Sesame Place

[POOH&PIGLET]

Does anybody have any tips / information about Sesame Place amusement park in Pennsylvania?

We are hoping to make a weekend trip in September. Does anyone have any good tips for us?

Will my two older "WDW veteran" DDs (ages 2 & almost 5) be bored compared to WDW?

 

[mskeshaffer]

We went in 2003 with a 4 year old, a 3 year old, and a 1 year old.
I am new to WDW, but have been to Disneyland many times--no comparison to Disney. The kids had a great time, but don't get your expectations up to expect Disneyland type quality. Think more like Paramount, or Six Flags in terms of theming, but for littler kids. I thought it was a pretty small park. There are a lot of water rides- about 2/3 water rides to 1/3 other rides. Bring water shoes. They have a wave pool, some water flume rides, a river with tubes, splash areas, a coaster. My kids also liked the Elmo's world show.

 

[kimwim8]

Sesame definitely doesn't come close to Disney. We still go, usually once a summer, and the kids have fun, just different kind of fun. It's not about seeing the characters (they are a little shabby looking IMHO), or themed rides/attractions. View it more as a water park with a few "regular" rides.

I think at your kids' ages, they will have a good time - and they probably won't be making the Disney/Sesame comparison.

 

[POOH&PIGLET]

Thanks,

I didn't realize it was mainly a water park.
I'm not happy about that!

 

[F1Julie]

I was just there this week. I was not prepared for it to be mainly a waterpark. I thought it was poorly organized. Unless you want to keep your stuff in a locker, there's no good place to put it for the water rides. There aren't any beach chairs on anything like that. It was also very crowded. I won't be going back. It does not even compare to Disney.

 

[POOH&PIGLET]

Maybe we'll go elsewhere.

 

[Poohbeck]

My friend went there 2 summers ago with her husband and three boys. She too, was not preparred for it to be mainly a water park. She did have a nice time though.

Although, when she got home all 3 boys came down with hand, foot and mouth disease. They could have gotten that anywhere though!

 

[Carrie Ellis]

We went last year with our 2 sets of twins (they were almost 3 and 7). We went right before Halloween. At halloween they only had one water ride open but everything was decorated. One water ride was made into Count Dracula's maze. They had trick or treaten throughout the park and our kids wore costumes. The shows are great just like on tv. They have a huge climb and play area. I don't know why they charge for adults because there really is nothing for adults.

oh they gave out drink boxes, fruit snacks, etc... for trick or treat.

Halloween is not a bad time. Food is high. Parade is short.

They had 2 days for the price of 1 day online last year.

I would go once with young kids.

 

[gigi1313]

sesame place is a WATER PARK! they may have a ride or three, but it's is predominantly WATER! i know soooo many people that were surprised by that when they got there... esp in cooler weather...

if i had a choice, w/children the same ages as the OPs children, i would try dutch wonderland or hershey (both in pennsylvania)... they do not compare to disney... they don't even try! but for what they are, they are great fun!

 

[luvthatduke]

I live near Sesame Place & also Lancaster, PA
where Dutch Wonderland is (Hershey's not too
much farther).

I would NOT make a special trip to PA just to
visit Sesame Place...
And please forgive me if someone reading
this lives right next door,
but the area around Sesame Place is not
a very nice area, especially for tourists.

However, Hershey is beautiful and so is Lancaster,
if you take the time to drive off the main roads
and view the Amish farms.
Hershey Park is definitely worth the price of
admission, while IMHO Dutch Wonderland
(while being fun & cute for kids) is expensive
for what you'll find inside the park.
I'd do Hershey Park first...

Please come and visit the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania anytime!
There are miles & miles of GORGEOUS countryside
all over the state, and the Philadelphia
area holds most of our nation's history...
There are fantastic museums in and
around the city (I live in the 'burbs),
and if you go towards the middle of the state
you will find Gettysburg, Hershey, and Lancaster
all within an hour or so of each other...

My DH, DS and I make frequent Saturday trips
out that way - we LOVE it!

Any questions feel free to PM me

 

[POOH&PIGLET]

When I told my DW about Sesame Place being mostly water rides, she said "What about Hershey?" So I'll be looking into that later in the week.

Thank you all, we would have been so disappointed.

:thewave: :thewave: :thewave: :thewave:

 

[skiwee1]

We are going to Dutch Wonderland tomorrow for a couple of days. I had read on the community board that Dutch Wonderland is great for the under 7 set . Since we are taking a 5 y/o and a 4 y/o we think it will be perfect. DW is not expensive, at least when comparing it to Sesame Place. You can enter DW 3 hours before closing for free if you purchase you next day admission then. That is what we are going to. Go up tomorrow, spend 3 hours in park, return to our hotel, next day go whole day to DW. We are also spending the night again at the hotel so as not to drive home late. Also it is just us two friends bringing the kids and leaving the DHs at home so we are eeking it out for all its worth! LOL!

 

[gigi1313]

skiwee, may i ask what hotel you are staying at? we have been to lancaster, dw, hershey, etc quite a few times and absolutely LOVE the willow valley... have a ton of great fun stuff to do, reasonable rates if you get the package w/the meals included, have an indoor water park for the kiddies... a petting zoo and duck pond... just a great family place...

also, when we went to hershey and dw a few years ago, we got a "buy a hershey admission ticket, get a dw admission free" i wonder if they still offer that deal?

 

[skiwee1]

Gigi,
We are staying at the Holiday Inn Visitors center. Not my first choice but the only place that had two rooms available. We wanted something very close to DW but my neighbor didn't want to spend a lot of money. I don't think she would have wanted to spend more then $100 a night or I would have definitely went for a better hotel. Hopefully it won't be too bad. Did you like Dutch Wonderland? I went probably 32 years ago and it was so tiny back then. I didn't even know it was still around until I started looking for some place to go for a quickie trip. We have done Hershey plenty of times and I don't think it is good for kids my DD's age so we decided on DW. I keep telling DD that it isn't like WDW so don't expect a lot. She goes to WDW a lot so she compares everything to it. I think we will have fun. Beats staying home doing yardwork! LOL!

 

[pixie71]

If your kids enjoy watching Sesame Street and the characters then why not just go there. It's a one day trip make no mistake about that but it is FUN. Sure it's not Disney but for little kids it's a nice day to spend with family. The parade is nice and engaging, the water rides are quite refreshing on a hot humid day. And the "sesame street street" is quite cute. We have a great picture of my son on the front stoop of the 123 sesame street. Also there's a marching band, face painting and really good shows. Yes, it can be crowded and the food is overpriced but so is Disney. The courtyard Marriott is directly across the street and it's very nice. Don't pass it up - see it for yourself - just don't compare it to Disney because it's not and I don't think it tries to be. For kids your age it's a good size park.

 

[pamole]

I'm with pixie71 -- we went to Sesame for the 1st time in 2003 (DD then 3, DS then 2), and kids were still talking about it so much this past spring that we went again this month.

POOH&PIGLET, I see you're from NYC -- it should only be a 2-hour drive for you, so why not wait to see if we get a hot weekend in mid-Sept. and then go "spur of the moment"?

Despite the theme, all the rides are "all ages" (i.e. adult-friendly) That's what I like so much about it -- you don't have to send your kids on the ride and then watch from the sidelines! The tube rides even have double-tubes so Mom/Dad can ride with a kid!

As for where to keep your things, last year we had a stroller for DS; I took a big canvas bag to hold our camera, video cam, water bottles, and towels and hung it on the stroller, and had no problem with anything being taken. Everyone just leaves their strollers parked by the entrance to the ride, and then claims them when done. This year we travelled light, just a little knapsack, no stroller -- same thing, nothing missing. (For $$ + CC's, my DH wore one of those waterproof containers around his neck.)

Pack a cooler, have picnic lunch (they have picnic tables just outside the park) to save $$$! Also, 2-day tkts (i.e. Elmo Passports) under $40 each!

Don't rule it out -- even if you wait until next summer!

 

[newtowdw1]

PA seems to be family theme-park capital. We just got back from Knoebels, and our kids(DS3, DD7) were very pleased. Now I'm trying to convince DH that we need to go to Idlewild. I've never been, but they have a storybook forest, Mr Rogers neighborhood (loved him ) and rides. So if you're looking for a storybook sort of place, I'd try Idlewild. Now, to get DH on board.

 

[luvthatduke]

Shhhhhhhhhh!!!
Knoebel's is our BEST kept secret!!!

Also wanted to say that I didn't mean
to imply in my earlier post that you
should not go to Sesame Place AT ALL,
simply that I didn't think it great enough
to plan a weekend around,
coming from out of state.
But that's JMO...

And Dutch Wonderland is cute, no doubt
about it, but my family thinks it's
definitely on the expensive side for a
family of four or more, and it is small...
If you can get a break on your tickets,
as suggested in another post,
then it is very much worth your time.

Anyway, PA is a LOT of fun throughout
the whole state - have a great time
no matter what you choose to do

 

[mrskay9]

Hi. Sounds like you've made up your mind, but I just wanted to add my 2 cents.

We just traveled up to Sesame and we met some of my internet mommy friends at Sesame Place.

I knew it was mostly water before we went, but I was still a little disappointed.

It is small, but yes, the parade and characters were great to see. DD was so stunned to see them, she's stand still, shove her fingers in her mouth and stare. great.

My main point is that we drove about 4-5 hours to go to a water park when there's one not one hour away from me, that is better minus the characters. So that's why I was disappointed.

Sounds to me like you've made a good decision

 

[POOH&PIGLET]

Yes, we have made up our minds. We will try for Hershey. We expect to go to Sesame Place next summer (maybe).

I just looked up Knoebel's. We may have another weekend destination next summer!

P.S. We went to Story Land in New Hampshire for a day this summer (while on vacation in Vermont) & had a blast. Even though I love WDW, I find these small parks are pretty nice.