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Taking the Kids: Mixing American history with holiday fun in Valley Forge and Philadelphia

By Eileen Ogintz, Tribune Content Agency on

Like most holiday travelers, they arrived starving and exhausted. But this was no ordinary holiday gathering. On Dec. 19,1777, George Washington and his Continental Army -- 12,000 strong, plus another 500 women and children -- marched into Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, to set up a winter camp and, in the process, Washington and his officers hoped, turn the army into a cohesive fighting force. They were short on supplies; their boots had holes from hundreds of miles of marching.

Every Dec. 19, an annual event commemorates their arrival and determination to persevere against insurmountable hardship and difficult conditions during their six-month encampment. The event is free and includes a candle-lit guided walk to the Muhlenberg Brigade huts where you'll encounter a living continental camp.

Especially at the holidays, Valley Forge National Historical Park and the rest of Montgomery County, just a short drive from Philadelphia, offers that ideal mix of history, outdoor fun (Spring Mountain Adventures nearby has skiing, snowboarding and tubing and an inexpensive lodge that would make a good base for a visit here) and all the shopping you could want, including the huge King of Prussia Mall with more than 400 stores and the Philadelphia Premium Outlets.

You can take in Philadelphia’s holiday lights and historic sites at the same time, as I did, chaperoning a group of high school boys who attend school in our community under the auspices of A Better Chance, a national program for inner city youth..

We made our base the Hyatt Regency Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia where there will be a Waterfront Winterfest, one of Philly's newest seasonal attractions with lights, trees, fire pits and a high-tech light show, as well as the Blue Cross RiverRink where you can skate while taking in all the city lights.

Franklin Square hosts an Electrical Spectacle: A Holiday Light Show with an artisanal Holiday Marketplace, local beers, caroling, dancing snowflake, Kids' Craftivity Hours, Lightning Bolt Holiday Express train rides and more. (For more ideas where to see fantastic holiday lights around the country, check out our Holiday Lights section at www.takingthekids.com.)

 

We were a short walk from the Liberty Bell at the Independence National Historical Park and the wonderfully interactive National Constitution Center that showed even jaded teens that American constitutional history can be fun.

Let's not forget the chance to sample authentic cheesesteaks along Market Street at Campo’s, serving up the authentic Philadelphia sandwiches since 1947, original and homemade ice cream a few doors away at the Franklin Fountain. (A tip: You can also opt for the inexpensive PHLASH bus that stops at 20 downtown attractions -- just $5 for a full-day pass.)

A few days in and around a city like Philadelphia is a great antidote for holiday stress. There's tax-free shopping on clothes and shoes and Visit Philly overnight packages include free parking.

Even better, the kids might learn something by collecting "Faces of Independence," "Civil War to Civil Rights" and "Heroes of the Underground Railroad" trading cards around the Independence National Historical Park.

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