Best amusement parks in PA?

[Ava]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but now that this summer is over I can't help but think about our plans for next summer and am looking for opinions.

We can't do Disney again (too $$), and want to go visit family in Western PA since we didn't make it out there this year. So instead of making the 8+ hour drive from NYC in one stretch (which frankly is torture for all of us), I thought we could break it up and make a stop at an amusement park or other attraction each way. So, if you were driving from NYC to Pittsburgh-area, where would you stop? Options I've come up with so far:

Hershey - will most likely do this one since my mom lives ~1 hour away and could meet us for the day
Sesame Place - would a 7yo enjoy this park, or will she be too old for it?

Clearly I love planning vacations, since I'm already thinking about this and it's a year away.

 

[Neesy228]

Sesame Place is no comparison to Hershey Park...and at 7, I would think your DD wouldn't be overly interested...Hershey is wonderful and you can easily spend a couple of days between the park, waterpark, Zoo America (super small, but cute) and chocolate world. They're all right there together. If you go early (before the end of June) you can usually get pretty good ticket deals from the local Giant grocery stores and Chick fil A restaurants often have coupons.

Dutch Wonderland is fun for smaller kids. I haven't been there in several years though, so I can't offer too much help.

If you're heading to Pittsburgh, I wouldn't recommend Kennywood or Sandcastle - they're both just ok IMHO. Idlewild and Soakzone is fun for little ones.

Have fun planning! I do that too. As soon as summer vacation ends, my thoughts turn to next year!

 

[ChrisFL]

HersheyPark is awesome. There's also a relatively new historical museum about Milton Hershey which is very nice and has a lot of interactive displays....about 2 blocks from the park

 

[bsblady01]

check out Hershey park

 

[ELSA711]

Knoebels

 

[jrmasm]

Sesame Place is awful.

 

[Vernie822]

Kennywood and Sandcastle are just ok. I am from Pittsburgh. They're nice for local theme parks! Not worth going out of your way for, though Pittsburgh is a great city to visit for a few days.

Western PA (Ligonier) also has Idlewild. Great for young kids. They also have Soak Zone which is a nice water park. I haven't been there in probably 10 years but when I was younger we loved it.

We love Hershey.. I have been there a few times with my cheerleaders for a competition.

I now live in Northwestern PA - in the city of Erie which is right on lake Erie. We have Waldameer (again.. not an amazing theme park) and your admission also gets you into Waldameer Water World which just opened a huge wave pool. Biggest in the Tri State area supposedly. And they have a lot of water slides. It is right on the beach at Presque Isle (a 13 mile peninsula on Lake Erie). Many people in the area vacation Lake Erie each summer. There are some rental homes on the beach and lots of hotels nearby. Not too far from there, there is also Splash Lagoon which is an indoor water park. Bonus: We have the Lake Erie Wine Trail for Mom and Dad.

If you have questions on anything Pittsburgh or Erie related, please ask!

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I second Knoebel's. They specialize in taking older rides from other parks and refurbishing them. They have a Whip ride from 1915 that I rode the last time I was there. They also have newer rides. It's free to get in and you either pay for an all-access bracelet (which is very reasonable), or you buy an old-fashioned book of tickets.

http://www.knoebels.com/

 

[sonnyjane]

Surprised how many posts before Kennywood was mentioned. In western PA that's a great option. Classic but some great modern coasters as well.

Idlewild is where I went growing up as a kid, but it's for a much younger demographic.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

We enjoyed Hershey Park and Dorney Park (in Allentown, PA) this summer. We thought both were very good.

 

[CPanther95]

When I was a kid, I used to go to Conneaut Lake park every year near my hometown. It was a great park from a kid's perspective, but it wouldn't surprise me if it has long been shut down.

 

[Ava]

I guess I should mention that I also have a younger DD, who will be 3. So I'm looking for things to appeal to a 3yo and a 7yo.

I think we will definitely do Hershey. I haven't been there in years, but grew up not too far away in Maryland and went there a lot as a kid.

My wife's family lives in Kittanning and Ford City, so we're not headed quite as far as Pittsburgh, but I'd like to spend a day seeing the city. I went to college there for a couple years but haven't been back since (15+ years) so I'd like to visit.

@Vernie822, how far is Lake Erie from Pittsburgh?

 

[Ava]

Oops, double post.

 

[MommyMK]

100% recommend Knoebels. I have a 9 & 5 year old and in the past few years we have done many of the parks mentioned - Hershey, Dutch Wonderland, Sesame Place, Knoebels, Idlewild and Kennywood. With kids your age and assuming you are going to be doing this drive several times over the years I would recommend Idlewild, Sesame Place or Dutch Wonderland in addition to Knoebels. All of these parks are geared for kids the ages of yours and will be outgrown by your oldest in a couple of years. Hershey is great, but you will find that you will be splitting up often during the day or just won't be able to ride the big coasters that you are paying the big price tag for. Hershey also isn't going anywhere and is a great park for your kids to grown into in the years to come. Same goes for Kennywood.

We did Dutch Wonderland this summer and while my 9 yo enjoyed it, it was clear it was our last visit, she will have outgrown it by next year. I got her to agree to one more year of Sesame Place for me, I love that park and the water attractions make the ages stretch out a little, they have some fast slides she enjoyed. We did Idlewild last year and we could stretch that one another summer or two for the oldest as well. Idle wild also has some great old classic rides like Knoebels, hard to find in other places. Your 3 yo will be in heaven at any of these parks.

Knoebels though is really a unique experience you can't get anywhere else, they have so many rides and your kids can ride almost all of them together, just the right level of thrill for both.

Don't get me wrong, Hershey is great, my kids had a blast there last year, but I'd do the little kid parks while you still have little kids, they are a special experience. You can also visit Hershey's Chocolate World for free to get a taste of Hershey if you want. Other attractions in town are fun too.

 

[MommyMK]

I will also add that Sesame Place is going to have much higher crowd levels than Dutch Wonderland. We did both on random summer Monday's this year and the difference was huge. Everything at Dutch Wonderland was a walk on or less than 5 minute wait. Everything at Sesame Place was at least a 10-20 minute wait.

 

[JOCAmom]

Definitely recommend Knoebels and Hershey. You could also stop in the Poconos for Camel Beach or Great Wolf Lodge. I live 10 minutes from Dorney Park and I haven't been there in years. It use to be nice but I don't think their employees care much anymore. I'd much rather make the hour plus trip to Hershey.

 

[mamamary]

AT those ages I think they would enjoy Dutch Wonderland. As a pp mentioned, there are usually no long waits at all.

 

[Vernie822]

Erie is 2 hours North of Pittsburgh on I-79. Basically at the top tip of PA, right between NY and OH.

 

[Vernie822]

My wife's family lives in Kittanning and Ford City, so we're not headed quite as far as Pittsburgh, but I'd like to spend a day seeing the city. I went to college there for a couple years but haven't been back since (15+ years) so I'd like to visit.

I probably grew up 45 minutes from there, in Plum.

Downtown has a great Children's Museum. The Pittsburgh Zoo is also pretty nice.

 

[HelenePA]

Skip Hershey with a 3 yr old.. all the rides she can go on there can be found at knoebles as well.. Dont get me wrong Hershey has AWESOME coasters but its not really worth it for a 3 yr old. Knoebles would MUCH better suit your needs this time around. If you want to do a zoo try Lake Tobias.. its awesome. Its not really a zoo per say, its probably much better.