Day trips one to two hours from Reading

Wilmington, DE · 1 hour 21 minutes from Reading

The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a High-A minor league baseball team, the Washington Nationals affiliate, playing at Frawley Stadium on the Riverfront in Wilmington, DE.

Winterthur, DE · 1 hour 21 minutes from Reading · $20 to $50 a person

Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library is Henry Francis du Pont's former estate in Winterthur, DE: a house museum of American decorative arts, a 1,000-acre naturalistic garden and a research library.

Camden, NJ · 1 hour 22 minutes from Reading

Battleship New Jersey Museum & Memorial is the battleship USS New Jersey, moored on the Camden, NJ waterfront and open for self guided and guided tours of the ship.

Philadelphia, PA · 1 hour 22 minutes from Reading · $20 to $50 a person

Independence Seaport Museum is a maritime museum on the Delaware River waterfront in Philadelphia, PA, with two historic ships moored outside: the cruiser Olympia and the submarine Becuna.

Philadelphia, PA · 1 hour 22 minutes from Reading · $20 to $50 a person

The Museum of the American Revolution is a history museum at Third and Chestnut streets in Old City Philadelphia, PA, steps from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

Harrisburg, PA · 1 hour 23 minutes from Reading

The Harrisburg Senators are the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, playing at FNB Field on City Island in Harrisburg, PA, a walk across the Walnut Street bridge from downtown.

Jim Thorpe, PA · 1 hour 23 minutes from Reading

Penn's Peak is a mountaintop concert venue in Jim Thorpe, PA, with a full-service restaurant and bar, Roadies, on site.

Camden, NJ · 1 hour 24 minutes from Reading · $20 to $50 a person

Adventure Aquarium is an aquarium in Camden, NJ, minutes from Center City Philadelphia, home to sharks, hippos, sea turtles and penguins.

Weatherly, PA · 1 hour 24 minutes from Reading · Under $20 a person

Eckley Miners' Village Museum is a preserved 19th-century anthracite company town in Weatherly, PA, run by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Harrisburg, PA · 1 hour 24 minutes from Reading · $20 to $50 a person

The Pride of the Susquehanna is a stern-driven paddlewheel riverboat that cruises the Susquehanna River from City Island in Harrisburg, PA, run by the nonprofit Harrisburg Area Riverboat Society.

Lewisberry, PA · 1 hour 24 minutes from Reading

Roundtop Mountain Resort is a ski, snowboard and snow tubing area in Lewisberry, PA, 15 miles south of Harrisburg, and an Epic Pass mountain.

Wilmington, DE · 1 hour 25 minutes from Reading

The Wilmington & Western Railroad is a heritage railroad in Wilmington, DE, running excursion trains from Greenbank Station through the Red Clay Valley behind antique steam and diesel locomotives and a 1929 Doodlebug railcar.

Philadelphia, PA · 1 hour 26 minutes from Reading

Lincoln Financial Field is the Philadelphia Eagles' stadium on Pattison Avenue in South Philadelphia, PA. It also hosts Temple football, concerts and stadium tours.

Jim Thorpe, PA · 1 hour 26 minutes from Reading · Over $50 a person

Pocono Whitewater Rafting runs guided raft trips on the Lehigh River from its base on Route 903 in Jim Thorpe, PA. Dam Release trips cover 12 miles of Class II and III rapids; Family Style trips cover 8 easier miles.

Langhorne, PA · 1 hour 26 minutes from Reading · Over $50 a person

Sesame Place Philadelphia is a Sesame Street theme park and water park in Langhorne, PA. Rides, shows, parades and character meet and greets run through the day, with Halloween and Christmas events in the fall and winter.

Philadelphia, PA · 1 hour 26 minutes from Reading

Xfinity Mobile Arena is the home arena of the Philadelphia Flyers, the Philadelphia 76ers and Villanova men's basketball in South Philadelphia, PA. It also hosts touring concerts and family shows.

Palmerton, PA · 1 hour 27 minutes from Reading

Blue Mountain Resort is a ski, snowboard and snow tubing resort in Palmerton, PA, with a mountain bike park, ziplines, a ropes course and scenic lift rides in the warm months.

Hockessin, DE · 1 hour 27 minutes from Reading · $20 to $50 a person

Mt. Cuba Center is a botanic garden of native plants in Hockessin, DE, with gardens and nearly three miles of trails across 1,000 acres.

Elysburg, PA · 1 hour 28 minutes from Reading · Free

Knoebels Amusement Resort is a free-admission, pay-per-ride amusement park in Elysburg, PA, with the Crystal Pool waterpark, a campground and cottages.

Philadelphia, PA · 1 hour 28 minutes from Reading · $20 to $50 a person

Otherworld Philadelphia is an immersive art experience in Northeast Philadelphia, PA, with large-scale interactive art, mixed-reality playgrounds and secret passageways.

Doylestown, PA · 1 hour 29 minutes from Reading · Under $20 a person

Hellerick's Adventure Farm is a farm attraction in Doylestown, PA, with an 18-acre adventure area, an aerial adventure ropes course, a silo climbing wall, barnyard mini golf and goat experiences.

Doylestown, PA · 1 hour 29 minutes from Reading · $20 to $50 a person

The Mercer Museum is a six-story reinforced concrete castle in Doylestown, PA, completed by Henry Mercer in 1916 to hold his collection of pre-industrial American tools.

Bristol, PA · 1 hour 30 minutes from Reading · Over $50 a person

Bristol Riverside Theatre is a 300-seat theatre in a renovated movie house on Radcliffe Street in Bristol, PA, beside the Delaware River, with a five-play mainstage season plus concerts and special events.

Doylestown, PA · 1 hour 30 minutes from Reading · Under $20 a person

The Michener Art Museum is an art museum in Doylestown, PA, built around a collection of Pennsylvania Impressionism, with touring exhibitions and art outdoors on its grounds.

Doylestown, PA · 1 hour 30 minutes from Reading · Under $20 a person

The TileWorks is the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, the tile factory Henry Chapman Mercer built in 1911 and 1912 in Doylestown, PA, where craftsmen still turn Bucks County clay into Mercer tiles.

Carlisle, PA · 1 hour 31 minutes from Reading · Under $20 a person

Carlisle Sports Emporium is a family entertainment center in Carlisle, PA, with indoor and outdoor go-kart tracks, laser tag, an arcade, two 18-hole mini golf courses and batting cages. It is open year-round, rain or shine.

Doylestown, PA · 1 hour 31 minutes from Reading · $20 to $50 a person

Fonthill Castle is the poured-concrete home that Henry Chapman Mercer began building in 1908 in Doylestown, PA, with 44 rooms set with his own handmade tiles.

Saylorsburg, PA · 1 hour 33 minutes from Reading · $20 to $50 a person

Hotel of Horror is a pair of haunted house attractions, Hotel of Horror and Altered Nightmares, inside the former Lake House Hotel in Saylorsburg, PA.

Perryville, MD · 1 hour 34 minutes from Reading · $20 to $50 a person

Great Wolf Lodge Maryland is an indoor waterpark resort in Perryville, MD, with a 126,000 square foot water park kept at 84 degrees year-round, plus a ropes course, mini golf, mini bowling, an arcade and a mirror maze under the same roof.

Yardley, PA · 1 hour 34 minutes from Reading · $20 to $50 a person

Shady Brook Farm is a working farm with a farm market, garden center and seasonal festivals in Yardley, PA. FallFest runs September 11 to October 30, 2026, and the Holiday Light Show follows from November 21.

Albrightsville, PA · 1 hour 34 minutes from Reading · $20 to $50 a person

Skirmish Paintball is a paintball park in Albrightsville, PA, in the Poconos, with more than 50 playing maps spread over 750 acres of woods, fields and creeks. It is open year-round for all-day play.

Morrisville, PA · 1 hour 34 minutes from Reading

Snipes Farm and Education Center is a nonprofit farm and outdoor classroom in Morrisville, PA, farmed since 1767. It hosts seasonal events, camps and field trips, with wagon rides, scavenger hunts and farm animals.

Carlisle, PA · 1 hour 35 minutes from Reading · Under $20 a person

Carlisle Fairgrounds is an 82-acre event ground in Carlisle, PA, where Carlisle Events stages its collector car shows and swap meets from April to October, from Spring Carlisle to Corvettes at Carlisle and Fall Carlisle.

Lahaska, PA · 1 hour 35 minutes from Reading · Free

Peddler's Village is a shopping and dining village in Lahaska, PA, with more than 60 locally owned shops, restaurants, the Golden Plough Inn and Giggleberry Fair, a family entertainment center. Admission and parking are free.

Carlisle, PA · 1 hour 35 minutes from Reading · Free

The U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center is a free Army museum and archive in Carlisle, PA, with galleries and the Army Heritage Trail, about a mile of outdoor exhibits and large artifacts covering nearly every era of Army history.

White Haven, PA · 1 hour 36 minutes from Reading

Jack Frost Big Boulder is a two-mountain ski area in the Poconos: Jack Frost in White Haven and Big Boulder in Lake Harmony, PA. Both run skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing in winter.

Morrisville, PA · 1 hour 36 minutes from Reading · Under $20 a person

Pennsbury Manor is the reconstructed summer home of William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, on a 43-acre estate along the Delaware River in Morrisville, PA.

Long Pond, PA · 1 hour 36 minutes from Reading · Over $50 a person

Pocono Outdoor Adventure Tours runs guided UTV trail tours on the Pocono Raceway property in Long Pond, PA. You drive your own side-by-side behind a guide for about an hour.

Long Pond, PA · 1 hour 36 minutes from Reading · Over $50 a person

Pocono Raceway is a triangular motorsports track in Long Pond, PA, known as The Tricky Triangle. Its NASCAR weekend runs in June, and the track hosts driving experiences and free staff-led tours through the rest of the season.

New Freedom, PA · 1 hour 39 minutes from Reading

Northern Central Railway of York is an excursion railroad in New Freedom, PA. Trains leave the historic station for Glen Rock, Hanover Junction, Seven Valleys and the Howard Tunnel behind steam or diesel locomotives.