McDade Park facts for kids
McDade Park is a fun community park located in Scranton, in Lackawanna County. This area is in northeastern Pennsylvania. The park is named after Joseph M. McDade, who was a U.S. Representative. This means he was a person elected to help make laws for the country.
McDade Park is very large, covering about 200 acres (0.8 square kilometers). It has many exciting things to do for everyone. You can find an outdoor swimming pool and a fishing pond. There are also basketball courts, hiking trails, and tennis courts. The park has two picnic areas where families can relax and eat.
The park is also home to an arboretum, which is like a special garden with many different kinds of trees. You can see lots of natural gardens too. For younger visitors, there is a children's playground. A small creek runs through the park, and there are two baseball fields. In winter, the park's hills are perfect for sledding. The best part is that entry to the park and most activities are free!
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Explore the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour
Journey Underground
Right inside McDade Park, you can find the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour. This exciting tour takes you into a real coal mine! It was once part of the Continental Coal Mine, where people used to dig for a special type of coal called anthracite.
The tour lasts about an hour. You will ride a mine car 300 feet (about 91 meters) underground into the mine shaft. Then, you will walk about a quarter of a mile to explore the mine. It's always cool underground, usually around 50°F (10°C), no matter what the weather is like outside!
Tour Dates and Times
The mine tour is open seven days a week from April 1st to November 30th. It only closes on Thanksgiving Day and Easter Sunday. There is a charge to go on the mine tour.
Visit the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum
Discover Local History
Also located within McDade Park is the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum. This museum tells the amazing story of the people who came from Europe to work in the coal mines. It also shares the history of the textile industry in the area.
Through different exhibits and displays, the museum helps you understand the industrial past of this region. It shows how people lived and worked during those times.
Museum Hours and Admission
The museum is open all year round. From Monday to Saturday, it is open from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. On Sundays, it is open from 12:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M.
The museum is closed on certain holidays. These include New Year's Day, Dr. Martin Luther King Day, Presidents' Day, Columbus Day, Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving Day, the day after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. There is an admission fee to enter the museum.
