On a rainy afternoon in early March, dozens of children and adults’ faces lit up as they saw snakes, lizards, fish and sharks of all shapes and sizes at the Electric City Aquarium & Reptile Den.

It is one of many places and attractions in downtown Scranton and Wilkes-Barre for families to visit. With a combination of businesses, attractions and events, both cities’ downtowns are family friendly places with things for people of all ages.

Larry Newman, executive director of Diamond City Partnership, said families are drawn downtown through a combination of institutions, including schools, entertainment venues and events such as parades.

He said some events, like the yearly Fine Arts Fiesta, are designed to be accessible for children, allowing them to explore the arts, while others, like downtown Wilkes-Barre’s Easter egg hunt and trick-or-treating on Public Square, are meant to draw families with young children downtown. Being at these events allows families to visit downtown businesses.

“Once families are here, then they’re spending time doing other things down here,” Newman said.

Leslie Collins, president and CEO of Scranton Tomorrow, said festivals, parades and community events such as La Festa Italiana, Lackawanna Winter Market and Downtown on Ice, bring families to downtown Scranton and foster a sense of community.

“It’s a very important piece of our tradition and they are annual events,” she said. “They know when they are in their calendar and as long as weather prevails, it’s a great opportunity to bring people into the downtown, especially families.”

Both Scranton and Wilkes-Barre have multiple parades that march through their downtown areas, including a St. Patrick’s and Christmas parade, both of which go through the downtown areas. Downtown Scranton has multiple foot and 5K races, Collins said.

She said downtown Scranton is a place for families because it has a low crime rate, welcoming businesses, and is walkable and easily accessible. It is also a hub for arts and culture, both with performing and visual arts, which Collins said everyone can experience, notably with Scranton Tomorrow’s Mural Arts Program, which includes eight murals Collins said people of all ages can experience.

“The more people we have in the downtown, the better everyone does,” she said, “and the more diversity and the more unique visitors we have, the more successful the downtown is.”

Collins also said many businesses downtown are family friendly and colleges like the University of Scranton, Lackawanna College and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine bring families to downtown Scranton during campus events like family weekend and graduation.

Newman and Collins said families visiting downtowns boosts them economically, as people coming to an attraction often eat at restaurants downtown. Newman said one-third, or 33%, of non-work visits to downtown Wilkes-Barre last year were households with children.

Diverse programs for children, parents

At the Electric City Aquarium & Reptile Den, staff want visitors to learn about a variety of animals that aren’t in their backyard in a fun and interactive way.

“As a facility, we like to bring species for people to see on exhibit that they maybe don’t even know exist,” Justin Elchynski, the attraction’s director of animal care, said.

He said the interactive elements of the exhibits make them fun for children. She said its admission, which is good for an entire day, allows families a chance to visit, get something to eat, and return.

“I think that’s a huge value that it’s not a one-time admission, there is flexibility there,” Elchynski said. “You can make a whole day of it.”

To make families’ experiences more fun, attraction staff made it more accessible, such as adding small steps to the touch tanks, while the larger tanks have windows closer to the floor, allowing smaller children to see the animals inside.

Many places and attractions in downtown Wilkes-Barre and Scranton offer programs and activities for everyone. Doug Miller, executive branch director of the Wilkes-Barre Family YMCA, said their programs cater to everyone six weeks of age to senior citizens, with family programs that include birthday parties, youth programs, Kids Night Out events and family open swimming.

“We’re constantly looking at new ideas that we can do, our big one going forward is trying to provide family friendly things, so there’s something that the kids are excited about doing, but also something that the parents can do,” he said.

He said the Y’s location in downtown Wilkes-Barre makes it convenient for people, whether or not they live downtown.

“It’s a win-win for the downtown,” Miller said.

Theaters in both downtowns — the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts and the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple — offer programs for adults and children.

“We feel that the arts are really important for adolescents and a big part of children’s lives should include arts education, and we are really proud to be able to put things on our show (schedule) that are entertaining, educational and just culturally stimulating,” F.M. Kirby Center Executive Director Joell Yarmel said.

Rachael Fronduti, the Scranton Cultural Center’s marketing manager, said the center’s mission is to offer diverse and accessible programming to all, which especially includes children and families.

One of the largest child and family-friendly programs the center offers is its Youth Theatre Program, which offers year-round programming opportunities for children in grades K-12, including full-scale productions and summer camp programs.

“These programs always culminate in productions that are offered at affordable ticket prices to our community,” she said.

In addition, Fronduti said the center tries to include family-friendly programming options throughout the year with occasional free community concerts and other large-scale touring productions. The most recent productions include the “Elmo Says Hello” tour, “Peppa Pig: My First Concert” and the “Be Like Blippi Tour.” She said shows like those give children and families a chance to see some of their favorite characters in Scranton.

Both venues offer programs specifically for children, some of which are free. Yarmel hopes it inspires children to bring their parents to future shows, which the center provides tickets to through community outreach events.

In addition to performing arts venues, both downtowns have movie theaters — R/C Wilkes Barre Movies 14 in Wilkes-Barre and Scranton Art Haus Cinema and Social Club. Collins said Art Haus, which is independently owned, offers a variety of movie choices, snacks and a gift shop for families to enjoy while supporting a local business.

“It’s really a fun family night,” she said.

Other places for families in both downtowns are libraries — the Free Library in downtown Wilkes-Barre and the Scranton Public Library’s two locations in downtown Scranton, the Albright Memorial Library and the Lackawanna County Children’s Library — both of which offer programs for children, adults and families.

“As library systems are changing, they’re doing a very good job of looking at their model and making sure that they stay relevant within the community,” Collins said.

Improving families’ experiences downtown

Officials in both cities are undertaking initiatives to make their downtowns more accessible to families.

Wilkes-Barre officials deliberately redesigned the River Common to facilitate events for families and children, and some of the features on Public Square are designed to be accessible for children. Newman hopes to preserve these features as city officials upgrade the square.

Scranton officials are creating spaces for people of all ages, most recently Christopher A. Doherty Park at Linden Street and Wyoming Avenue, which opened in 2024.

“The park can be utilized for so many different opportunities,” Collins said. “It’s really a place where families can really enjoy some outdoor time together.”

City officials are also working to improve accessibility to downtown Scranton with a streetscape project designed to enhance the walkability and connectivity of the downtown area. Late last year, the Scranton City Council adopted three ordinances from Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti underlying changes that eventually will include replacing some traffic lights with stop signs and reverting some one-way streets to two-way. Other aspects will include narrowing vehicle travel lanes and adding curb bump-outs at intersections to improve pedestrian safety; and in certain spots adding bike lanes and parking spaces.

Collins said her organization is interested in creating spaces in downtown Scranton for people of all ages to gather at.

Newman said downtowns are meant to be the center of a community and have to offer something for everyone, including families. As more people choose to live downtown, communities have to find a balance between creating a place that attracts families while meeting the needs of downtown residents.

“It’s so important for us to cultivate these other activities and events that bring people into downtown,” Newman said.