As you finalize plans for your summer vacation, you may choose to go somewhere different this year. Perhaps you’ve had enough of Disney and Universal Studios, so you want to try something new. If you have children or travel with family, however, your theme park options are still a bit different.
Places that provide an adrenaline rush are awesome, but small children and grandparents are less likely to enjoy Giga Coasters than you. For that matter, your children probably don’t reach the “You Must Be This Tall…” measurements, even if they stand on their tippy toes. No, you’ll want to go somewhere a bit more comfortable this time.
When traveling with children, the primary concern is that the amusement park, well, amuses. It must offer enough entertainment options to distract your children from the potential issues that could lead to an unstoppable crying jag. Massive crowds of people, the boredom of time wasted standing in lines, the frustration of long walks on tiny legs, and a lack of rides that suit the needs of the small in stature are all huge issues. The best parks for families all triumph over these concerns by providing a constant stream of attention-grabbing attractions for children as well as the elderly. Keeping this set of criteria in mind, here are five of the most family-friendly theme parks you should consider.
1. Hersheypark
Let’s begin with the elephant in the living room. Children love candy, and Hershey, Pennsylvania, represents the mecca of chocolate. Hershey’s Chocolate World resides just beside the front gate to the park. If you stay at a Hershey resort, your bonus is a Sweet Start an hour before the park opening. While there are definite downsides to loading your child up with chocolate at the start of the day, much less in the moments before they ride amusement attractions, you will undoubtedly become a Hero of Parenting if you do this. If you do this, learn the lesson of Üter from The Simpsons. Don’t make your kids run when they’re full of chocolate.
As a family-friendly theme park, Hersheypark offers a lot of attractions for kids. In fact, the century-old park incorporates company themes in determining ride sizes. The tykes who are under three feet tall can ride all of the Miniatures while the ones in the four feet and under range should focus on Reese’s. The grown-ups even get in on the action by taking a spin on one of the Jolly Ranchers attractions. In this manner, the entire park embraces the idea of inclusive entertainment.
Hersheypark adds to the appeal for families with smaller children by including an add-on. Free with admission is a ticket to Dutch Wonderland a half hour down the road. This park explicitly caters to children, as is demonstrated by its slogan, “Kingdom for Kids.” As if this enticement were not enough, you also receive free admission to ZOOAMERICA – North American Wildlife Park. Hersheypark takes out three birds with one stone by offering two different amusement parks and zoo admission for a single low price. In terms of value, it’s the ultimate in family-friendly theme parks.
2. Dollywood
In the most recent Golden Ticket Awards, the Park That Dolly Built earned the awards of Friendliest Theme Park, Best Food at a Theme Park, Best Shows at a Theme Park, and Best Christmas Event at a Theme Park. To understand what an impressive accomplishment this is, I should note that there are over 250 amusement parks in North America today. The odds of one winning four such competitive categories are remote. The odds of someone other than Disney winning them are…really, really slim.
Dollywood’s dedication to quality speaks for itself. The entire area of Dollywood and Splash Country represents a commitment to wholesome entertainment for the entire family. Due to the strong country music influence permeating throughout Tennessee, most of the shows are full-throated southern affairs, only with a higher level of showmanship than you may expect. A lot of performers head east to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, after they’ve taken a run at the music industry in Nashville, Tennessee. And the food predicates its reputation upon the bold flavors like Granny used to make for Sunday dinner.
Dollywood expends a lot of effort trying to recreate the best memories of people’s lives. I’ve personally enjoyed visits where four generations of my family all laughed together as we basked in the glow of a fun day at the park. Here is a pro tip: If anyone is like my late father and served overseas during WWII, Korea, or Vietnam. Wear your Navy hat or whatever military memorabilia you possess. Dollywood’s staff will treat you like a king.
3. Sesame Place
If you are over the age of 10, you may feel as if you are taking one for the team by visiting this Pennsylvania park. The denizens of Sesame Street probably still hold a warm place in your heart from your childhood, but you don’t want to spend your hard-earned vacation days hanging out with Big Bird. You aren’t seven any more. Your kids, however, still get stars in their eyes at the thought of Bert and Ernie, Elmo, and The Cookie Monster. The core concept of parenting is sacrificing your needs for the happiness of your children. To them, Sesame Place equals pure joy.
You will also get to live vicariously through them as they take a ride on cleverly named, themed attractions such as Sesame Streak, Snuffy’s Slides, and Flying Cookie Jars. Sesame Place celebrates the joys of childhood through dozens of heart-warming attractions specifically built for small children. It’s a kind of parental paradise.
4. SeaWorld
Yes, the days since the release of Blackfish have been a struggle for the company. The bottom line has dwindled, as horrified customers have crossed SeaWorld off the list of potential vacation destinations. If you are focused on family-friendly entertainment, however, you should still consider it as a viable option.
After all, what appealed to you about SeaWorld when you were a child hasn’t changed. Kids of all ages are still capable of interacting with majestic sea creatures in a controlled environment. And if your child has questions about the living conditions of their new aquatic friends, that conversation can be instructive as well. SeaWorld has unquestionably made a lot of mistakes, but the core concept upon which the company was founded remains sound. If you loved it as a child, it’s worth the time investment to evaluate whether your children will as well. I recognize that this selection is toxic given all the current headlines, but as someone who grew up loving the idea of Sea World, I still believe in their mission statement even if they have strayed in recent years.
5. Legoland
One of the most daring risks in the industry in the 1990s was the attempt by Lego to translate its Denmark theme park into an American venture. A little over 15 years later, the company seems prescient with their decision making. Legos are the hottest they have ever been thanks to the glory of The Lego Movie. The resurgence of the Lego brand is so extreme that Legos are a prime target for thieves.
Legoland embraces all of the elements that thrilled you as a youth. Literally millions of the bricks provide the foundation for themed rides in areas such as – I kid you not – Duplo Village and Miniland, the latter of which features scale models of famous metropolitan architectural landmarks such as the White House, the Statue of Liberty, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Yes, parents! You can trick your kids into doing something educational while they’re having the time of their lives! Legoland teaches the joy of creativity, and your kids will love every second it.
