fun trip! I’m hoping to go on a road trip across America in 2018 and Pennsylvania is on my must see list! xo
That sounds so cool! I would love to do that.
Aw wow this looks like so much fun for both you guys and the kids! The food looks amazing too 🙂
Yes, we had a great time with each other and we loved eating so many good meals.
What a really fun place to do about a mil different things! New Hope looks so pretty – I would love to chill there just for a moment and catch my breath!
Yes, it was a very beautiful town. We hope to go again!
There looks like there is so much to do. I would love to visit one day!
There really is a lot you can do there. For a small town area, it’s pretty busy.
This looks like it would be perfect for my family. My kids would totally enjoy this.
That’s great, I’m glad you enjoyed reading about it.
I love the Sesame Street characters. My kids would go bonkers.
That’s awesome! Mine loved it.
This sounds like a great getaway for a weekend! Little weekend getaways like this are the most fun! Im glad you guys had such a good time.
Yes, it was so refreshing! We had just gotten back from a week at Disney World, but it was so adventurous to head out again.
I love small town getaways. It sounds like you had a great time. I will keep Buck County in mind for our next trip.
We really did. It was so nice.
You’re little ones are gorgeous, I bet they had a wonderful time. That food looks great.
Thank you! Yes, they loved it.
I’ve heard Bucks County is a beautiful place! I love Philly and think it would be fun to explore Pennsylvania even more with my family!
Yes, it’s very close to Philly!
Your pictures are great. Looks like a ton of fun!
Thank you, and yes, it was!
This looked like such a blast! Sadly this year we weren’t able to go anywhere really as our oldest started college and my husband started a new job, but I will bookmark this for further reference. Thanks for sharing.
That’s been our life for the past several years, but we’re finally getting out and doing more, and it feels so good!
Maybe one day we will get out there, it sure looks amazing, I love exploring!
Yes, it is well worth visiting!
You’re family would really enjoy visiting Eureka Springs, Arkansas. This towns reminds me of Eureka so much.
I’ve never been, but it sounds like somewhere I would enjoy!
What an awesome place for families. My son would love the Sesame Place! It really looks kid friendly.
Oh that smile with Elmo is adorable! This looks like such a fun trip!
Seeing Elmo was a major highlight!
This reminds me of my days living in Philadelphia…and makes me want to go back! It looks like y’all had a fabulous time in Bucks County!
That’s awesome! Yes, we had an incredible visit.
Sounds like an amazing time was had by all! I love Hampton Suites!! I hope you got the free chocolate chip cookies in the evening. That’s one of our favorite reasons to stay there!
Ooh, free chocolate chip cookies? We missed out on that!
My husband was born and raised in Forty Fort and then moved to Pottstown as an adult. He said that Bucks County was a place he, his father and brother used to visit when they were growing up. Nice place and good food!
That’s so cool! It was a really nice town.
Sounds like you had the BEST time! I love those hotels, they are so family friendly. I loved your review 🙂
We really did! Thank you.
I love your trip! I think your family looks like they had a great time, which is always the goal in my mind!
We really did! It was wonderful.
I once had a friend from Pennsylvania who loved crab cakes, she always wanted to have them when we went out,,, I grew up on the West Coast… I love Crab, Lobster, and Shirmp, just never had crab cakes…
Yes, I love crab cakes too! Maryland crab is the best.
I have heard so many good things about this area. I’d love to visit. It looks like you had a great time!
We did, thank you!
What a nice place, seems has something for everyone in the family. Such an important thing when organizing family travel . It looks everyone had fun.
Yes, every person had a great time.
Looks like y’all had a great time! I’ve only been to Pennsylvania once for gymnastics camp a long time ago. I would love to take my family here it looks like a perfect getaway.
It was a great time, absolutely. Well worth visiting.
I must try the railroad and stay at the Hampton Inn & Suites In Newtown whenever I am in Pennsylvania. I can see how you family really enjoyed this trip.
Yes, these were some of our favorite parts!
You took some really great photos! It looks like a great time and fun getaway 🙂
Thank you, it was very enjoyable!
fun trip it is to be, amazing photots to go along with such a wonderful post..
Thank you!
Looks like a quaint little town. Your kids seemed to have enjoyed this trip a lot. I know my kid and I would especially when there is the classic Sesame Street.
It was fun for the whole family. My kids especially loved it.
Ah this looks so lovely – we are huge cookie monster fans in our house so I think my children would love to re-trace your steps x
That’s awesome! Isn’t he cool?
What a great place to spend your weekend in! It would be nice to take the kids here too! I am loving the atmosphere and the food. Everything’s perfect for some rest and relaxation.
Yes, it was an awesome place to rest. I loved that we all disconnected for a while there.
The rail with the classic train definitely caught my attention. I would love to do that! I’m coming from a family with a tradition of working with the rail company so I’ve got to ride a lot of fancy old steam trains when I was little.
It sounds like you had an amazing time and what beautiful surroundings to sit back and enjoy with the family.
Yes, it was incredible! We had a great time.
Your two daughters are very cute! What a lovely family. I haven’t been to Pennsylvania in a while. I’ll have to put this on my to-do list, especially Sesame Street!
Thank you, it was really fun!
WAW I love the look of your get- away.
Thank you, Susan!
That looks like a great town. I would LOVE that restaurant that was an old church. That’s the kind of thing we look for when we travel.
It was super cool. The whole family found it fascinating.
this looks like a fantastic place to visit, my little chap would love the Elmo show too! bit far for us though unfortunately
Kids love it! If you aren’t far, it’s a simple fun location to visit.
What a wonderful time you all had. I have heard so much about this place and I would love to bring my girls there.
That’s great! Yes, kids have a great time there.
These look awesome!! If i’m ever out this way will definitely be checking these out!
My 4 year old would love Sesame Place! I wish we were close enough to visit. Her favorite thing would be the Elmo stuffed animal.
My mom lives in Bensalem and we never really go anywhere! Bucks County has a lot to offer and I need to start exploring, especially New Hope. Do you think Sesame Place is good for an 18 month old? He’ll be older next year so I think he may enjoy it more once he’s 2.
Sounds like you had a fab time. I would love to visit here one day
What a fun family trip! Sesame Place looks like a an activity that my boys would enjoy. We haven’t done much in PA besides a visit to Pittsburgh and driving through it to get to VA, but I would love to go back and spend more time in the state.
What a fun place! Many happy memories from this trip! Your photos are gorgeous and clearly show all the fun attributes of this trip!
This post makes we want to visit this place!! This looks like the perfect family getaway!
Awwww I want to visit Elmo at Sesame Place, however would need to jump on a plane first from the UK! Sounds like a great place to visit!
What a great little getaway! I don’t live far from there so we could totally do this in a weekend. And I have heard GREAT things about Sesame Street Place so that will be a must stop place to go for the kids.
I have friends who are from here and it’s such a beautiful place. It gets cold quick there!
It looks like you guys had a blast! My kids favorite thing would definitely be Sesame Place. They discovered the show a few months ago and now they’re obsessed!
I love to have some new ideas about places in the US, despite all the famous cities like NYC or LA. This review definitely gives valuable information about Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Surely, this is a great reference for the future
What a gorgeous place! And that railroad car!! Such a neat thing to experience!
Thank you, we had an incredible time there.
How fun is this! Iwant to have a family vacation at this place!
What a fun getaway. I lvoe exploring new towns and places.
There are so many small towns that I don’t know of, great idea for little trip. Your photos look stunning and you have awesome family 🙂
It looks like you all had so much fun!
The place looks awesome. I love the smiles on your faces, I’m sure you all had a wonderful time. Your girls are adorable.
Wow, that place looks so wonderful. I want to bring my son there, I will include it on my bucket list.
This looks like such a nice place to visit! That food looked yummy!
What a fun place for kids! It looks like you guys had a great time and it is somewhere that we will have to add to out list.
Sometimes it is the Get-a-ways which are better than booked in advanced holidays. Bucks County does look great!
This looks like such an amazing time with your kids! The girls are absolutely adorable and look like they are having great fun.
There’s something charming and peaceful about the place. It’s little corners like Bucks County that I’d love to visit in the U.S (I’m South African). The last time I was there we spent time in a small town called Geneva, in Chicago. Quite charming too!!
This looks like such an amazing place to visit! It looks like a great place to take the kids too!
Never really thought about visiting Bucks County before but now I really want to go! I would’ve loved that Sesame Place when I was younger, always loved Sesame Street 😀
I love Bucks County! I went to college not too far from the area, so I have a lot of friends who grew up there. What an amazing place!
I loved following along on your weekend getaway! It seemed like there was something for everyone to enjoy and that you all had a great weekend! I think visiting New Hope & Ivyland Railroad would be my favorite.
Oh wow what a fabulous place to visit! I’d love to go here and especially with the chance to meet elmo and other characters! xxx
My kids would LOVE sesame palace!! I really ought to bisit one day!
Oh how I miss PA. It’s really a great place to visit. My son used to love sesame place. Thanks for highlighting such great spots to explore.
My sister lives outside of Philly. We will have to make a trip next time.
This looks like a cool place! I’ve never heard of this before, but I’ve only been to PA once before a couple of years ago, and it was only for a few hours!
That definitely looks like a peaceful but fun family trip. Sesame Street Place has always looked like a fun place to take young kids.
My little boy would love sesame place! It looks so sweet!
I would have never thought of a restaurant in an old church. What an absolutely stunning place.
those are awesome photos! I have not been to PA before, but this sure makes me want to visit!
It looks like you had a lot of fun! I would love to visit PA sometime. Thanks for sharing 🙂
A peaceful weekend getaway sounds heavenly right now. Hopefully soon. Early fall.
I have friends from here. Well, close to here. I’ve been through this area before. Very pretty!
Wow! Looks like you had such a fun trip with family! I’ve never visited PA but its on my bucket list!
Oh I’d love to visit Elmo And Friends At Sesame Place!! I’m still a big kid at heart and that sounds like something I’d enjoy 🙂
I love getting away with the family for the weekend. It’s a great way to recharge and have some fun together. Bucks County looks like the perfect place to do this.
Love that Crispy Catfish Po Boy you got! Looks delish. I don’t get to southern states very often and that is a dish that the northerners just haven’t figured out in most places. I like to get the chicken version if I see it on the menu.
Looks like a fun trip! I live in PA, but we’ve never done Sesame Place. My daughter was obsessed with Elmo for the longest time, I wonder if she would still enjoy it …
OH wow….I haven’t been to Sesame Place in so long. It looks like you had a fantastic time with your family and the girls had a blast.
Sounds a very interesting nice place to me. You have really explained it well.
[…] to heritage tourism, you can find plenty to do in Bucks County. Check out my travel article here to learn more about restaurant recommendations and other […]