http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/i....xml&coll=1

I can see that going both ways...however, you have to ask yourself what a year and a half year old would get out of a trip to a museum...While it's good to spend quality time with your children and such, there are city parks and all sorts of places that gladly welcome strollers. I don't know, I'm not a parent, that day is hopefully a ways away, for my sake and yours .

If this museum is anything like anything at Hersheypark, it's too crowded with not enough space for strollers, so good!!

As a parent, I have no problem with a "no stoller" policy, even though my whole body will ache after carrying GatorGirl around for too long (but hey, it's a good workout!). I can certainly understand this, not only for preserving the displays, but for room to move too. For example, Newport Aquarium has this policy (from their website):

Strollers are permitted from January 1st 2009 through Thursday, May 28th, 2009.

Due to heavy attendance days during the summer, strollers are not permitted from Friday, May 29th, 2009 through Tuesday, September 1st, 2009. Strollers are permitted again from Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009 through December 31st, 2009

I couldn't imagine going there on a busy day and having to dodge strollers too. There have been times where I've been pushing the stroller in tight spaces and crowds, and it takes a high level of skill to avoid hitting anyone or anything (Taste of Cincinnati comes to mind...if you were hit by a blue stoller while there last year, it may have been me and I belatedly apologize!).

Sounds to me that this Noelle Tully wasn't happy and took her complaint to the newpaper. But like the story says, plenty of places have the same policy, and for good reason.

But yeah, what would 18 month olds get out of a trip to a museum (besides a children's museum)? GatorGirl's first museum trip was last year when she was 3. She had fun, but I don't think she would have any younger than that. We took her to the zoo and aquarium when she was younger than that, but those are different...those have animals, which even 18 month old kids enjoy.

Ive been to the Hershey Story Museum once and it was enough. I don't remember that many strollers when we were there, but then again there wouldn't have been much room for them to navigate.

And Gator we always put our little girl in our backpack carrier at NewPort. She can see great and it doesn't kill my back. I hike with her at Hocking Hills ridding back there as well. Quite a workout when you are carrying around an additonal 30lbs of weight.

In the past, we've always gone to Newport when strollers are allowed, just because it's one of the things we do each winter to keep ourselves occupied. Last month, we brought the umbrella stroller, but I ended up carrying it the whole way through because GatorGirl walked the whole way..YAY! She liked going to the tanks and displays herself. The only time she didn't like walking was over the glass floors in the gator section and shark tank. I tried to tell her it was okay, while I was standing on it myself, but she wasn't buyin' it!