ROAD TRIP: Sesame Place – Langhorne, PA

http://sesameplace.com/en/langhorne/

We recently went to visit family in Philadelphia and decided to take the kids to Sesame Place while we were there.  Our two year old son is obsessed with Elmo and our five year old is still young enough to think that Abby Cadaby and Zoey are cool so this was the time to go.  We bought our tickets online to save some money and also happened to get a 2nd day free.  I’m told you can also use a AAA discount for the best deal. As we walked from the parking lot, we noticed bushes with eyes, designed to look like the various characters on Sesame Street.  We got to the entrance and the kids heard that iconic Sesame Street music playing over the loud speakers and we all started to get really excited.

We went wearing our bathing suits and coverups, but decided to first focus on the dry rides before getting too wet at the waterpark area.  My daughter decided she wanted to try the rollercoaster first so off we went to give it a go.  From there, we headed over to Cookie monster and Elmo’s World and hit up the carousel, flying fish, rusty rockets and Elmo’s cloud chaser.   They were all basically standard amusement park rides given a cute character name with a character statue perched in the center of the ride.  Both kids loved the rides. From there, we took a break from the rides and headed over to an open outdoor venue to see the show “Elmo Rocks.”  On our way, we each scarfed down a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch. The kids loved the show; watching Elmo, Cookie monster, Bert, Ernie and Zoey singing and dancing in front of their eyes was really something to see.  It was about 25 mins long and we decided it was time to enjoy some of the water rides at this time.

We started our cool down journey on the lazy river ride.  The line was a bit long and not very efficient, but we eventually made our way into the water and were relieved to get a break from the heat.  I should note that they also had misting stations throughout the park to keep you cool.  After a nice go around the lazy river, we headed over to Count Dracula’s Splash castle.  This was basically a very large area with about five inches of water on the ground and water slides, sprinklers, buckets galore.  We thought it would be a fun way to cool down more as a family but soon realized it was a bit much for us.  There was literally buckets dumping on our heads every few mins, kids shooting large water cannons at us, sprinklers coming from the floor, ceiling and all sides and ridiculous lines to get on the slides.  Not to mention that you had to withstand all of that other stuff while standing in line.  Both kids were afraid and screaming from all of the water being thrown on them and we quickly retreated.  The other water slides seemed to be for bigger kids as well but by this point, my crew was too upset with the water to try any of them.

We decided it was time to stake our spot out for the parade.  On our way, we spotted Zoey on the street and took a quick photo/high five with her before placing our towels along Main Street to get front row seats.  We also passed by Bert, Ernie and Oscar the Grouch in a garbage can but didn’t have time to wait to say hi to them. From there, we checked out Cookie Monster’s clubhouse, the flying cookie jar ride and then grabbed a slushie before heading to the parade.

The parade was really cute and well done.  Each of the characters stopped every few mins and sang and danced right in front of the kids.  They came up to the crowd, gave hugs and high fives and everyone had a blast.  The floats they rode on were well made too.  From the parade, we raced to take in one last show before calling it a day, “Elmo the Musical.”  I knew this would be my son’s favorite as it replicates the TV Show but he unfortunately had too much fun that day and fell asleep on my husband’s shoulder while waiting in line.  It was a small indoor theatre and we had tried to see it earlier in the day, but it was sold out for seating.  We made it in this time and enjoyed a really cute detective show put on my Elmo and Cookie Monster.  My son enjoyed an air conditioned nap.  Because of his power nap, we had time to do one last thing before heading out.  We checked out 1,2,3 Smile and waited in line to meet and take a photo with two characters.  We happened to see Elmo and Cookie monster but I know they constantly change them out so you never know who will be there.  The photographs were really nice and let us take our own photos as well so that we did not have to buy the insanely priced $70 CD.  The kids just loved getting hugs and high fives from their favorite characters.

We left after that, foregoing the night parade and the Abby Cadaby show.  All in all, the kids had a really fun and memorable time.  To be honest, I’m not sure I would drive the 6 hours again JUST for Sesame Place, but if you’re in the area anyways, it’s worth a visit.  We decided we didn’t need to go back for a second day as we had done most of the stuff that we could.  Being that we had recently been to Disneyland and Storyland in NH, we were a bit frustrated with this park as its run very inefficiently, the workers are slow and don’t seem to care, and besides seeing the shows, parade and characters on the street – its really just an amusement park that needs some new management.  We have great memories from our visit and are glad we went, but will not be heading back anytime soon.

PS If you happen to be in the Philadelphia area with young kids, I HIGHLY suggest the Please Touch Museum! (Post coming soon)

Few things to note:

• There are various parking lots, each with a fee of $20 or more.  We read a tip to park down the road at the Mall and walk the 5 mins.  Then you can use that $20 to buy yourself a bottle of water.
• To get a good seat for the parade, you can place your towel or stroller on the Main Street to reserve a spot an hour before it starts.  The best place to be is on the blue part of the road on Main Street.
• They provide life jackets for any water ride that young kids might need.  We actually brought our own FDA approved Puddle Jumpers so the kids would be comfortable
• We were warned that the lines for food can sometimes take over an hour so came prepared with a cooler and our own lunch and snacks.  Coolers must be soft and small but are highly advisable.
• The water rides seemed like they were for older kids which I didn’t really understand since the audience for Sesame Street is toddlers.  The dry rides were all appropriate for that age though.
• You have to be a minimum age or height for some of the rides or ride with a parent.  My son is a very tall two year old who can pass for a three year old so was able to do much of it.

How to get there:

100 Sesame Rd, Langhorne, PA 19047
(866) 464-3566