[pjb1967]

Has anyone been to Sesame Place outside of Philadelphia?
If so, what are your thoughts?

I am thinking of taking my daughter there in Aug. It would be around a 6-7 hour drive.

For those that have been, they sell the tickets in a 2 day pack (2 days per ticket.) Do you need 2 days to get through the park? Also, my daughter is 3 1/2, is there enough for her to do or will most of the rides be for older kids.

There are some hotels around 6-7 miles from the park that offer package deals or is it worth the extra 50 or so dollars a night to stay at a closer hotel?

Any pros and cons anyone has to offer would be greatly appreciated.

[bmarsicano]

I have season passes for this year, bought them last year. My daughter was about the same age then. It is mainly a water park, just so you know. There are shows, wet and dry rides, and a parade. If you go on-line you can reserve to have lunch or dinner with the characters, we did that for Elmo's birthday in Feb and it was great. You could probably do the park in one day. It's only about a 45 minute drive for me so I don't know about hotels.

[arthymom]

We live near it and have had season passes for a few years. This year we won't because we'll be traveling a lot instead. It is great for the 2-7 year old crowd. I would think after that it would get less exciting to be hugging Elmo. Last year, my then 2 and 5 year old kids were perfect for it.
Best,

[luv2teach2]

I took my daughter to Dutch Wonderland in PA last year and she loved it! Isn't sesame place in NJ?

[amyfk]

Sesame Place is in Langhorne, Pa, not far over the state line from NJ. Its not far from Phila. either, probably about a 30 min. ride.
I have heard also that you can get a two day pass, which is more reasonbly priced. I remember going last summer and it was pricey. I honestly dont think you need two days to do the park. IF you are looking to save money, you may want to find a cheaper alternative. I think there are now some waterparks in the Poconos area, I think one is called Camelbeach(by Camelback ski resort).
An above poster was correct, it's mostly water rides. There are some land rides, but if you skip the water rides you would be skipping a lot and not getting the bang for your buck there.
Amy K, NJ

[Mommy K]

Since Sesame Place is very close to Mercer county NJ--you can also go to Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson. This is a very large theme park--
It's about 45 min away from Bucks county PA--if that.

[megaphonemo]

It is totally not worth it if you skip the water rides. (they do a halloween thing and they have mazes set up in the water park pools - and we were only there for a few hours - not nearly as fun as the water parts!) In fact, some are not rides at all, just pools like in a water park - with spraying fountains and all.... I am also not sure you need 2 full days... Although if you plan to eat at the park, you might need 2 days - the food there is terrible, and expensive and the lines are long!!! The worst food I have had at any water park. Pack a picnic lunch and keep it in a cooler in your car - and go eat it and come back in....

If you are going to drive 6-7 hours, I'd do Sesame one day and then either the beach or great adventure another day.... I am really not sure you need two days at sesame....

We're trying to decide if we want to do sesame one day this summer - still up in the air....

Mega

[tonyy]

We took our children about 3 years ago and it was not worth the drive nor the money! The place was overcrowded and filthy -- dirtiest theme park we have been,too. There was a DIRTY diaper floating in the fountain area were kids were playing! YUCK!!!!

[TerriBB]

We went when our son was about 3.5 years.

It was very disappointing! I had to agree about it being dirty and I'm not a clean freak at all. The show with the characters was cute. We enjoyed hugging/photo op with Grover. The food was awful, it was very crowded with big people in small swim suits, just sitting in a few inches of water. We lasted about 3 hours.

A friend of mine was on the design team for this park, years ago. I LOVE Sesame Street and we usually go to at least one theme park a year.

We came across "New Hope" and rode a train, dined outside...it was WONDERFUL. Our son was so thrilled with seeing the train up close.

[pjb1967]

It's not sounding that great. Maybe I'll skip the little vacations each year and keep saving for Disney.I for sure want to get there in the next two years.

We have small amusement parks around here with little kid sections with dry and wet rides, maybe I'll just take her there for a day. I just know how much she would love to see and hug Elmo and the other characters but it does not sound like it's worth the money and the long drive.

Thank you everybody.
We live in the 'burbs of Buffalo, NY. Any ides for a shorter one or two day mini vacations for a 3 1/2 year old?

[Waiting4OURBOY]

Side note. We are vacationing at Williamsburg, VA this year and will be doing Busch Gardens. They have a new Sesame Street Area with 4 rides and character meet times. Plus there are a TON of other kiddie rides. We had an absolute blast last year before they added the Sesame Street section. Ben is so excited!!! Just had to add my .02 if anyone is going through that area. Also, very affordable if you do the seven-day park-hopper pass with Water Country.

[gwenrenee007]

If it is Elmo you want you might want to check periodically for a show to come near you or within a few hours. If you get one a few hours away you could always rent a hotel room for a night and swim in the pool as well as see the show. We took dd, who was just barely 2 to one near us and she really liked it. It was 2 hrs long and the tickets for 3 of us were under $40 and we had pretty good seats. We probably spend $40 on balloons and over prices popcorn, but it was fun and worth it.

You can check ticketmaster for children shows near you.

[BethanyB]

I have been going to Sesame Place since I was a child. I have pictures of me climbing on the ropes and going through the tunnels, so I have great memories there.

I took my own kids for the first time last year and they had a great time. It's not a big park (which is good in my opinion because I have two small kids and don't want a park to be overwhelming) but there is enough to do.

I did not find Semame Place to be any more dirty than other other amusment park. All amusement parks are dirty in my opinion, and I HATE using public bathrooms or changing areas but what are you going to do?

The food tasted fine but was super expensive so I would bring your food and keep it in your car. They have a parade and some cute shows. They do have some rides that are suitable for small kids.

Great Adventure is nearby and they also have a safari where you can drive through and see the animals. Great Adventure is pretty big and you will do a lot of walking.

[luv2teach2]

I grew up in the burbs of BFLO and spend a month there each summer. My sister always goes to Fantasy Island with her kids, also how about Darian Lake?

[ndpguatemama]

Hi All,

We've had a season pass for 7 years. There have been times where I've found it dirty or overcrowded, but for the most part it is a well run park.

You can definitely see the park in a day, but spread over two would make it more enjoyable. It is mostly water rides, as people have mentioned. They have a lazy river and a couple of fountain fun parks, a bunch of waterslides and a splash pool.

For dry rides, there is an older section with older activities (rope climb, bed bounce, foam "mountain." Then there is a newer section with rides - maybe 6 or so. There's also a small roller coaster and a new carousel.

There are 3 different shows - a beach themed musical, Elmo's World and a newer Abby Cadaby show and then there's the parade, which is fun.

If you know what to get, the food is actually quite good. They have hand carved turkey and ham on good bread in different sandwich combinations which are really tasty. It is more expensive than fast food, but so are all the amusement parks I've ever been to.

My son is 7 and still loves it and my daughter just got used to being close to the characters so she thinks she's in heaven while we're there.

Best of Luck to You!