In line with a current examine by the Household Journey Affiliation, one-third of households plan to take a theme park or water park trip within the subsequent yr. Whereas many households save up for a visit to Disney, there are various theme parks for toddlers and preschoolers scattered all through the US.
These theme parks are geared towards the under-eight crowd (or at the least underneath 12), with a give attention to age-appropriate rides and theming. These amusement parks aren’t only a toddler part of a bigger park, however are constructed solely for youthful children. For those who do determine to take your toddler to a bigger park like Disneyland, comply with the following tips for Disneyland with toddlers.
Story Land, Glen, NH
Story Land is a theme park based mostly on traditional fairytales and has been welcoming households since 1954. The park options over 30 kid-friendly sights for the youthful set.
Signature rides embrace Dr. Geyser’s Outstanding Raft Journey, Flying Fish, Turtle Twirl, Roar-O-Saurus, Dig-em Deeper Playground, Loopy Barn, and Farm Tractors. Our household favorites are the Polar Coaster (a simple curler coaster that didn’t scare any of us) and the Bamboo Chutes flume experience. If you need to cool off there may be the brand new farm-theme water play space, Moo Lagoon.
There may be even a Cinderella’s fort! It could not examine to the fort at Walt Disney World, however for individuals who haven’t but had that have, it’s good. The placement close to North Conway, New Hampshire makes it straightforward to include Story Land right into a trip to the White Mountains.
Story Land is situated at 850 NH Route 16, Glen, NH 03838
Edaville, Carver, MA
Many New Englanders keep in mind fondly visiting Edaville Railroad, a small theme park in Carver, Massachusetts centered on trains. Lately, Edaville Railroad has expanded to develop into Edaville Household Theme Park.
Edaville Household Theme Park caters to youthful children – you gained’t discover any thrill rides right here! The spotlight of the park is the Thomas the Tank Engine Practice Journey, which takes you on a experience across the park and thru the cranberry bogs. Practice lovers will particularly get pleasure from using Thomas. For the perfect availability, arrive on the prepare early to board. It could get busy, particularly when the park is crowded.
Edaville Household Theme Park is situated at 5 Pine St, Carver, MA 02330
Sesame Place, Langhorne, PA
I’m undecided there’s a higher theme park for toddlers than Sesame Place amusement and water park close to Philadelphia and Valley Forge. The park recreates Sesame Road, full with our favourite characters to satisfy and greet.
There are additionally kid-friendly rides together with Oscar’s Wacky Taxi, Captain Cookie’s Excessive C’s Journey, Elmo’s Cloud Chaser, Flying Cookie Jars, and extra. Children can even love climbing by way of the Monster Clubhouse and slipping down Snuffy’s Slides.
The water rides open in late Could they usually run by way of the summer season. They embrace tube slides, physique slides, a wave pool, a lazy river, Ernie’s Waterworks, and The Rely’s Splash Fort.
Sesame Place is situated at 100 Sesame Rd, Langhorne, PA 19047
Dutch Wonderland, Lancaster, PA
Tucked within the coronary heart of Amish Nation is Dutch Wonderland, the best first amusement park. This household enjoyable park gives 35 sights, a water play space, video games, dwell exhibits, and attractive treats. Virtually all the sights are for youths underneath the age of eight, besides two curler coaster rides. Dutch Wonderland is a quaint park nestled on 43 acres, which makes getting round straightforward with little ones.
The Wonderland Particular prepare has been there for the reason that park opened in 1963 and gives an awesome tour of the park. We experience the prepare with each go to. If you wish to get a chook’s eye view of the park, hop on the monorail. When the children tire of rides, make sure to catch a dive present within the aqua theater or storytelling with the Princess. Children also can cool off in Duke’s Lagoon water space, or come nose to nose with dinosaurs on Exploration Island.
If you work up an urge for food, seize a snack from the Potato Patch, or an ice cream at Pineapple Whip Junction. There are many nice selections within the park, or you possibly can pack a lunch and dine on the picnic tables within the car parking zone. Dutch Wonderland is really a kingdom for youths!
Make a weekend of it with an in a single day keep on the Cartoon Community Resort!
Dutch Wonderland is situated at 2249 Lincoln Freeway East, Lancaster PA 17602
Legoland Florida, Winter Haven, FL
Legoland Florida gives an fulfilling break from the hustle and bustle and the acute crowds you usually discover at Disney. We went in not understanding if Legoland was price it, however we ended up having a superb time! My older son, age six, was new to rollercoasters and liked having the ability to throw his arms up within the air.
We additionally had a superb time strolling round Miniland, which is stuffed with well-known buildings from world wide all made out of Legos. My youthful son, solely 10 months outdated on the time, didn’t go on the rides however loved the live-action water present provided on the website of the historic Cypress Gardens.
Legoland’s rides are rather more appropriate with the younger baby set, and toddlers and preschoolers are completely suited to numerous the sights together with the DUPLO Tot Spot, Splash and Play, and DUPLO Farm.
Our multigenerational group, starting from 10 months to 62 years outdated, loved our day spent at Legoland and extremely suggest it to anybody on the lookout for a lower-key-themed park geared in direction of youthful youngsters in Orlando.
LEGOLand Florida is situated at 1 Legoland Approach, Winter Haven, FL 33884
Vacation World, Santa Claus, IN
For those who’re on the lookout for the right theme park for little ones, don’t miss Vacation World in Santa Claus, Indiana. Among the best issues about this amusement park is that it comes with free parking, sunscreen, wi-fi, and comfortable drinks. Sure, this isn’t a misprint, these items are all included in admission, in addition to entry to the adjoining water park, Splashin’ Safari. It’s also one of many cleanest amusement parks we’ve ever visited.
The park is split into 4 important areas: Christmas, Halloween, 4th of July, and Thanksgiving. Meals, music, and rides are themed accordingly, so little children will love seeing their favourite holidays was sights.
A few of the favourite rides embrace the Tippecanoes and Prancer’s Merry-Go-Spherical. There’s additionally a delegated playground known as Holidog’s FunTown the place children can slide and swing whereas mother and father catch a break. If you wish to expertise the water park too, there’s an enormous water play space (and water slides they will experience with an grownup) known as SafariSam’s Splash Land. One factor is for certain, children won’t ever need to depart Vacation World.
Vacation World is situated at 452 E Christmas Blvd, Santa Claus, IN 47579
Enchanted Forest, Salem, OR
Enchanted Forest in Salem, Oregon, is a unbelievable theme park for the under-8-year-old crowd. Whereas children of all ages can benefit from the park, the overwhelming majority of the rides and sights are geared towards youthful children.
Take a stroll by way of Storybook City, journey down Alice’s Rabbit Gap, and luxuriate in rides like Up and Away Ferris Wheel, Kiddy Frog Hopper, Tiny Tune Practice, and Kiddy Bumper Boats, that are all good for preschoolers and early elementary school-aged children.
There are just a few sights such because the Haunted Home scattered all through the park that are aimed towards older children, however lots of the rides are grouped in sections of the park and aimed towards the wee ones.
Enchanted Forest is situated at 8462 Enchanted Approach SE, Turner, OR 97392
Fairytale City, Sacramento, CA
Each child who lives in Sacramento loves Fairytale City, and when you enter, you possibly can see why. From a knight’s fort full with a roundtable and moat to Peter Rabbit’s backyard, this park ignites marvel in little ones however is sufficiently small for folks to maintain their cool.
Nursery rhymes and fairytales come to life right here: there’s an enormous “outdated lady and the shoe” slide, cattle just like the three little pigs, a “crooked mile” that twists and turns by way of a tiny forest, Cinderella’s carriage, and rather more.
Free parking is obtainable on the streets surrounding the park.
Fairytale City is situated at 3901 Land Park Dr, Sacramento, CA 95822
SkyPark at Santa’s Village, Lake Arrowhead, CA
SkyPark at Santa’s Village close to Lake Arrowhead, California creates a memorable expertise for company to savor the nostalgia of an “Outdated World Christmas within the Woods” with household and mates.
There are various issues to do and see at Santa’s Village that are included within the basic value of admission together with mountaineering, ice skating, zip lining, and assembly Mr. and Mrs. Claus in Santa’s Cabin. Whereas many of those are for older children, toddlers will benefit from the Building Zone Playscape, Stability Path, Discovery Playscape, and Mountain Movers. The very best half is that SkyPark at Santa’s Village is open year-round!
SkyPark at Santa’s Village is situated at 28950 CA-18, Skyforest, CA 92385
Gilroy Gardens, Gilroy, CA
Simply south of the San Francisco Bay Space in California, the small city of Gilroy is house to Gilroy Gardens, an amusement park that caters solely to households with younger youngsters. Gilroy is thought for its agriculture and specifically, its garlic.
The park runs with the agricultural theme in a approach which may simply encourage toddlers and preschoolers to eat their greens. Journey autos are formed like artichokes, strawberries, and mushrooms. The park’s mascot is even an enormous head of garlic. Younger children will particularly get pleasure from happening a hunt for the park’s “circus timber” that are distinctive and weirdly fantastic horticultural artistic endeavors created utilizing tree grafting strategies.
The thrills at Gilroy Gardens are delicate, with solely two small coasters that aren’t at the same time as quick as Disney’s Huge Thunder Mountain. A number of rides have top maximums as a result of they’re meant for toddlers and preschoolers to experience alone. There are a selection of different low-speed sights that households can experience collectively, from a carousel to paddle boats to a monorail by way of a butterfly backyard.
On sizzling days, households can even love spending time on the park’s two water playground areas, with slides of various sizes and several other splash pads for each age.
Gilroy Gardens Household Theme Park is situated at 3050 Hecker Move Hwy, Gilroy, CA 95020
Journey Metropolis, Anaheim, CA
Journey Metropolis in Anaheim, California is famously often known as the little theme park that’s BIG on enjoyable! They’ve theme park rides for all ages, particularly for kids ages 2-10 years outdated and parking is all the time free.
The very best half is that admission is lower than $30 per particular person, which makes it one of many least costly theme parks in all of Southern California.
Journey Metropolis is situated at 1238 S Seaside Blvd, Anaheim, CA 90680
Legoland California, Carlsbad, CA
LEGOLAND California is a enjoyable approach for households with younger youngsters to spend a day and is a pleasant change of tempo from the extra hectic and crowded theme parks within the space. We liked LEGOLAND’s comparatively tame rides, themed lands, and, after all, the LEGOS! It’s an awesome park for preschoolers and elementary-aged children alike.
Our youngsters liked driving their very own automobiles within the Enjoyable City Driving Faculty, Using the Dragon Coaster in Fort Hill, and touring the superb cityscapes product of Legos in Miniland USA. Star Wars followers shall be in awe of the unbelievable scenes created from the films – all constructed from hundreds of LEGO bricks.
There are two water parks at LEGOLAND, good for splashing round and having fun with the right Southern California climate. For some added enjoyable, take into account staying proper on the park within the LEGOLAND Resort. Themed rooms embrace Journey, Kingdom, Lego Pals, Pirate, and Ninjago. Friends obtain early entry to the park together with different nice perks that the entire household will love.
LEGOLand California is situated at One Legoland Dr, Carlsbad, CA 92008
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Tamara Gruber is the Founder and Writer of We3Travel. A former advertising government and journey advisor, Tamara is an award-winning journey author and acknowledged professional in household journey. Tamara is a member of SATW and the Journey Journey Commerce Affiliation, and serves on the Board of the Household Journey Affiliation. She can be the writer of YourTimetoFly.com and the co-host of the Trip Professionals journey podcast.