As posted on their website.
Dec 272011
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.
Love ice cream? Want to save some money when you visit Dutch Wonderland? Visit the Dutch Wonderland here to print a coupon for a free scoop of ice cream with the purchase of another scoop. Good only at the Breyer’s Ice Cream shop through 12-31-11.
- 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!!!
Some of the crowd at Molly's Wacky Witch's Brew show
Now let’s see, where was I? Oh yes, we had just finished sort-of eating our dinner. In the end my daughter ate 1 fry and half of a piece of chicken. “It’s yucky Mommy” was the answer I got to why she didn’t want more. OK, the fries were awful but the chicken was about what you’d expect for such a place. Much better with Barbeque sauce to dip it in.
Our next stop was going to be the riverboat ride, but, well, it was closed. Major disappointment. Second disappointment – the gondola ride had a line that must have been at least an hour long. After standing for ten minutes without having a boat come through to pick up people we left.
There was a tantrum and tears (she had the tantrum, I had the tears) mostly because this ride looked like it would be so neat. It was heading toward dark and they had the canal the boat travels in decorated with music and lights of the creepy kind – I’m sure it would have been the highlight of my night, but I’m not sure we’d have even gotten through the line before we had to leave so we had to skip it.
We decided to hit the Trick-or-Treat Trail just as dusk was falling but in retrospect, you should wait until dark. Picture this, you are in a tropical themed location with palm trees, various beach creatures and a water slide PLUS a make-shift jail, a graveyard and some ghosts. It was cheesy, big time, in the light. Wait until dark when you can almost ignore the beach theme and have some fun.
Trick or Treat Trail - through a dry water park
The Trick-or-Treat Trail is for kids ten and under, one trip per day. You will have your hand stamped to prevent going around twice. Our stamp was candy corn in black ink (which took two days to wear off.) The kids get a free trick or treat bag courtesy of AAA and this was one of the highlights of our trip since the bag had Richard Scary’s Busytown characters on it – big hit in our family. Huckle Cat and Lowly Worm came along on our journey though the not-so-spooky path. And no the kids do not have to have a costume on to participate. We didn’t.
I give Dutch Wonderland a thumbs up for giving each parent a ticket for a piece of candy. Yep, as a person accompanying a child you get to choose one of the stops and get a piece of candy for yourself. Believe me, you’ll need the energy after spending a half hour trying to keep your kids from ducking under the barriers to take a closer look at the no-water water features. Don’t think they can’t get through, they can and they will.
So you go through a path and meet some scary and not-so-scary, happy and not-so-happy people handing out Hershey’s candy. There are ten stops and you get ten different pieces of candy (except we only ended up with 9 some how.) For parents who want to know what your choices are (you only get one you know) here is what my daughter got: Whoppers, fruity Twizzlers, a Hershey bar, a Heath bar, a graham cracker treat, milk duds, Reese’s cup, a Halloween Kit-Kat (it is orange colored white chocolate), and a Reese’s Fast Break bar (I think, it’s the short on in the orange wrapper under the Reeses Cup)
I went for the Kit-Kat not knowing it was orange, wish I had chosen the Heath or the plain old Hershey bar.
The Candy Haul
Notice something about that candy? Yep, peanuts. Those of you like us who have a little one with allergies need to be aware that unless you steer your child away from the peanut stops – and unlike Hersheypark, Dutch Wonderland doesn’t label the stops with allergens – your child most likely will be given candy with peanuts in it. Be ready to intervene. There are signs posted about Hershey’s allergen policy which has nothing to do with the Trick or Treat Trail, it just discusses the candy in general and says, ”Read the label.” OK, I summarized that down from 3 paragraphs, but it ends the same. Basically Hershey does not provide allergen listings for their products and you have to read the label to get accurate information.
The best part of our Trick-or-Treat Trail adventure was the little girl behind us who tried to feed the giant skull a piece of candy. Hilarious.
Beaker, Molly's dog poses for me
We sat and each ate a piece of candy and then went to see Molly’s Wacky Witch’s Brew show. I wish we had skipped it. I did manage to get a wonderful picture of Molly’s dog before the show began, but that was the highlight of the experience. Imagine several hundred people crammed around a stage meant to entertain 50-75? It was crazy. And if I am not mistaken these were the same two performers we saw during the summer in the Thomas the Tank Engine show. They have a lot of talent, but the show is just not entertaining. They need some better writers.
I do give them points for performing Thomas Dolby’s “She Blinded Me With Science.” I could not for the life of me imagine why Bunsen and the Burners didn’t do this at Hersheypark, but sadly they did not. That was the last song I heard before my daughter pulled me away to do something else, anything, else. “I don’t like that show” was what she said. So we went to the schoolhouse and wrote with chalk and rang the bell. Hmm… that should tell you how exciting the show was.
Dutch Wonderland really should invest a little more time and money into their shows and on a real stage. Kids love interactive theater and it can be very educational for them, but shows like this make adults cringe and little kids want to watch more TV. No offense to Molly and her dog, they did the best they could. The only other entertainment offered was storytelling with the Princess and we missed that every time it was staged.
In fact we missed the Princess, the Knight and Duke entirely. During summer we saw the Princess and the Knight roaming around and Duke occasionally having his photo taken, but not on this trip. It seemed very odd for them to be missing. Perhaps we just were not in the right place at the right time.
So, I promised I’d share the creepiest thing at Dutch Wonderland with you – and it isn’t the spider on the castle which definitely is right up there for some folks – nope, it is the severed hand. If you are squeamish, or your children are squeamish or you don’t like to answer lots of questions about dismembered body parts then when you see the door below just keep on walking.
Door to Creepiness
This happens to be a wonderful Halloween display, very Martha Stewart-esque, but a little too much for the under 8 crowd. My daughter wanted to know where the rest of the man was that belonged to the hand. The young boy next to her began to cry and said “Scary” and a little girl being held by her mother said, “I don’t feel so good.” (We’re not sure what happened to her, they left pretty quickly.) Mostly the parents’ response was “Wow.” And then they quickly led their children outdoors to the pretzel or to milk Bossie the cow.
Neat Halloween display but be ready for questions from toddlers about the severed hand
I know kids see a lot of gore and guts on TV, but having it a mere two feet away is something a little different. I think school aged children might be OK, but keep the toddlers out. Just too many questions with this one. Like the Church building with the real bible in it, this one just doesn’t work for everyone.
So we ended our night with some kettle corn ($3 for a small bag with a season pass, a fair deal and they now have an ingredient list on it and it is gluten free, yeah!) and some blue cotton candy which we took home to share.
And then we tried to find our car. Ha! In the dark, in a field called a parking lot… I felt lucky I didn’t have a mini-van since most of the vehicles there were mini-vans. At least I only had to check for a red sedan, but it was too dark to tell what color the cars were until you were right next to them.
Parking Lot at night with flashlight help
Three things to consider if you will be leaving Dutch Wonderland after dark and you do not park in the main parking lot:
- Make careful note of where you parked your car – even take a picture with your cell phone.
- Carry a flashlight with you. You will need it. If you forget and you have an android smartphone there is a flashlight ap that works super well (I used it when I remembered I had it). I’m not sure about the other platforms but I’m sure there is one somewhere for you guys.
- As you walk to your car figure out where the exit is. There is really only one way out and depending on how people have parked, it might be a tight squeeze or hard to find in the dark.
So will we do this again? Not on your life. Not even for free with season passes.
Dutch Wonderland Castle's new friend
This is the first year I made the trip to Dutch Wonderland for their Happy Hauntings Halloween celebration and I hoped that my 3 year old daughter Rose and I would have a good time. We had a blast at the park on a previous visit (you can read about it here) and she loves Halloween so I thought this would be a good match.
My experience on this trip was not a good one from the very beginning. The park opened at 3 and we arrived at 4:15 to find the parking lot full and streams of families with very small children in costumes milling around the secondary parking area – a grassy field near the Kingdom Coaster. Good news is though that they suspended the preferred parking for this event so all parking is Free. If you want to get close to the castle (and I recommend you do, getting out of that lot was a nightmare) you better be there 30 min or more before opening.
Bag Check Line - be prepared to wait
We walked from our grassy, slightly muddy parking area to the castle where we waited in line for bag check outside the castle. There was only one security person working and she was barely checking anything. We are talking hundreds of people in line and one person checking bags. Come on Dutch, add a few more. I was pleased to see that the employee badges now have pictures on them – something I first saw at Delgrosso’s and liked. Hersheypark has yet to implement this and I wish they would. It is so easy to get a Hersheypark uniform from the Salvation Army and trick kids. (Of course as my oldest pointed out the night before there are so many parents dragging around screaming kids how would you know if one was being abducted? Even more true at Dutch Wonderland since tantrams are the norm.)
My favorite Halloween decoration came at the beginning of the trip. They have a giant spider on the side of the castle. It was big and black and scared bunches of kids. This is a complaint I have with Dutch Wonderland. Many of the Halloween touches were TOO scary for the little ones. There was one in particular that had parents scrambling for an explanation as to what it was, but I’ll get there in a minute.
After waiting in line for bag check we went through the castle to the ticket booths. Entrance is $21 for anyone 3 and older. It amazed me that so many people didn’t even know what the fee was and kept asking for “2 adults and 1 child” and then their jaws dropped when they got the total and pulled out the cards ’cause they didn’t have enough cash. This happened at the food places too. Bring money. End of story.
Many, many, many people with season passes were passing through the gates. This is a free event for them so is a good deal. For those who have to pay? It depends on the crowd level and how your children do with it. The crowd was so huge the night we were there that it was impossible to ride anything without a fifteen minute wait. And my daughter was not in the best of moods – no nap – so it was more or less a waste of $21 plus the additional $25 we spend on food.
As you get in the gate the train is the first ride. We never got to ride it since it was so crowded and a toddler with no nap does not have the patience to wait that long. If you ever doubt the age-range for Dutch Wonderland, take a look at the picture below. Strollers are EVERYWHERE in this park and they create huge traffic jams when it is this busy. My daughter at 3 is old enough to walk and we pack light with our backpack so we avoid the stroller issue. If you can get your child to walk, you should. Though if your child wanders a lot, then use the stroller. I saw three kids get lost behind barriers on rides and parents having to scale fences etc to retrieve them. Dutch Wonderland is a maze of paths and hedges and when it gets dark it is impossible to see anything so kids who wander WILL get lost.
Strollers as far as the eye can see
I asked Rose what she wanted to do and her response was eat. Chicken and Fries. OK, so we went to the Mill Stream Eatery which is a place I missed on my last two trips but I knew they had chicken. DW is running a special that if you purchase your meal ticket at the gate you get a free dessert – savings of $3 or something – this is really not a bad deal if you know for sure what your kids will eat. I think there are 6 options to choose from. I personally would have liked to try the Chinese but, well, my 3 year old isn’t that adventurous.
At this point I realized that the park was what I would consider overcrowded. Strollers lined every possible area and walkways were jammed with parents and kids. Usually you see this in a couple sections of the park, but not on this trip – the entire park was filled like this. And it was only 4:30. My suggestion if you are local and have season passes is to come around 7 when the others start to give out and leave. You’ll probably have a much better time. Plus the trick-or-treat trail is a must do in the dark (more on that in part 2.)
We made some stops at the church, Bossie the cow and a few other Dutch novelties. All favorites from last time that were previously empty and now jammed with kids (many with plastic weapons – lots of kids getting hit accidentally.) The silo slide was closed. The mill stream gem place was closed (not surprising.) No pony rides (also not surprising) and the Lady Gay Paddle Boat was closed (very disappointing, this is a great low energy ride.)
So Chicken Fingers, fries and a refill of lemonade in my refillable cup were next. (Yep, they are still good through the end of 2011 so bring it along) came into just under $9 with a season pass. Food was 3 pieces of traditional park fried chicken tenders with some very bad, undercooked fries. Not a wonderful meal, should have gone to Potato Patch instead for fries with gravy and chicken. Oh well. Now I know.
- Handwashing station
Dutch does a few things right and wrong here at Mill Stream. They have a handwashing station next to the soda dispenser (yeah) but all they have on tap are soda, lemonade and fruit punch. I *really* wish they’d add a milk machine. Yep, they’d lose money but I’d be really happy to have something other than sugar fueling my toddler. Surprisingly they also did not have booster seats for the chairs and not enough high chairs for the standing room only crowd that was there. Kids who can’t sit comfortably do not eat well and everyone has a miserable time. Another good thing is a bottle of ketchup and a napkin dispenser on every table. That saves on trips to the condiment counter for sure.
I’m ending this trip report here since I’ve run out of time. Hope to have the second part up this evening. Part 2 features the creepiest thing in the park, the Trick or Treat Trail review and a review of the Molly’s Wacky Witch’s Brew show.
Knoebels is a big winner in the 2011 Golden Ticket Awards - Kennywood too!
Since 1998, the industry publication Amusement Today, has been awarding world-wide amusement parks with a coveted Golden Ticket to show they are the best of the best in the industry.
Even with the Disney giants figured in and parks in every other part of the world, our Pennsylvania Amusement parks continue to hold their own in the Top 5 of many of the categories. You can see all the details here.
Here is a list of all the reported wins for Pennsylvania Amusement Parks in the 2011 Golden Ticket Awards – arranged by park:
Knoebels
1st Place – Best Food (They beat Epcot and Busch Gardens Williamsburg, know why? Funnel cakes, potato pancakes and waffle Ice Cream sandwiches – that’s why!)
1st Place – Best Carousel (Still grabbing the ring!)
2nd Place – Best Park (This means little ole’ Knoebels beat out ALL the Disney parks!)
#2 Wood Roller Coaster – Phoenix
3rd Place – Friendliest Park
3rd Place – Best Halloween Event
4th Place – Best Dark ride for the Haunted Mansion (betcha the Black Diamond shows up in 2012!)
Kennywood
1st Place – Best Funhouse/Walk-Through attraction – Noah’s Ark (Classic!)
4th Place – Best Halloween Event (Be scared, be very scared!)
4th Place – Best Carousel (It’s a nice one!)
8th Place (2 way tie) – Best Park (tied with Tokyo DisneySea in case you wonder)
#5 Steel Coaster – Phantom’s Revenge
Idlewild & SoakZone
1st Place – Best Children’s Park (In the world!!! Wow!!!)
Dutch Wonderland
5th Place – Best Children’s Park (PA has 2 in the top 5 in the world, what a great place to have kids!)
Waldameer
#6 Wood Coaster – Ravine Flyer II
So, did you notice a few big parks in PA that were not listed? Yep. Hersheypark and Dorney Park didn’t make the short lists on any reported categories, but they probably were in there someplace – just not at the top.
So why are Knoebels and Kennywood so successful in this contest when Hersheypark and Dorney aren’t? I think it is because they are unique and they have a devoted following.
In Knoebels’ case they are still family owned and they just handle things differently than a corporate run park – free parking, free admission, affordable food and a bring your own food policy, etc. No corporate park would go for that since it leaves too many profits to chance. They keep a stable of classic rides running when others have given up on them. But most of all they take care of their employees and their community and people love them in return. I didn’t see anyone taking up a collection to fix Hersheypark when it flooded this year, but that is exactly what Knoebels fans did for them. That tells you how the people love this park.
And Kennywood, though corporate owned now, had been a family owned park forever before that and is a fixture in the Western PA area. They have classic rides found no place else and an old carnival feel that is rare in an urban setting. Kennywood makes you wish for the good old days – except you don’t need them ’cause they are still right there, but with a healthy dose of the best of the new stuff too. Kennywood’s employees have fond memories of working there unlike some other park’s employees who would rather forget working at the park. Kennywood also has a generations old devoted following like Knoebels and people go to bat for them no matter what.
All in all I think that is the secret. If the park loves the people, the people will love the park and it shows in every way.
Congratulations to all our parks!!!
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.
Water, water everywhere - including AP Mom's backyard shown above
09/14/11 Update
One of our local television stations, WGAL, made a trip to Hersheypark on 9/13 to discuss the damage and the loss of animals at ZOOAMERICA. The zoo has finally admitted that 9 prairie dogs were also lost in the flooding in addition to the two bison. You can watch the video here.
09/09/11 Updates, see below for original post.
Hersheypark:
- A video of Hersheypark added to local news Facebook account here. Shows Storm Runner track, monorail track and Trailblazer station exit.
- And here is a Facebook video of someone’s TV showing aerial video from Harrisburg and Hershey, including Hersheypark. It gives you a good idea of how much the creek has risen and also shows a nice shot of where Skyrush is to go. They show Harrisburg first, then Hershey. I’m trying to find the original but can’t seem to locate it but this’ll do for now.
- Hersheypark has begun to add some photos and info to their Facebook page here.
Knoebels:
- New photos from Knoebels today on their Facebook page here. The best bumper cars ever are in need of a little clean up….but there are no better people in the world to get it done than the folks at Knoebels.
Dutch Wonderland
- Dutch Wonderland has been updating their Facebook page here and confirms for sure they will be open as of 10am tomorrow, Sept 10th with only one ride not operational and that is the Ferris Windmill. Duke’s Lagoon closed for the season on Labor Day weekend and no one has posted any pictures from that.
Original Post Text:
The Central Pennsylvania area has been hit hard by water over the last several days. Many communities, including my own, have been underwater or will be underwater in the near future. Alas two of PA’s great Amusement Parks have been hit hard by Mother Nature and another missed the major flooding but still shows signs of destruction.
Knoebels in Elysburg PA has a long history of flooding but seeing the pictures on their Facebook page will make anyone who has ever visited there very sad. Debris and mud are everywhere with many rides damaged and roads ruined. The good news is everyone is safe and they are beginning the clean up already. The absolute best place to find information about Knoebels is on their Facebook page here. More than any other PA park, Knoebels has embraced the power of Facebook and uses it to keep its fans up to date. Check it out to see how they are doing.
Hersheypark Entrance - photo credited to Heather Rivera via Facebook and Accuweather.com
Another Central PA park, Hersheypark, has taken a heavy hit as well and will remain closed this weekend. In their typical closed-mouth fashion, Hersheypark has not placed any photos on their Facebook page of the flooding though some locals have put a few things up.
Photos have surfaced of the main gates and various other areas flooded by Spring Creek which runs through the heart of the park. Google search will bring you some more photos and you can see a few photos of Hersheypark in a slideshow here, but be warned it includes the painful image of the drowning bison at nearby ZOOAMERICA that has been plastered across the media everywhere.
Rumors have surfaced that some of the moorings for the newest ride, Skyrush, have been washed away. And a non-rumor is that Dollywood will beat Hersheypark to the winged car coaster finish line in 2012 with their new coaster, Wild Eagle, opening in April 2012 compared to the estimated May 2012 opening for Skyrush at Hersheypark.
Dutch Wonderland, another Central PA park in Lancaster PA, has had some flooding as well but there is information on their Facebook page that they will open at 10am on Saturday the 10th as planned. You can see pictures on their Facebook page here of the creek flooding affecting their newest Tom Sawyer ride (which is in pieces in the photos) and their riverboat ride as well. I’d call before visiting this weekend to make sure they are open.
So, the Flood of 2011 which is now just hitting the capital city of Harrisburg has left two of PA’s top amusement parks under water and closed for the first fall season weekend. But you can still hit Dutch Wonderland and have some amazing fries, a funnel cake and a ride on the monorail.
The Dutchman at Dutch Wonderland
After my first visit to Dutch Wonderland and my suggestion that you should wait to take your kids until they are older, I began to wonder what my 3 year old would think of it. She has a “Duke” the dragon shirt we found at the Salvation Army so she had been asking to visit him so I gave in. She calls it “Duck Wonderland” and that is appropriate given how many ducks there are around.
We made the trip on a cool August Thursday arriving at the park around 2pm. The parking lot was full but I have to say that inside the park it didn’t seem any more crowded than the last day I went when the parking lot was virtually empty. It wasn’t because the water park was full either, it was really too cool to get wet.
I had to purchase a ticket for her and the best deal I could get was to use the coupon from my season pass book, $24.95. Not cheap but it works out to about 4 dollars an hour since we stayed 6 hours.
First thing in we rode the train – my suggestion so she could see the park before we started to walk around. We hadn’t been there but 2 minutes and she fell and skinned her knee. This would be a recurring theme all day and she was pretty banged up by the time we left. Dutch Wonderland has blacktop paths in most places and they have these built up “curbs” along the pathway edges. For some reason my daughter never saw them and tripped over them all the time. Not sure if other kids do that, but it was a real nuisance.
We rode the train and then walked across the floating bridge to the mill. The dutchman at the mill fascinated her and this was a sign of things to come. The “Dutch” parts of Dutch Wonderland were the things she was interested in. Not the rides – we only rode two other than the train and the boats.
Next up was the carousel. She could ride by herself on this one (the one at Hersheypark is much larger) so that made her happy. We got off and she wanted to drive the motor boats in the duck pond but they weren’t working. She went back to visit the Dutchman again. I had to pry her away.
A favorite - the candy making diorama in the Gingerbread Candy House
As we entered the heart of the park she found one of the push button diaramas showing men in a wood shop. She then found the candy house next to the Really Useful Theater with the candy diorama inside. She ran in and out of the candy house for a good ten minutes, just doing laps and chatting with kids that showed up. If you are wondering what a 3 year old will do at Dutch Wonderland, well, this is what MY 3 year old did. Pretty much the whole trip was spent in the church, the school house, the birthday cake, the candy house, the Amish buggy, the pretzel, the giant chicken etc etc etc.
Huck Finn's leaping frogs - too bumpy!
My daughter had no interest in the rides except for the new Huck Finn’s Leaping Frog ride which she tried and deemed “too bumpy.” It really does jolt the kids up and down so I’m not surprised she didn’t like it. It would have made me sick for sure.
A dragon egg!
Since she wanted to see Duke the dragon and we hadn’t found him in the park to talk with, I took her on the Dragon’s Lair ride. I was a little worried that this would go badly since she hates to sit still and we’d be stranded in a log in a lake, but she did OK. She did start trying to stand up until the very end. For those that wonder this ride is on a rail, you don’t steer. I heard several people ask that question on this visit.
We caught the Thomas the Tank Engine show twice and she did sit through most of both shows and she did interact with the cast. The audience was much smaller at these shows than the last time I was there and I think that helped keep the kids interested though plenty still left in the middle.
Awesome fries - get cheese and gravy!
I do have to make a correction to my previous trip report. I did find something amazing to eat at Dutch Wonderland – Potato Patch fries. My daughter and I were taking a short cut over the potato patch patio and as we went down the stairs I caught a whiff of some tasty smelling fries. I turned around and asked the couple enjoying them if they really were that good. To my delight they produced an extra fork and told me to dig in to the cheese and gravy covered fries. After making a mess of myself with the cheese sauce I did indeed have some of the best fries I’ve eated in awhile so that is what dinner was. (Thanks Elizabeth for sharing!) We got 5 chicken tenders, a huge boat of fries with gravy and a child’s cup with drink for $11.05 with a season pass discount. This is easily enough food for 3 people.
We also had a Dole Citrus Whip which is still tasty, though the vanilla “ice cream” is still weird. A hint for the Dole Whips, they are pretty big. I got mine in a dish with a cone on top so my daughter and I could share. I spooned some of the whip into the cone so she had her cone and then I had the dish. We each got appropriate sized portions and we spend less than $2.50 with my season pass discount.
Let’s see, the diving show was great. We saw the frog prince. A big warning to folks who sit front and center. A poor family didn’t seem to see the splash zone signs and they got soaked by a wave of water during the high dive – soaked to the skin, purse, backpack and all. They took it well, but I’m sure some things got ruined in their bags.
Relaxing on the Lady Gay - nap anyone?
We did both boat rides and they were wonderful breaks on the trip. The Lady Gay ride was great with just our family and another on it. So much great interaction with the boat captain (who really does steer the thing!) Our ride on the gondolas was made more fun by the commentary of the father in front of us. He must have been from the South at some point and it was so refreshing to hear an accent other than PA Dutch for a change. He explained everything to his daughter who I’m guessing was just shy of 2 so it was like having a tour guide on our boat.
After one of my daughter’s many spills she actually found herself in front of the Knight of Dutch Wonderland. He made a big show of helping her up and brushing her off and then we got a great picture of him while my daughter held his shield.
Our trip was dotted with great interactions with both guests and the cast and that made all the difference. Nice people make for a pleasant trip.
We played the duck game for $2 and she won a duck. All games I saw were $2 and she was much more interested in playing games here than at Hersheypark. Dutch Wonderland offers a game package where you purchase them in bulk and you do save a bunch of money if this is something your kids like to do. We’ll probably do that next time.
Oh, and did I say we fed ducks? We fed ducks again and again. And fish. And geese. And birds. Make sure you pack lots of quarters for this. My daughter and another little girl shared handfuls of duck food and it was a nice time for them to be together. Her mother and I talked and it was just a great moment in our trip since we were both alone with our girls.
So around 5 my daughter started to get antsy. She had had a nap on the way down, but I could still tell she was getting worn out. The next 3 hours were not nearly as fun as the first 3. She started refusing to do things she had done earlier and there were quite a few tantrums and tears. I practially had to drag her to the last diving show but once she was there she had a great time. We left after that.
We picked up a really nice souvenir called “A Kingdome for Kids Game.” It is basically Candyland with a Dutch Wonderland theme. No reading required, just colored cards. It is on sale now for $14.99 and I think it was a much better buy than the $22 stuffed Duke she had her eye on. I’m sure she doesn’t agree but we’ve played the game every day since we’ve been home so it is a nice reminder.
When I asked my 3 year old if she liked Hersheypark (which she has been to at least a dozen times) or Dutch Wonderland better, her quick answer is Dutch Wonderland “Cause that is where Duke lives.” So I guess we have a winner here.
Some things to keep in mind if you’re traveling with a 3 year old:
- find the bathrooms early in your trip
- buy the kids cup – it is a great value and you can get it filled with water
- don’t expect them to ride much, they might but then again they might not
- bring bandaids for skinned knees
- bring quarters for feeding ducks
- leave your stroller in the car (we did just find without it and you can move so much faster on foot)
- make sure they wear something you can pick out in a crowd – there are paths everywhere!
- you don’t need to do Duke’s Lagoon to have a great time, staying dry is fun too
- share a Dole Whip for a cheap treat
- expect them to wear out before the day is over so try quiet things like the boat rides to refresh them
- One last thing, if they ask you to get into the birthday cake with them, think very carefully on this. It is a lot easier getting in than getting out. (I thought they’d have to slice the cake to get me out!)
The Birthday Cake: getting in easy, getting out? Not so much.