Pennsylvania Amusement Park 2012 Season Passes now available

Conneaut Lake Park, DelGrosso's Amusement Park, Dorney Park, Dutch Wonderland, Hersheypark, Idlewild and SoakZone, Kennywood, Knoebels, Lakemont Park and the Island Waterpark, Sesame Place, Waldameer Water World No Responses »
Dec 212011

Many of the amusement parks in Pennsylvania offer season passes for their guests.  In most cases these passes can be a considerable savings over purchases single day tickets if you visit the park three or more times.  Check out each park’s website below for details on their 2012 Season Pass offerings.

Conneaut Lake Park – Season passes are not available to Conneaut Lake Park.  Check the park’s website here for ticket information.

Delgrosso’s Amusement Park – Delgrosso’s is a free admission amusement park that offers season passes for rides and the waterpark.  Pass holders can bring a buddy for free on Tuesdays. A discount is being offered on the passes but no end date is listed.  Visit the park’s website for information here.

Dorney Park and Wild Water Kingdom – Dorney has a buy now don’t pay until March plan in place for their season passes until 12/31/11.  The regular season pass includes admission to all Dorney Park and Wild Water events plus free parking. A platinum pass is available that gives you access to all Cedar Fair parks (with a few exceptions) in the US.  Platinum passes do not include seasonal events at some parks. See the Dorney Park website here for details.

Dutch Wonderland – Dutch Wonderland has discount prices prior to 1/1/12.  Dutch Wonderland season passes include entry to all Dutch Wonderland events. Dutch Wonderland and Hersheypark combo passes (Gold passes) are still available for 2012. See website here for complete season pass details.

Hersheypark – Hersheypark has discount pass prices prior to 1/1/12.  Hersheypark Season passes include entry to all Hersheypark events and free parking. Dutch Wonderland and Hersheypark combo passes (Gold passes) are still available for 2012.  A Discovery Pass upgrade is also available that includes other Hershey attractions. See website here for complete details.

Idlewild – Idlewild & Soakzone has discount pass prices if you buy 4 or more.  They also offer a bring-a-buddy free day for season pass holders.  See website for details here.

Kennywood – Season passes to Kennywood are available at a discounted price through 12-31-11 and are further discounted if you buy 4 or more.  Season passes to Kennywood include regular season events but do NOT include Phantom Fright Nights. They do include buddy discount events. Visit their website here for details.

Knoebels – Knoebels is a free entry park and they do not offer season passes.  They do offer discounts on ride tickets and wristbands at certain times.  Visit their website here for details.

Lakemont Park – No information is available at this time.

Sesame Place – Sesame Place is offering a discount on their season passes through 12/31/11.  They have different types of passes which include free admission or discounts to SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and other parks or just to Sesame Place.  The passes include free parking and regular season admission only.  Choose carefully from their website here.

Waldameer – Though Waldameer is a free admission park, they do offer season passes to cover the cost of rides.  Waldameer is the only park in Pennsylvania to limit the number of season passes it sells, so make sure you get one early if you want one since they sold out last year.  Visit the website here for details.

Posted by ShawnMarie at 3:42 am Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

2011 Pennsylvania Amusement Park Celebrations

Conneaut Lake Park, Dutch Wonderland, Hersheypark, Kennywood, Lakemont Park and the Island Waterpark, Sesame Place No Responses »
Nov 182011
Reindeer at Hersheypark’s Christmas Candylane

Well, as you’ve probably noticed if you’ve gone into any store since Halloween, the winter holidays are approaching.  Sure, it is mid-November, but already Christmas displays have taken over nearly half my grocery store and in just a
few short days several Pennsylvania amusement parks will be opening their doors for the Holiday Season.

A visit to one of these parks is a great way to get yourself into the holiday mood and to work off some of that Thanksgiving turkey but walking a few miles or so in the cold. (No, really, it IS fun!)

Here is a list of the Pennsylvania parks offering up winter holiday fun this year:

Conneaut Lake Park

It isn’t a sure thing yet, but if Conneaut Lake has sold enough tickets they will be holding their Holiday of Lights 2011 event from November 25th through January 1st.  Check the park’s website for more information here.

Dutch Wonderland

Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster County, PA, is holding their Dutch Winter Wonderland on weekends from November 19th through December 18th and then for the whole week after Christmas from the 26th to the 30th of December.  This park is best for ages 3-8 and offers lights, rides and visits with Santa.  Read more about it here.

Hersheypark

Hersheypark in Hershey, PA, is holding their Christmas Candylane event beginning November 18th and running on various days until December 31st.  Hours
vary widely for this event which includes lights, rides, live reindeer and Santa so be sure to check the website here for more details.

Kennywood

Kennywood in Pittsburgh, PA, puts on a show with Kennywood Holiday Lights on varying days in December beginning on the 2nd and ending on the 18th.  The park
will offer light shows, choirs singing carols, rides and food for those who visit.  Check out the details on their website here.

Lakemont Park

Lakemont Park in Altoona, PA, is offering up Holiday Lights on the Lake every evening from November 24th through January 8th.  This is a ride through light show covering fifty-one acres which includes animations as well.  Also open on same dates are the gift shop, model train display and food stands.  Visit the website here for complete details.

Sesame Place

New for 2011 is Sesame Place’s A Very Furry Christmas held at the popular children’s park in Langhorne, PA.  The park is offering up over 300 Christmas trees, rides, shows, a parade and the very lovable Sesame Street characters.  The park is open varying days and times beginning on November 25th and running until December
31st.  Check the website here for details.

Happy Holidays everyone from Amusement Park Mom!!!

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Copper thieves strike Conneaut Lake Park’s Blue Streak

Conneaut Lake Park No Responses »
Oct 242011

Police aren’t sure quite when it happened, but goerie.com is reporting that sometime between October 16 and October 22, 2011 someone stole a bunch of copper cable from the Blue Streak rollercoaster at Conneaut Lake Park in Conneaut Lake, PA.

Worth over $10,000, the cable was used as an electric service line for maintenance staff working on the roller coaster. No actual damage was done to the coaster itself.

The original goerie.com article appears here.

Posted by ShawnMarie at 9:56 pm Tagged with: , ,

Want to find some Thrills and Chills this Fall? Check out all the Halloween offerings from Pennsylvania Amusement Parks

Conneaut Lake Park, Dorney Park, Dutch Wonderland, Hersheypark, Idlewild and SoakZone, Kennywood, Knoebels, Sesame Place, Waldameer Water World No Responses »
Sep 232011

Bumper Cars re-themed for Halloween during Hersheypark in the Dark

If you like Halloween AND you like amusement parks AND you live within driving distance of the state of Pennsylvania, you are one lucky person. Our amazing Pennsylvania amusement parks have conjured up 9 different Halloween festivities encompassing parks across the entire state.

Whether you want to be a little scared, a lot scared or positively terrified – Pennsylvania has got a park for you.  Here is a complete listing of Halloween park festivities including links to the park’s websites to make it easy to get all the info you need to plan your trip.

Please BEWARE that some of the activities are not appropriate for younger children or those who frighten easily.  I’ve tagged the general audience type at the beginning of the entry to make it easy to tell what is appropriate for you.

 

Happy Halloween!!!!

 

Conneaut Lake Park
FAMILY FUN: CLP is haunting its classic amusement park this fall on September and October weekends for young and old during their Ghost Lake event.  With 8 layers of haunting and a wonderful past midnight schedule, this is not to be missed.  Check out their website here.

 

Dorney Park
FAMILY FUN: For the younger set, DP is putting on a Boo!Blast during the daytime hours on the weekends during September and October.  Meant for children 56 inches or shorter, this event features rides, crafts and special PEANUTS character activities.  Check out the website here.
13 AND OVER ONLY: For those 13 and older DP puts on a night time fright time with their Halloween Haunt during October and November.  Don’t plan to wear your costume to this one, but prepare to be scared with 8 outdoor mazes, 4 indoor mazes and 2 themed shows in addition to most of the regular park rides.  Check out the website here.

 
Dutch Wonderland
FAMILY FUN:  On weekends in October Dutch Wonderland features Happy Hauntings including trick-or-treating, themed rides and storytelling.  Dutch Wonderland’s main age group is ten and under but this truly is a family park with parents often having as much fun as the kids.  View their Happy Hauntings video at their website here.

 

Hersheypark
FAMILY FUN:  On weekends in October Hersheypark turns itself into Hersheypark in the Dark for families with all ages to enjoy.  Trick-or-treating, re-themed rides and special Halloween treats are featured throughout the park. Check out all the details on what’s going on at Hershey in and out of the park at the Halloween in Hershey website here.

 

Idlewild
FAMILY FUN: Just voted the best children’s amusement park in the world for the second year in a row by Amusement Today (Hooray!!), Idlewild is again putting on their HallowBoo event on October weekends.  With trick-or-treating in Storybook forest plus themed rides and attractions, you can be sure a good time will be had by all.  Check out their website here.

 

Kennywood
OVER 13 ONLY:  It’s Kennywood’s Phantom Fright Nights 10th anniversary beginning Sept 30th and you can bet they will pull out all the stops.  Open till 1am on Fridays and Saturdays, an amusement park at night is definitely a scary place to be – add in the ghouls, vampires and zombies and, well, bring it on!  Check out their website here.

 

Knoebels
FAMILY FUN: They survived the flood and scored a Golden Ticket for Best Amusement Park food (beating out EPCOT!!!!) and now they’re ready for some Hallow-Fun Nights on October weekends at Knoebels.  With themed rides and special snacks and crafts, Knoebels is a fun time for the entire family. Check the Knoebels website here.

 

Sesame Place
FAMILY FUN: It just so happens that my favorite muppet is hosting a Halloween party at Sesame Place beginning on Sept. 24th.  The Count’s Halloween Spooktacular takes place during Sept. and Oct. Weekends and features re-themed rides, 2 mazes, 3 Halloween shows and the Sesame Street characters dressed up in their Halloween best.  Geared toward the younger set but fun for anyone who has a soft spot for Sesame Street, it’s not too spooky, but lots of fun.  Check out the website here.

Posted by ShawnMarie at 8:09 pm Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

2011 Opening Days at Pennsylvania's Amusement Parks

Conneaut Lake Park, DelGrosso's Amusement Park, Dorney Park, Dutch Wonderland, Hersheypark, Idlewild and SoakZone, Kennywood, Knoebels, Lakemont Park and the Island Waterpark, Sesame Place, Waldameer Water World No Responses »
Apr 282011

We’ve got the best Amusement Parks right here in Pennsylvania to visit and the season is officially starting this weekend in many parks.  To view the opening date for YOUR favorite park (or perhaps a new park you’d like to visit) check out our list below.  

Please note that parks with water features may not fully open until later in the season – usually Memorial Day weekend – so be sure to click on the name of the park to go to the calendar page on their website for more details on what activities will be available.

Posted by ShawnMarie at 8:22 pm Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

2011 PA Park Bio: Conneaut Lake Park

Conneaut Lake Park No Responses »
Feb 252011

Name: Conneaut Lake Park

Address: 12382 Center Street, Conneaut Lake, PA 16316

Year Opened: 1892

Owner: Trustees of Conneaut Lake Park and others

  • Total Number of rides/attractions: varies from year to year, at least 15
  • Total Number of Children’s rides/attractions: 7 or more
  • Number of water attractions: 1, pool with slides
  • Number of roller coasters: 2, The Blue Streak wooden coaster, find out more here: http://www.conneautlakepark.com/bluestreak.html, and a Little Dipper Kiddie Coaster
  • Number and types of carousels? 2 – 1 adult dated 1905 – see National Carousel Association description at: http://nationalcarousel.org/cgi-bin/census/census.pl?NCANo=173 ; 1 kiddie carousel
  • Number of dark rides? 1  Devil’s Den – a gravity powered dark ride
  • Entrance Fee: unknown for 2011
  • Parking Fee: unknown for 2011
  • Reduced Tickets available? unknown for 2011
  • Coupons available? unknown for 2011
  • Season Pass available? No
  • Package Plans available? No
  • Food allowed? Picnic facilities are available
  • Pets allowed? Unknown
  • Spring events? No
  • Summer season: Memorial Day weekend opening
  • Fall/Halloween events? Unknown for 2011
  • Winter/Holiday events? Unknown for 2011

Amusementparkmom Trip tips:  I have yet to visit this park – please post any tips you have for visiting Conneaut Lake in the comments.  Thank you!

Park website: www.conneautlakepark.com

Posted by ShawnMarie at 1:48 pm Tagged with:

Visit Conneaut Lake Park by video - includes Blue Streak and Devil's Den dark ride footage

Conneaut Lake Park No Responses »
Feb 252011

If you’ve never been to Conneaut Lake Park and you want to see what you are missing, you can catch a video of the park on the web that was put up last year.  The video is available to view via the park’s website here or also directly from the archive here.

The video is about 35 minutes long and is hosted by two guys who walk you through the park showing you rides.  There is an interview concerning the restoration of the Blue Streak also plus two other interviews and some closing commentary.

A warning, the hosts are a little rough around the edges – don’t let them scare you off since this is some great classic amusement park footage.  Here are some highlights:

  • About 4 minutes in you can see the Tumblebug – one of only 2 left operating in the world.  (The other is at Kennywood.)
  • About 9 minutes and 40 seconds you can see the Devil’s Den, a gravity dark ride.  You get to see the first few minutes of the ride on the video.  You can find out more about this ride on the Darkride and Funhouse Enthusiast website here.
  • About 12 minutes and 50 seconds in you can see the Little Dipper kiddie coaster.  This is a hand operated coaster.
  • About 15 minutes and 30 seconds in you will see the interview concerning the Blue Streak.
  • About 19 minutes in there is an interview concerning the Conneaut Hotel and its restoration.
  • About 24 minutes in you ride the Conneaut Lake Park railroad including going under the Blue Streak.
Posted by ShawnMarie at 1:08 pm Tagged with: , , , ,

The Blue Streak Project won the Pepsi Refresh Challenge and $50K!

Conneaut Lake Park 1 Response »
Sep 052010

Conneaut Lake’s Blue Streak project won the Pepsi Challenge voting in August and has been awarded $50K.  Also according to the park’s website, the Blue Streak opened for riding on September 2nd.

See the details here.

Posted by ShawnMarie at 9:10 pm Tagged with:

The Blue Streak is back in the running at Pepsi Refresh, vote through August!

Conneaut Lake Park No Responses »
Aug 012010

I got an update on Conneaut Lake’s Blue Streak today from my fellow amusement park fan Lisa. 

She wrote, “The Trustees of Conneaut Lake Park, Lisko Entertainment, Park Restoration, and Structural Technologies Inc. (STI) wish to thank all of the supporters of the Pepsi Refresh Project in July and donors to the Blue Streak Restoration Fund.  Our project has rolled over into the August voting period, so please continue to vote every day and spread the word in any way you can.  Remember, votes can be submitted via the text message 100510 sent to Pepsi at 73774. Our website has the link to take you directly to the voting page where you can cast your vote.  Remember to Sign In/Join first (lower left corner of the page) then click on Vote for this Idea. Also, Pepsi has notified us of this important rule: ‘Any idea that uses proxy voting, which includes but is not limited to creating multiple or dummy accounts and voting on behalf of other users, may be disqualified.’”

I’ve added this important topic to my top menu bar so come back every day to visit the Conneaut Lake park’s website so you can check out their work and also link to the Pepsi Refresh program to vote for them all during August. 

If you love old coasters, please consider making a donation to save the Blue Streak.  Click on their website here.

Posted by ShawnMarie at 9:14 pm Tagged with: , , ,

You can help raise $50K for PA's Conneaut Lake Park's Blue Streak Wooden Roller Coaster Restoration Project - with just a click

Conneaut Lake Park No Responses »
Jul 242010

An AP Mom reader forwarded me information on the Pepsi Refresh project which gives money to community projects and Conneaut Lake Park is on their list for voting this month – only through July 31, 2010.

If you are a fan of old wooden coasters, of old amusement parks or you just need something to click on today the link to the Pepsi Refresh Program is here.  If you’d like more information on The Blue Streak and it’s restoration project, check the Conneaut Lake website here.

Again, if you’d like to help raise money for the Blue Streak restoration project, click here every day now through July 31, 2010.

Posted by ShawnMarie at 6:39 am Tagged with: ,
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