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Cheap Trip$: Haverford College, Montgomery Mall and Indian Tower

Find four local attractions you can visit on one tank of gas.

Looking to save money?

Try one of these four trips you can enjoy on just one tank of gas—Haverford College in Lower Merion, the Montgomery Mall in North Wales, Arnold's Family Fun Center in Oaks, and Indian Tower in Nazareth.

Haverford College

Address: 794 College Ave., Haverford, PA 19041
How Far From Haverford Patch? A hop, skip, and a jump
Hours: Call for information (generally, dawn till dusk on the grounds)

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Admission: open to the public are often free but require reservations. Outdoor sporting events are free and generally un-ticketed; the nature trail and botany tours are free, as is the parking (in designated areas).

Summary: A private liberal arts college offering degrees in the arts and sciences (with more than 30 majors), Haverford College has one of the in the mid-Atlantic region, featuring beautiful and bountiful vistas for walkers, joggers, nature lovers and architecture enthusiasts.

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Founded in 1833, the school’s buildings date back to the mid 1800s, and feature many examples of Colonial Revival, Second Empire and “Collegiate Gothic” styles, with an overall “Quaker aesthetic” that blends wonderfully with the school’s quads, walkways and grounds. In one self-guided walking tour, you can take in the buildings while wandering the school’s 200-acre arboretum.

The school is also the —it was started there in the 1850s and never left. In summertime, the place is for athletics and other subjects. All year long, there are plenty of tennis courts, fields galore, and a pretty little stadium with a college-level track that’s open for public use (it’s next to Haverford College’s Observatory, which has public viewings in the fall). At Christmas, there's a among the school's dorm residents.

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Montgomery Mall

Address: 230 Montgomery Mall, North Wales, PA 19454
How Far From Haverford Patch? 20 miles / 38 minutes
Admission Fee: None. There is free parking.
Hours:

  • Mon to Sat: 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
  • Sun: 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
  • Holiday Hours: Dec. 27-Dec. 30: 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; New Year’s Eve: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; New Year’s Day: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Summary: Montgomery Mall is a super-regional, two-level shopping mall located in Montgomery Township, at the intersection of Route 309 and North Wales Road. The mall is anchored by four department stores: JCPenney, Macy’s, Dick’s Sporting Gods and Sears. It features a Food Court with restaurants including McDonald’s, Charley’s Steaks, Sbarro, Subway, Chick-fil-a, Dairy Queen and China Max.

The mall is a popular site at Christmas with the arrival of Santa, and a popular site at Easter with the Easter Bunny.

Other stores inside Montgomery Mall are Buckle, Hollister, Gap, Eddie Bauer, RadioShack, Crazy 8, Justice, H&M, LOFT, GameStop, Bath & Body Works, Starbucks, Fye Music, Champ’s Sporting Goods, Cardinal Camera and more.

The Montgomery Mall also offers other exterior dining options such as Salsa’s Mexican Grill, Bertucci’s and TGI Friday’s.
Links:

Arnold's Family Fun Center

Address: 220 West Drive, Oaks, PA 19456
How Far From Haverford Patch? 20 miles / 30 minutes
Admission: Prices vary for each activity. Variety of pricing packages available.
Hours:

  • Sunday through Thursday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Summary: Arnold’s Family Fun Center has over 144,000 square feet of action-packed indoor activities and adventure for kids of all ages. The playground features include bumper cars, laser tag, electric go-karts, "krazy" cars, duck pin bowling, a large arcade room, "The Reef," a black light nine-hole miniature golf course, and bowling. The center also has a carousel and train ride as well as an inflatable play bounce area with a rock climb.

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Indian Tower

Location: High Street, Nazareth, PA 18064
How Far From Haverford Patch? 70 miles / 90 minutes
Hours: Open daily
Admission: Free
Summary: The Indian Tower sits off High Street at the highest point of the original 5,000 acres in Nazareth and is owned by the . The tower provides views of Easton and Allentown to the south. Although called Indian Tower, the monument is actually dedicated to veterans and, of 67 graves there, only four are burial plots of Native Americans. Bethlehem author Scott Morro uses the tower as a time-travelling plot device in his 2006 book The Cross Over. Some people believe the tower is haunted. According to Morro's research, visitors to the tower have seen shadows and heard voices. Some investigators have attempted to record audio via EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) and caught phrases like “leave my people alone” and “get out.”
Links:

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