With the warmer weather here to stay, for many families, summer vacation is within reach. And speaking of warm weather fun: amusement parks, ubiquitous with summer vacations and day trips, marked the start of their summer season over the recent Memorial Day weekend.
But even before the summer season began, as part of their Opening Day Celebration, our family had the chance to preview the excitement that Sesame Place has in store for the 2011 season.
A little over an hour outside of the NYC area, Sesame Place in Langhorne, PA is a popular day trip for city and suburban families alike. The fun mix of shows, family-friendly rides and water rides make the only Sesame Street-themed amusement park an ideal locale for young families.
As guests of blogger pal Heather from Girl Gone Mom, who is also one of the Sesame Place ambassadors, the Kid had a chance to meet and greet the newest member of the Sesame Place gang, none other than Murray, himself! As if meeting Murray wasn’t enough, Sesame Place pulled out all the stops and invited the media and our families to meet ALL of the Sesame Place characters prior to the debut of their new Neighborhood Street Party Parade.
The Neighborhood Street Party Parade, a vibrant display of floats, charming performers and cheery characters, was a highlight for my Sesame Street-loving crew. Favorites like Big Bird to the Count to Super Grover and beyond kept kids and parents smiling from beginning to end! Check out a quick video we took of the new Neighborhood Street Party Parade.
Unlike the rare 80 degree, sunny day of last year’s opening day, this year’s festivities was a little overcast and somewhat chilly, but fun nonetheless! Of course colder temps didn’t deter the Kid from hopping in the water and getting soaked at his favorite water attraction, the Count’s Castle.
I’d be remiss to not mention all of the rides our family enjoyed riding, especially Elmo’s Peek a Bug and Flyin’ Fish in Elmo’s World. Because the rides were most suitable for our preschooler, we spent most of our time ride-hopping in Elmo’s World, including checking out another new attraction, the fun swing ride, Elmo’s Cloud Chaser.
All in all, Sesame Place is hands-down one of our family’s favorite day-trips for the summer season. Before the crowds get too crazy, Sesame Place is a totally doable roadtrip for those in the PA and tri-state area; pack a picnic lunch, bathing suits, towels, sunscreen and enjoy the gang and goings-on at Sesame Place.
Looking for discounts on admission to Sesame Place?
- Be sure to check area fast food restaurants for coupons. I know that some PA, NJ and NY Wendy’s, McDonald’s and Burger King restaurants often have coupons for Sesame Place.
- Pepsi cans: according to Sesame Place’s site, they offer discounts if you present a Pepsi can at the ticket booth.
- Be sure to check online. I’ve read that you can score discounted weekday admission if you order your tickets online at Sesame Place.
Want to check out pictures from the rest of our day at Sesame Place’s Opening Day? Head over to Flickr to check out our set.
Full disclosure: as members of the media covering the opening day celebration, we received comp tickets for editorial purposes. As always, all opinions on NKT are my own.
