Entertainment Parks

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Entertainment Parks

Where to take your kids?

Which theme park is the best for me and my family, especially, if you have smaller kids that can’t go on many rides where certain height is required? There are many options, the question is, how to find the right choice for you. Who should I believe? My favorite is always a referral from people or sources that I know. For that reason I thought I would share what I’ve learned in that regard so far.

Buckle up, here we go. I live in Virginia and have in this Mid-Atlantic region quite some options around here. From Bush Gardens on the South following by Kings Dominion somewhere in the middle of the state, then Six Flags going North through Maryland to Hershey and Dorney Park in Pennsylvania. There is another Six Flags in New Jersey , which I’ve heard is even greater than the one in Maryland . I am mentioning only the most popular ones but there are many less known around here as well.

If you have no restrictions (read: young children) going on all those crazy, adrenalin pumping rides, you shouldn’t have trouble having fun in most of those parks. You may look their proximity and price and make a decision based on those two factors. But if you are planning to visit with children then you may want to consider going to a park where you and your children can get the most out of it.

My children are 7 and 5 and around 45 inches tall. When they were younger we took them to Kings Dominion where they had a special section just for the little ones. They really enjoyed time there. The bad thing was that you, as an adult, had to pay full price ticket, no matter whether you had a chance or not to go on any of the crazy rides yourself. I believe that hasn’t changed yet.

So, we started searching for a park that would offer mainly “kids size” fun. And we found it in Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster , Pennsylvania . The park is relatively small, very easily manageable; it offers rides, water park, and some other attractions and is very moderately priced. In my humble opinion it is especially suitable for children from 2 to 5 years old and you don’t need to spend there more than a day.

Kids from 6 and up but still not tall enough for “big” rides will enjoy Hershey Park, which is only 30 miles away from Dutch Wonderland. If you want to experience good theme park fun with some nice roller coasters also for kids, then Hershey Park is for you. In addition, this year the Boardwalk, with the largest water play structure in the world, was opened. And let’s not forget, Hershey Park was built as “addition” to the chocolate factory, which you can visit as well. So, overall Hershey Park is fun for all but especially for kids.

No matter which park you decide to visit, practically each one of them offers some sort of discount. For some you can find coupons mainly in local stores (discounts for Hershey Park you’ll find in local Giant Super Stores, sometimes CVS Pharmacy and Quiznos), but most of the time you can find good deals and discount coupons online (for example for tickets for Six Flags go to: www.mandrekar.com).

If you have visited an amusement park recently and would like to share your experience with other members of SlovInUS, you can do that by sending us email at SlovInUSNews@pesjak.com.