Sesame place or dutch wonderland

[Anonymous]

I am planning on doing a quick two day trip with my 3 year old son to either sesame place or dutch wonderland...has anyone been to either place, and/or what one would you recommend? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

haven't been to either, but a friend of mine (with kids aged 3 and 1) went to sesame place and had a blast. I think they have this event where you can lave lunch with the sesame characters. their pictures were adorable.

DH and I have been meaning to try out Hershey Park... Maybe another option for you?

[Anonymous]

I took my 3 yo to Sesame Place. We didn't do the water rides, but she had a very good time. We took pictures with characters but didn't have a character meal. Spent most of a day there and we all liked it.

[Anonymous]

If your son has an attachment to the sesame characters, I think I'd advise going there. I haven't been, so can't give more info than that.

Dutch Wonderland is good for that age, because he will be able to ride a lot of the rides, it usually isn't terribly crowded (except maybe on weekends, but I haven't been on a weekend in years), and it's just meant for kids that age. It's also easy to get to from here.

Hershey is terrific, but geared towards slightly older kids. There are certainly rides for a 3 year old, but they're scattered around and it's a lot more walking than DW. They do have a much bigger water park. You could do a day at DW, and the a day at Hershey, I think they have a dual pass (if they do, it's listed on their websites).

[Anonymous]

We just went to Dutch Wonderland for 4th of July Weekend with our 2 1/2 yo DS. HE LOVED IT!!! He was able to ride most of the rides. They have a fantastic water park (bring your swimsuits!!) and it was relatively inexpensive. We actually did Strasburg Railroad the next day. The whole weekend cost less than $200. Hope this helps!!

[Anonymous]

Just got back from Dutch Wonderland - went on a Monday - left DC at about 8:00 and spent most of the day there. I took my 6 y.o. who is scared of big rides and it was perfect. Lines were short - sometimes she just got to stay on a ride since no one was waiting. We brought swimsuits but didn't go to the water park. You also get a round of free mini-golf for each ticket. We stayed at a farm b and b - which she loves. Never been to Sesame Place, but I highly recommend Dutch Wonderland. If you stop at the Pennsylvania visitors center off of I-83 - they'll give you coupons for $2 off each ticket.

[Anonymous]

Loved Dutch Wonderland. perfect for younger kids.

[Anonymous]

DW is cheaper than Sesame Place and in an area down the road from Amish Country which is fun and yummy.

[Anonymous]

DW is awesome. And soooo much to do up in Lancaster county. My kids also loved Cherry Moon farms.

[Anonymous]

If you really want to go to Sesame Place, this may be your last year to go as I don't see many 4 yo's wanting to hange out with Sesame Street characters.

[Anonymous]

I have done both. DW last year with a 3 and 1 year old and Sesame Place this summer with a 4 and 2 year old. They are both great places and you can't go wrong with either choice.

I disagree with the previous poster about 4 year olds not being interested in Sesame Place. We went with two other families and there were three 4 1/2 year old boys who couldn't get enough of the characters.

Dutch Wonderland is a very manageable park. Totally geared towards the preschool crowd. What we did was go later on a Saturday, bought a twilight ticket, did the park for a couple of hours Saturday night and then did the park Sunday and the waterpark. We stayed across the street at the Country Inn and Suites. Very convenient so we could just walk back to the hotel for a nap for our one year old and free continental breakfast.

Lancaster is a great little town. If your child likes trains, you can ride the Strassburg train and/or go to the museum across the street.

Sesame Place is pricier but if you go for two days the two day ticket is $53. Parking is $15 per day. My kids had so much fun. There are a ton of water rides so most people just wear their swim suits around the park. I recommend wearing water shoes because they do require shoes on the dry rides and then you don't have to change. They do have lockers if you want to change from dry to wet or vice versa.

They have a character breakfast, lunch and dinner. We did the lunch and just bought tickets at the park. The food was what I expected ok, not great but the characters put on a show dancing and singing through the lunch and you can take pics. My two year old who loves Sesame was a little intimidated by the characters, I think due to their size so it took her a while to warm up.

They also provide life jackets if you want them for the water rides so even my two year old could enjoy all the water slides. There are shows like Elmo Live and I think the one we saw was Elmo's Rock and Roll Something or other. There is also a short parade that goes through the center of the park twice a day.

If you have any specific questions about either park, I will check back.

[Anonymous]

Thanks so much! I think I will do dutch wonderland tomorrow and then sesame place in aug, along with my four year old daughter (who is staying with my parents this week for vbs).

Thanks again...and not one snarky comment!

[Anonymous]

NP here -- Sorry to kind of derail the thread, but can one adult do either with two kids as far as seating on rides goes?My kids are 4 and 1.5 and I'm reading that my 1.5yo will fit on rides at these places but am wondering if they seat 3-4 or if that would mean my 4yo having to ride alone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here -- Sorry to kind of derail the thread, but can one adult do either with two kids as far as seating on rides goes?My kids are 4 and 1.5 and I'm reading that my 1.5yo will fit on rides at these places but am wondering if they seat 3-4 or if that would mean my 4yo having to ride alone?

There are some rides that seat 3 or 4 (such as the log flume). But, honestly, on any ride that you 1.5 yo can go on, your 4 yo will be just fine riding alone as it's bound to be pretty slow and you can be in the next seat over. This wasn't a problem for us as all and we were just there with our 5 yo and 2 yo. Have fun!

[Anonymous]

Are there things for a 14/15 month old to ride (with a parent!)? We went out of town a few weeks back and he rode on one of those rides that go up and down like airplanes shaped like elephants, if that makes any sense. He LOVED it, while I stood on the ground freaking out and giving my Husband the "omg hold onto him" look, haha.