Dutch Wonderland

Dutch Wonderland

 

Location: 2249 Lincoln Highway East Lancaster, PA 17602

Park Website

My Opinion:

Features:

OK, not really a playground, and not in the DC area, but definitely worth the trip if you have kids in the 5-10 range.  This amusement park is designed for kids, prices are reasonable, and lines were minimal.   When we were there the longest wait was only about ten minutes, and we were on most rides in just a couple minutes, sometimes with no waiting at all.  We really liked the fact that everyone in the park was in the same age bracket - parents with young kids.  We didn't have to look for rides that would be OK for our kids, because they were all OK.

Our seven year old was fine riding everything.  Our four year old rode almost everything, but we steered him away from the two roller coasters.  There were some kiddie rides we didn't bother with, and some our four year old was happy to ride while our seven year old was on the coasters.

There's a small water park as well.  Two water slides, and a large water playground with smaller slides, fountains, and lots of other fun ways to get wet.









They also have a number of shows, story telling, singing, etc.  We watched a high dive performance that included a princess and frog prince.  The kids thought it was pretty cool... I did too.

We started our visit with a trip on the Sky Ride which takes you from one side of the park to the other on a small ski lift type seat.  It was a great way to get a sense of what rides were there and to figure out where we wanted to go next.

What's Unique:

The park offers a preview.  Just buy tickets for the following day and you can enter the park for free three hours before closing.  This worked out great.  We spent about two hours in the park Saturday evening and then came back for a full day on Sunday.

Everyone working in the park was pleasant.  People working the rides spoke to the kids, greeting them, telling them to have fun on the ride, and then asking them how their ride was.  The most striking example of this was a young woman that was working the Sky Ride as we were leaving the park toward the end of the day.  It had been a long hot day and as our car approached the unloading area I could see that she was exhausted.  But as we got up to her she gave us a friendly smile and asked if we had a good ride. 

The food in the park was decent.  There were funnel cakes of course, but there were some healthy options as well.

Restrooms: there always seemed to be one nearby and the ones we went in were clean. Some family restrooms as well.

Sun/Shade: Use sunblock and wear hats.   Thankfully, most of the lines for rides were in shady areas.

Nearby:

There are many places to eat on Lincoln Highway if you're looking for something other than what's offered inside.  A right turn out of the park brought us to a Starbucks - iced coffee and chocolate milk were welcome treats during the mid-day heat and getting away from the busy park atmosphere for an hour to relax on a couch in an air conditioned Starbucks totally recharged our batteries.  The big basket of kids books came in handy too.

We hit Sonic Drive-in after leaving the park for the day. Picture a parking lot full of menu screens.  Press the button, someone takes your order, slide your card, and a few minutes later someone walks your food out to your car.  They also have an outdoor area with tables, but no indoor seating.  Cool concept, friendly people, and the food was really good.

Also in the area is the Strasburg Railroad.  Definitely worth doing while you're in the area.  We drove up on a Saturday morning, did the railroad in the afternoon, and previewed Dutch Wonderland in the evening.  The train is amazing, and the ride is a lot of fun. The train stops at a picnic area on it's way back to Strasburg and passengers can get off, have a picnic, and then catch a train back to the station when they're finished.  Plus there's a swing set, merry-go-round, and teeter totters, so maybe this post really is about a playground!