Dutch Wonderland. Weird, but the rides at Sesame Place are for bigger kids. We went when my kids were 3 and 4.5. My 3 year old could barely ride anything, and my very tall 4.5 year old was not able to ride a few of the rides. Side note is that SP is at least 50% water park.

Dutch Wonderland all the way! Such a great park for that age.

Sesame Place was so much dirtier than Dutch Wonderland. Sesame Place seems to have a hard time keeping up with diaper messes from their predominantly 5 & under customers. I also found the Sesame Place staff to be needlessly strict (i.e., requiring a tube for the lazy river, and only letting riders take a single lap). The climbing mountain of mats looks great, until you realize it's used by a bunch of toddlers in swim diapers, which, as we all know, don't really hold in pee. So they're basically climbing in other kids' toilet waste. Yuck! Also found poop on floor in showers.

In comparison, DW had staff that was consistently friendly and accommodating. Their facilities were immaculate. There was no Mt. Pee-pee to climb...just lots of gentle rides, plenty of costumed characters, and a cute diving show.

My not quite 2 yo wasn't able to ride most of the rides at Sesame Place. Just the carousel (on a bench in my lap) and the Big Bird Balloon Race. Kinda a bust...it was Sept and too cold for most of the water rides.

However, he did love Elmo so he absolutely loved meeting Elmo at Breakfast with Elmo.

Anonymous wrote:My DD is timid but likes to go on the carousel (sitting with an adult on the bench, not sitting on a horse!). She would not like anything too fast or too jiggly, and would want one of us to be sitting with her. Are some of the rides at DW pretty mild?

Yes. There's obviously the carousel, the train, and the monorail. There's one called Choo Choo Charlie, where the kids either have to use their hands or you walk behind them with a pole to push them around the tracks. There's the "turnpike" where you "drive" cars (again, it's pretty slow, although if you hit the rail it bumps a little tiny bit). There's Duke's dozers, which basically just goes around in a circle. There's a tiny ferris wheel at the back of the park that parents aren't even allowed on. There are a couple that are a tiny bit more involved - little airplanes that go up and down a bit, the pandas that go up and down and buzz a little...there are the monster trucks which just drive around a track.

I would absolutely avoid the little 'whip' ride - it looks small and cute but goes around the corners FAST. She might also like the frog hopper, and you can ride that with her. It does make your stomach feel funny though.

Anonymous wrote:My DD is timid but likes to go on the carousel (sitting with an adult on the bench, not sitting on a horse!). She would not like anything too fast or too jiggly, and would want one of us to be sitting with her. Are some of the rides at DW pretty mild?

How old is DD? There are quite a few mild rides - especially for the wee little ones.

My DD is timid but likes to go on the carousel (sitting with an adult on the bench, not sitting on a horse!). She would not like anything too fast or too jiggly, and would want one of us to be sitting with her. Are some of the rides at DW pretty mild?

Both would be great fun at age 2. I've taken food into DW -- not a big cooler, but stuff my toddler would eat. No one was checking closely. They take a peek in your bags, but no one batted an eye at fruit, water, etc. Also, there are picnic areas right outside, and you can come and go. So you could take a few snacks in with you, and then go to the picnic area when you need a break (we use the water area as our break spot.)

Love DW for little kids - the park is a manageable size, most of the rides are for little kids, and it's generally a low-key sort of place. Haven't been to Sesame Place, but since my kids were both terrified of "characters" at that age, that wouldn't have been a draw for them (Duke the Dragon is pretty easily avoided at DW).

PP here- didn't specify we were at Dutch Wonderland.

I was there with my almost 2 yr old last summer and it was perfect for her (we didn't try water park, so not sure about that). I saw other people with their own food and snacks- I bet you could disguise what you need in a diaper bag.

Both places are so fun and good at 2 years old. note - SS is 2/3s waterpark Dutch Wonderland maybe 1/5th waterpark.

I can't speak for Sesame Street, but took DD to Dutch Wonderland last year when she was 2 and she loved the place. She could ride a majority of the rides and there was quite a bit to do. You could bring food and leave it in the car - the parking lot at DW is right outside the door and would be a short walk.

Dutch Wonderland.

It actually has very good food options.

There's a kosher cafe (you will find a lot of urthodox Jews there for some reason). When you first walk into the park, there's a cafe to the left with normal food (i.e., not everything fried).

You could also call them in advance with questions.

Which place would be better (more captivating and more rides) for the newly-turned 2 year old crowd? We would like to go somewhere with our 2 and 4 year olds, or we're open to other suggestions within driving distance from DC as well.

Also, we have one child with severe peanut/treenut allergies, if anyone has any experience with that. I see that Dutch Wonderland doesn't allow outside food but makes no mention of allergies, whereas Sesame Place also says no outside food but has a few items that would be safe.