Located in Lancaster Pennsylvania, Dutch Wonderland offers a magical amusement park experience for the "younger crowd"! With over 30 fun filled rides, a beautiful water play area, yummy kid friendly food and exciting entertainment there is never a dull moment while you are there. Since opening on May 20, 1963, Dutch Wonderland has consistently been recognized as a premier family amusement park and has been voted one of the Top 5 Best Kid’s Park in the World by Amusement Today magazine. And Jen and I both agreed that it is definitely a place "Where Kids Rule!".
Although the weather looked chancy, we decided to take our younger children (ages 3 to 11) to Dutch Wonderland last Tuesday and I must say we were not disappointed. The crowds were minimal (I think the biggest one we encountered was at lunch) and the lines were nonexistent! The longest we waited in line for a ride was about 3 or 4 minutes. Now this could have been due to the chance of bad weather but it definitely worked in our favor. And while we did have 1 downpour that lasted about 10 minutes or so, we found a nice ice cream shop to duck into while it rained and enjoyed a quick rest and some yummy treats!
The rides at the park were fantastic for our younger crowd. Due to the fact that 2 of my children and 1 of Jen's has motion sickness or is scared of big rides, amusement parks can really be a challenge! But not on this trip. Everyone was able to go on most of the rides (the 3 year old was too small for a few of the bigger ones) and there were only 2 rides that my 5 year old (who is deathly afraid of big rides) absolutely refused to go on! Jen even got him to go on a roller coaster much to my amazement! I was thrilled to hear his screams of joy and was shocked that he yelled "Again! Again!" as we got off.
The food at the park was reasonably priced (your usual park prices but not outrageously expensive) and kid friendly. There was the usual park fare of hot dogs, pizza and burgers and we were delighted to find a Subway! There is also a full service air conditioned restaurant if that is more your style where Gluten-free and Healthy Fare options are available. There was no problem finding something that satisfied even the pickiest eater in our group!
When you are tired of riding all those thrilling rides, Dutch Wonderland has a nice bench and a thrilling show or 2 for you to watch. But beware......if you sit in the first 5 rows you may get a little wet! Our kiddos watched in amazement as the story of "The Adventures of the Frog Prince" was acted out in the Aqua Stadium. They giggled and gasped in amazement as the frogs jumped and flipped into the pool! They Boo'd when the evil villain cast a magical spell on the princess and cheered with glee when one of the frogs broke the spell and turned into a prince! It was wonderful show and we highly recommend it!
If you are venturing out to Dutch Country this summer for a visit and want to plan a fun filled family day, Jen and I highly recommend making a stop at Dutch Wonderland. You are sure to have a wonderful time and it will be a day your children will never forget!
*Reading-Pottstown Macaroni Kid was given two complimentary tickets to try out the park however our thoughts and views are completly our own.
