My family usually goes on a spring break trip to get some air and family time. A few years ago, we started doing trips instead of parties for our birthdays. My son’s birthday is April 5th, usually during spring break. I always tell him he’s lucky to have a birthday that lands during a break!
Because his 15th birthday was during spring break this year, we combined that celebration with our spring break trip. While planning the trip, I knew that I wanted to explore new places and that I wanted to drive to our destination. Driving would be easier with my daughter Rori (2 years old). She's flown before, but she was excited and busy during the flight.
With all this in mind, I looked up a few cities that weren’t too far and narrowed it down to:
Richmond, VA
Norfolk, VA
Pittsburgh, PA
Philadelphia, PA
Initially, I planned to do Pittsburgh, but it was close to five hours away instead of two for Philly. I’ve stayed in Philly a few times, but the kids have never stayed there. They’ve only been there for a few hours, so, we went with Philly!
Now that we had chosen a city to visit, I started looking for hotels, particularly ones with pools, because my family LOVES swimming. I initially wanted to stay in downtown Philly, but most hotels I wanted to stay in either didn’t have a pool or they had rooftop pools that wouldn’t be open until the summer.
Ultimately, we chose to stay at Aloft Philadelphia Airport because it has an indoor pool and pool tables, which my husband loves. Aloft Philadelphia Airport offers a complimentary shuttle from the airport, is close to sports complexes like Wells Fargo Center, and is pet friendly, making it convenient for families.
Once we had our hotel and list of activities, it was time to hit the road!
Travel Tip: Before road-tripping, I always buy snacks in advance because getting snacks in the hotel can add up quickly. For example, one drink can be between $2-4, and kids are always thirsty and hungry! For hotel stays, I like to purchase fruit snacks, chips, water, juice boxes, cookies, and other snacks that the kids can enjoy during our stay.
On the first night we checked in, we immediately changed and headed to the pool as we do on almost every family trip. We had a great stay at the hotel. Overall the staff was friendly, the space was clean, and it was less than 15 minutes from downtown Philly and close to my favorite activity during the trip - visiting the LOVE Park visitor center!
John F. Kennedy Plaza, or LOVE Park, is home to the Love Statue, which has been in the plaza since the seventies. I’ve heard of it but never visited, so that was a great first experience as a family.
I loved seeing my daughters run carefree through the water. It was a beautiful day, so everyone was outside. We saw skaters, people on their motorcycles, and more.
We also explored some shopping tourist attractions like the King of Prussia Mall, which has over 400 stores. I haven’t been to this mall since I was a kid!
We also visited the Fashion District. It was my first time there, and I had so much fun! The kids grabbed a ton of great items.
My kids love to shop! Whew! I think they definitely got it from me. For food, we stuck to chain restaurants like Hard Rock Cafe and YardHouse.
Then, to make sure my son’s birthday felt special, we planned an activity just for him! My husband and son had a father-and-son night out and went to a Sixers game.
Even with all the family activities, I managed time to unwind at the hotel bar in the evening and read.
My current leisure read is Black Girl In Love With Herself, which is so good!
Visiting Philadelphia is a fun, kid-friendly trip. Follow me on Instagram to see more content from our Philly trip!
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