OT - Dutch Wonderland, PA

[FJJM0621]

I just found out about this place & wanted to know if it's worth the 2-1/2 hour drive.

I thought it would be a great way to get the kids (2 & 4 yr old)introduced to a theme park so they have an idea of what to expect at WDW in Sept. when we go.

It looks like lots of fun for them but again, it's a long ride & I think we would want to stay over a night & check out Lancaster.

So... is it worth the trip & price of admission, plus a hotel night??

 

[stephanie23]

I just found out about this place & wanted to know if it's worth the 2-1/2 hour drive.

I thought it would be a great way to get the kids (2 & 4 yr old)introduced to a theme park so they have an idea of what to expect at WDW in Sept. when we go.

It looks like lots of fun for them but again, it's a long ride & I think we would want to stay over a night & check out Lancaster.

So... is it worth the trip & price of admission, plus a hotel night??

We go every year. We go to Dutch wonderland friday stay at a hotel and do hershey the next day. I really is fun, Dutch Wonderland is really good for younger kids. My 4 and 1yo LOVED it. There are rarley long lines also. Maybe thats because we go on a friday? I donno but we love it.

 

[Alison_in_Wonderland]

We just took our newly turned 2 year olds in June and they did like it. I do think it is a good way to introduce rides if your kids have never been on them. Don't go comparing it to Disney - they are in 2 different leagues - although we found DW to be very clean and nice. They also have a great water play area that my kids loved more than the actual rides! And if you go 3 hours before closing, you pay for that day and get in the rest of the next day free! It was about a 2 hour ride each way and for us it was worth it. I think we'll go back in the fall when it is cooler.

We stayed at Willow Valley resort which is about 15 minutes away from DW. They have a little indoor water park that I think my kids would have loved, but one of them got sick and we didn't want to risk it. There is also a pond with ducks, a playground, a bakery, and restaurant (that was convenient, but not good food.) I got a great deal ($99) on Travelocity.

 

[Zombierella]

Love the area. DW is great for younger kids. Plus if they like trains there is the Strausberg Railroad nearby too.

I would stay for 2+ nights there is so much to do! Take a side trip to Hershey and go on the free "factory" tour!

I have 3 kids ages 5, 4 and 1 and it is about 3-31/2 hours to get to and that is not long in the car at all!

 

[snowman1035]

You will love Dutch Wonderland! It is geared for younger children, but my kids who are older still like it. There is other things as well to see and do. If your kids like trains you can go to Strausburg Railroad which is down the road and take them on a train ride. You can also take a horse and buggy ride which is nice. There is also alot of outlets to do some shopping and the prices are not bad. I would say to see the area is worth the trip. We live in the Poconos and try to get there once a year, I think it is about a 2 hour ride for us. There is a big welcome center where you can find alot of information on the different things to do and the staff is very friendly.

 

[Wendybird55]

Make it another definate yes! I enjoy the Lancaster area - we've gonew the past 3 years - it's a great area for toddlers. It's a bout a 3-4 hr drive for us from NY.

We went a couple for weeks ago and took DS to Dutch Wonderland for first time (he's 21 months). It's a small park - nothing at all like Disney, but it has lots of rides for toddlers. We took my son on a log floom ride (the drop was pretty decent for a toddler) and he loved it! Ready for Splash Mt. We also took him in thie Froggy bounce ride where it's lifted up then goes down and bounces - he loved that as well. TOT, here we come! We also went on the Turtles Twirl ride (if you watch Jon & Kate it was on one of their episodes). It does spin long and fast towards the end by DS was laughing the whole time!

There are rides for parents and kids and other rides that are just kid sized. They also have a Thomas the Tank show now.

The prices are reasonable and I think it's a great way to get your kids used to going to amusement parks. I highly recommend it.

If you want to say over night - the Amis View Inns and Suites is a very nice hotel. They also have Country Kettle Kitchen which is a bunch of shops...they have pny rides there (which DS loved), a playground and some other things. They have this guy dressed as a big gingerbread man and DS ran right up to him when he saw him. Made me feel good that a person dressed in a character suit didn't scare him - I have lots of character meals booked for Sept!

Anyway, I say it's definately worth the ride. If you can spend a couple of days there, do it. Hershey Park is not too far - about 45min to 1hr drive. Also there's a big outlet mall - lots of stores - on the way to Dutch Wonderland - they have a Carter's and The Children's Place outlet stores plus so many more.

You can go online to Dutch Wonderland to check out the rides and such.

 

[skh716]

We just got back from Lancaster and had a great time. We went down last weekend for the Thomas the Train event at Strasburg RR and my 3-yr-old sons loved it and we had a good weekend too.

We also stayed at Willow Valley and got the $99 expedia rate (which is much cheaper than booking thru the hotel). The hotel was very nice - great rural setting, the room was really, really clean and the pools were nice. Fodd was ok - nothing great, nothing bad - but not too expensive so it was ok.

We spent a whole Saturday at Dutch Wonderland and yes it is not in WDW's league but it a great place to visit with the little ones. It is also a lot cheaper - $29.95 pp for anyone over 3. The park was very pleasant and clean. It has nice theming and lots of trees and greenery. The rides are definitely geared towards the younger kids - ~under 7ish although there are a couple of things for older kids (roller coasters, etc...) The sprinkler area was nice - we went very early in the day and it did get packed by mid-afternoon. Even though we were here on a Saturday and there seemed to be a lot of people in the park, the lines were not long and more often than not, we either walked on rides or had to wait for 1 turn of the ride to finish before we got on.

They do need to take lessons from Disney though on how to more efficiently move people through the rides - that drove hubbie and I crazy. They would wait for people to get off, load one boat at a time, and send it off, so we laughed that we needed to relax and chill a bit!

All in all- I would highly receommend Lancaster and DW for a relatively inexpensive and fun trip. We drove from LI and took 3 1/2 hrs to get there and over 5 to get home b/c of traffic but it wasn't too bad.

Feel free to PM me with specific questions.

Enjoy!

 

[FJJM0621]

Thanks so much for all your quick responses.

I did see this place on a John & Kate +8 show last night - I had never heard of it before.

Now I am excited to go...

 

[lcapower]

If you need overnight accommodations, you can call toll free to 1-800-HERSHEY (yes, Hershey) and they can help you with reservations as well as give you more information on DW and the area...even send you brochures.

 

[RMulieri]

We live near Hershey and go all the time to Dutch Wonderland for my DD.We absolutely love this place.it is smallish and not on par with six flags or anything like that.We like it better than Hershey because it is definitely geared to the smaller kids.

 

[vcgirl925]

I just found out about this place & wanted to know if it's worth the 2-1/2 hour drive.

I thought it would be a great way to get the kids (2 & 4 yr old)introduced to a theme park so they have an idea of what to expect at WDW in Sept. when we go.

It looks like lots of fun for them but again, it's a long ride & I think we would want to stay over a night & check out Lancaster.

So... is it worth the trip & price of admission, plus a hotel night??

We just got back and it was a 2.5 hour drive for us too! Where are you? I also have a 2 & 4 year old and OMG this is the best little kids amusement park around. We went on a Sunday (two sundays ago) and no lines! The kids got to stay on the rides and go again and again because there was no one waiting. All the rides are their size too, maybe 2 rides in the whole park they can't go on. Plus there are shows and a little water park called Dukes Lagoon. Which my kids, especially my husband and 4 yr. old loved. We stayed right across the street at the Lancaster Host hotel. It was pretty decent. If you need anymore info just let me know! Totally worth it!

 

[MKB419]

We just came back,had a great time.You will not be disappointed. We have gone to Willow Valley & DW(owned by Hershey) for the past 4 years.My kids are dd 4 and ds 3. The Strausburg Railroad is great as well as the The Railroad Museum(across the street). If you have time check out Cherry Crest Adventure Farm. Hope you have a great time.
MKB

 

[mericletwins]

I just found out about this place & wanted to know if it's worth the 2-1/2 hour drive.

I thought it would be a great way to get the kids (2 & 4 yr old)introduced to a theme park so they have an idea of what to expect at WDW in Sept. when we go.

It looks like lots of fun for them but again, it's a long ride & I think we would want to stay over a night & check out Lancaster.

So... is it worth the trip & price of admission, plus a hotel night??

My kids loved it at that age. Willow Valley is a great family place to stay. Check it out. Great breakfast buffet. www.willowvalley.com

 

[sharibrat]

I am from Lancaster and my kids love Dutch Wonderland! They also have a 2 day pass you can get.

I am surprised to read so many of you stay at Willow Valley, when Dutch Wonderland is on the biggest strip of hotels in Lancaster! There are probably 15 big hotels within walking distance of Dutch Wonderland! Are they all expensive or something? Since I live here, I have never priced them, just curious!

 

[vcgirl925]

I am from Lancaster and my kids love Dutch Wonderland! They also have a 2 day pass you can get.

I am surprised to read so many of you stay at Willow Valley, when Dutch Wonderland is on the biggest strip of hotels in Lancaster! There are probably 15 big hotels within walking distance of Dutch Wonderland! Are they all expensive or something? Since I live here, I have never priced them, just curious!

We stayed across the street at the lancaster host and with a AAA discount it was $130 a night.

 

[mericletwins]

I am from Lancaster and my kids love Dutch Wonderland! They also have a 2 day pass you can get.

I am surprised to read so many of you stay at Willow Valley, when Dutch Wonderland is on the biggest strip of hotels in Lancaster! There are probably 15 big hotels within walking distance of Dutch Wonderland! Are they all expensive or something? Since I live here, I have never priced them, just curious!

Willow Valley is more of a resort then just a hotel. I have stayed in four or five of the hotels on that strip and it is just a place to sleep. Willow Valley has things to do there at the hotel. Activities, a mini water play area, nine hole golf course, buffet restaurants, etc

 

[jenb1023]

I live in the area too. I have not taken DD to Dutch Wonderland - Hersheypark is closer and she loves "big" rides so it is better for us. I wanted to mention that if you want to make a few days out of your trip that Hershey owns Dutch Wonderland too so you can buy a combo ticket and go to both parks if you want to. We love Hersheypark - they have tons of kids rides as well as big rides. Just don't make Saturday your Hersheypark day - that place is a zoo on Saturdays (though the kid rides aren't too bad). Enjoy!

 

[naynay80]

We are driving from KC to Hershey the first week of Aug - The kids and I are so excited about it. We are renting an RV (on 4 days free) and grandma is paying for gas so it's going to be a pretty cheap vacation for us.

If anyone has any tips/insider info for us that would be greatly appreciated.
PM me if you want

Thanks so much
Jeanne'

 

[Convert]

Although I am a *little* biased.

I had season passes a few summers ago for me and my son then I started working for DW last year doing marketing and PR.

So I am a little biased.

Taking my work hat off though, DW is a great place for little guys. My son, now 5, loves it! We have two coasters -- a very small steel coaster that is for really little guys and then a classic wooden coaster that is for older kids. My son just rode it for the first time this year. When we had season passes, the thing I loved the most was that there were hardly ever wait times for rides. The longest line was about 15 minutes for the turnpike cars. After waiting 45 minutes for the cars at the MK, 15 minutes was nothing!

Now putting my work hat on again -- last year AOL Travel named DW the "#1 Budget Alternative to the MK."

Yup, my favorite place on earth -- the Magic Kingdom.

If anyone has DW questions, let me know.

 

[tiferetsix]

Loved Dutch Wonderland when the kids were smaller. (Although often must admit to dropping kids and dh off there and heading off quilt / fabric shopping in peace )

Twice stayed overnight at the Red Caboose Motel which the kids LOVED.

(won't let me post the link - haven't previously posted enough, but its as obvious as it gets )

VERY basic. But for the kids the joy of sleeping in a caboose was beyond compare.