Kennett Square, Chadds Ford, and Longwood Gardens - Brandywine Valley, Pennsylvania

[Ericandblueboy]

Taking the kids to see carved pumpkins in Chadds Ford (in the evening, the weekend before Halloween).  During the day, we will probably have lunch at Historic Kennett Square, unless there are much better options elsewhere?  During the afternoon, we'll probably go to Longwood Garden (unless there are more exciting places to a 5.5 year old?).  Also need a restaurant for dinner.

The kids don't eat spicy food (pansies!), nor do they seem to like red meat.  They can suck down shellfish like champs though, and they don't care about how much money it costs.

[DonRocks]

Did you know Kennett Sqaure is the (self-proclaimed) Mushroom Capital of the United States? I think they might actually make more mushrooms there per capita than anywhere else (I haven't checked the actual statistics).

Chaddsford Winery makes a very drinkable Chardonnay (along with a lot of real junk) - so if you find a bottle, it would make a nice accompaniment with dinner.

A lot of have people have been to Longwood Gardens ... once. My guess is that 5.5 years old is still *young* enough to enjoy it, but your time on this type of thing is running short.

[Pat]

Definitely do Longwood Gardens. My cousin used to live in Toughkenamon, which is a couple miles from Kennett Square, and there was a mushroom farm next door.  We would sometimes stop and buy mushrooms to bring home when we visited.  You might want to look into which farms have retail sales, just for a different kind of thing to do.  You'll probably also come across some farm stands with apples, etc.

This is an orchard in that vicinity I loved as a kid:  http://www.linvilla.com.  You can do "pick your own" fruit and they have hayrides, etc.  It's a lot bigger operation than it was then, and I haven't been in years, but it would be a perfect time of year to go.  They have a lot of activities for kids.

I don't know restaurants around there anymore at all..  Craig LaBan, The Inquirer restaurant critic, likes Junto in Chadds Ford (or did a year ago), but it sounds as though it's probably not compatible with the tastes of your small dining companions.  He does rave about the seafood, but that might not be enough.

[Ericandblueboy]

I already made reservations at Junto.  The kids have to learn the concept of tough luck at some point (if they don't already know it).  I think their mom's favorite phrase is "I'm not a short order cook."