7.12.2023

Day Out at Dutch Springs

On Friday, Soren and I went on a fun outing to Dutch Springs, a local freshwater scuba lake and water park near Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Once a limestone quarry, Dutch Springs is is spring fed from an underground aquifer that seeps through the limestone, which provides great visibility for scuba diving. We were invited as part of a blogger's event to explore the park, nosh on pizza and chat with the staff and owner, who was very personable and has owned the place since it opened in the 80s. They even have a resident mom blogger who updates their blog with current conditions and info. Her son was so cute and played a bit with Soren.

Since Soren is much too young for scuba diving, we spent our time in the Aqua Park, a section of Dutch Springs that has fun inflatable structures for climbing, bouncing and sliding.
Still a bit young for climbing all these things, Soren spent his time frolicking on the ramp that leads into the water. I wish I had gotten a photo, but it would have been too challenging to photograph and mind him in the water (and risky for my camera to boot). So you'll have to let me paint a picture with words and tell you he had such a big smile on his face. He was laughing, being silly, and having fun watching people go down the slide and bounce on the trampolines in the water.
Everyone must wear a life vest, since the lake is quite deep, but that didn't stop us from playing in the water. In fact, I liked how secure Soren was with the vest compared to his swimmies.

The water was refreshingly cold on Friday, unlike the bath water that is our local swimming pool after a week of 90-100 degree days. We even saw a local swim team practicing a deep water swim while we were there.

I have dreams of one day taking some scuba lessons and checking out the submerged vehicles in the lake, which now make great reefs for fish. How cool is the inside of this helicopter?
Soren would have loved to see the submerged firetruck and school bus, though it will be many many years before that possibility ripens.

In addition to the water activities, there's the Sky Challenge, a climbing and rope course for those of you who don't want to use your sea legs.
We didn't get on that either, not that toddlers aren't welcome. It was just getting to be nap time and the water had tired S out. Though of course it's another reason to return to Dutch Springs again.
If you live on the East Coast and are looking for a fun day out with the kids or with friends and family, definitely check this place out, especially scuba enthusiasts. There's no place like it! You can even keep up with them on Facebook. Thanks Dutch Springs for a wonderful day!

Disclosure: I received free admission for myself and my son along with lunch courtesy of Dutch Springs.


3 comments:

carolpie said...

Wow! Amazing! I lived in Lehigh Valley till we moved away when I was 16 and have never heard of this! I went to Southern Lehigh High School.
Thanks for showing this. Your little man is adorable!

Braley Mama said...

Wow, I have never heard of a freshwater scuba place. What a great idea. And even better that their was stuff you could do with Soren too:O)

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