Sesame Place: Expensive, But Worth It!
Written: Sep 18 '00 (Updated Jul 10 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: All around great day!
Cons: Price
The Bottom Line: All children (and nostalgic parents) should experience Sesame Place at least once.
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| Staceys1's Full Review: Sesame Place |
My first experience with Sesame Place was when I was a day camp counselor as a teenager years ago. I was very unimpressed. I am pleased to say that today it is a bright and fun place to spend the day with your family.
When I first found out that it was going to cost over $100 just for our family to park the car and walk in the front gates, I debated about taking the hour-long car ride to Langhorne, PA. We finally decided that we should just go for it this year because my daughter was under 2 years old and therefore would still be free this summer. It was definitely money well spent!
We went on a Monday in July, and it was not very crowded at all. The walkways were wide enough for families to stay together with the strollers (of which there were many).
The park itself is clean and the gardens are beautifully decorated with topiaries tailored in the shapes of the various Sesame Street characters. As you walk along the paths and, of course Sesame Street itself, you get to meet and take pictures of the characters and see Big Bird's nest, the famous address of "123 Sesame Street", "Hooper's Store'" and other places that preschoolers will delight in seeing first hand. The two shows we saw kept my children's attention and were enjoyable by the adults as well.
Since my children are young, we did not see all of the shows or go on all of the rides, however we were still able to spend about 7 hours there with no problem. We spent a lot of time in one of the pools that was great for young children. Instead of needing steps to get in, the ground gradually declined, giving it a beach-like feel. At its deepest, it was about waist deep for my toddler and about knee deep for me. Right near the pool, for $8 we were able to rent a locker which was large enough for all of our clothes and the diaper bag, with room to spare.
The one thing I am not sure I would do again until my children are older is Big Bird's Rambling River. You sit in an inner tube and float down a "river." My children both had life vests on (provided free while you are on line), but since they are both small, my daughter was on my lap and my son on my husband's. The problem was that at certain parts, water sprayed out of hoses or poured down on our heads, making my 20 month old daughter cry hysterically because there was nothing I could do to protect her. Just when I got her calmed down and we could enjoy the ride, we got our heads soaked again.
My 3 year old is still talking about the "Rock Around the Block" Parade, which was not very long, but featured many of the main characters along with dancers and singers in a parade. Also, there is a playground area which we saved for the last attraction of the day. It was late afternoon and my husband and I were tired from all the walking, our daughter was sleeping in the stroller, but our son was still raring to go. This gave us a chance to sit and relax and him a chance to climb and play some more.
Although we spent $30 for lunch for the four of us, the prices in the gift shop were not as bad as I had expected. The toys were about the same price as in our local toy stores and T-shirts were between $10 and $20.
All in all it was a great day with the family and well worth the money spent. On the drive home, we talked about going back next year and staying overnight at a local hotel so that we could really spend all day enjoying the park!
Recommended:
Yes
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