Churchville Nature Center

501 Churchville Lane, Churchville

The visitor center is open by appointment only as directed by the Bucks County Commissioners. Staff will be on-site Tuesday through Sunday 10-5 for appointments. Trails, playground, gardens and parking lots are all open sun-up to sun-down. They are still offering limited programming including birthday parties, scout badges, after school and Saturday camps.

Bristol Waterfront Park

Historic Bristol Borough

Take a walk along the Delaware River Front, and then pick up some food at one of the many local restaurants offering takeout.

Peddler's Village

Routes 202 & 263, Lahaska

Peddler's Village is a year-round attraction in Bucks County, but it's especially popular. Some events are back on the schedule after several months of cancellations, mostly events focused on outside participation. Right now, many shops and restaurants are open for business either walk-in, by phone, or online.

Inside Ideas

Even if you don’t have kids, but especially if you do try few indoor activities.

• Get out an old board game or try a new one. You can find games available online to play with friends you can’t see for people with limited social options.
• Check your smartphones app store for party games. It isn’t as great as the real thing, but it can be fun.
• Play hide and seek. Build a blanket fort. Anything lighthearted that brought you joy as a child and engages your imagination is fair game.
• Check fun family dance ideas with local group Lolly and YoYo or check out the Youtube channel for Cosmic Kids Yoga.

Read Local and Popular works

Since travel has been severely limited this year, use books to transport you to another place (or time).

Donna Galanti is an author living in Doylestown of the Joshua and the Lightning Road series, but my most recent published work is the Unicorn Island series published on the digital Epic! platform (hardcover Simon & Schuster Feb 2021). Unicorn Island is a middle-grade illustrated novel series aimed at 9- to 12-year-olds. The story is about a young girl who discovers a mysterious island full of mythical beasts and darker dangers. When Sam arrives in Foggy Harbor, population 3,230, all she can see is a small, boring town that’s way too far from home. And knowing that she’s stuck there all summer with her grumpy Uncle Mitch only makes things worse. But when Sam discovers a hidden trapdoor leading to a room full of strange artifacts, she realizes Foggy Harbor isn’t as sleepy as it seems. With the help of a new friend, Sam discovers an extraordinary secret beyond the fog: an island of unicorns whose fates are intertwined with hers.

Try a popular book for example, did you know the hit Netflix series Firefly Lane was a book first? The coming-of-age novel by Kristin Hannah celebrates lifetime friendship and the trials it encounters. Nobel laureate and author of The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro, has a new novel out called Klara and the Sun. It is about love, loneliness, and loyalty. And for a more self-help kind of book that is particularly pertinent now, try The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary by Catherine Gray.

Local Parks

If all else fails, actually leave the house. Even if it is cold, gray, and miserable, get bundled up, pull on some boots, and take a brisk walk. Feel the sun (or the wind) on your face and enjoy the fresh air, even if it is only for ten minutes. A walk in the winter is a different path than the one you walk in summer, and you will see the world in a different way. Enjoy a longer outing at one of the many parks around the county. Many of them have paved paths, so you don’t even have to get muddy. Unless you want to, and that’s fun, too.  Most trails are open but playground equipment may still be off limits at some parks.

Core Creek Park

East of Rt. 413 on Tollgate Road, Newtown

Delaware Canal State Park

11 Lodi Hill Road, Upper Black Eddy

Along the canal in Lower Makefield; captured by Donna Gimbel Cariola

Falls Township Community Park

9061 Mill Creek Road, Levittown

High Rocks State Park

150 Tory Road, Pipersville

Lake Towhee Park

Old Bethlehem Road, Applebachsville

Neshaminy State Park

3401 State Road, Bensalem

Nockamixon State Park

1542 Mountain View Drive, Quakertown

Peace Valley Park

264 Creek Road, New Britain Township

Playwicki Park

Maple Avenue, Langhorne

Ringing Rocks Park

Ringing Rocks Road, Upper Black Eddy

Silver Lake Park

Bath Road, Bristol

Tinicum Park

River Road, Erwinna

Tohickon Valley Park

Cafferty Road, Point Pleasant

Tyler State Park

101 Swamp Road, Newtown

Washington Crossing Historic Park

1112 River Road, Washington Crossing