On Sunday, we took Mazzy to visit the capital of children, the mecca of toddlerdom, the epicenter of fun for all earthlings under five. We braved the hoards of parents wielding double strollers chasing their bathing-suit-clad breathren through a muppet-themed parking lot and entered a world called— SESAME PLACE.
Home of Elmo, Abby, Oscar, Ernie, Bert, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Zoe and the Count. If you didn't get all of that, Mazzy would be happy to recite them again for you AT THE TOP OF HER LUNGS.
The day was both amazing and exhausting. Full of highs and lows that only parents, toddlers and the clinically insane could understand. Regardless, if you live in or near Pennsylvania, I recommend going highly. It was worth it the second Mazzy saw a garden of flowers shaped like Elmo ("IT'S ELMO!!!!! MOMMY, IT'S ELMO!!!! LOOOK!!!!!"), and that was before we even got out of the car.
Beyond the wonder of riding Elmo's Flying Fish and the delight of seeing Cookie Monster in the flesh, Sesame Place (and theme parks in general) are chock full of life lessons for your little ones. They might be tough lessons, but they'll have to be learned eventually and what better way to do it than alongside Abby Cadabby?
For instance, just because someone is selling a Big Bird balloon the size of a small car, doesn't mean your child gets to take it home. No matter how loudly or how many times he/she asks.
Here are 7 tough lessons toddlers will learn their first time at a theme park:
1. PATIENCE
Your toddler might be tickled pink to see the roller coaster and the merry-go-round. But what she doesn't know is, before she gets to ride them, the very essence of her toddlerhood will be tested. What is the ultimate test for a two-year-old? WAITING ON A LINE.
Each time a ride stopped, Mazzy would scream, "IT'S MY TURN NOW!!!?" with only a hint of a question at the end. "Maybe!" I would respond excitedly for the tenth time, only to have the rope closed right before we got to the front. "YAY! We're NEXT! Isn't this FUN???" Mazzy would respond by trying to climb over the barricade.
2. MODERATION
Once the ride is over, you'd think your child would be all about finding the next attraction. Not exactly. How long does your kid usually stay on a swing? Around ten minutes, right? Well, rides usually last about TWO minutes. So, as soon as your kid has adjusted to the speed/height/spinning/etc. and is in FULL ENJOYMENT MODE, that ride is coming to a close. "We're stopping?" Mazzy would ask. "Yes, babe, the ride is over." "NOOOO!!! I want to ride AGAIN!" "Well, my friend, how did you feel about that LINE?"
3. COMPLEX DECISION-MAKING
Okay, you want to go on the swings again? Then we may not have time for Big Bird's Balloon Race. You want Mommy to come on the ride with you? That means Daddy has to stay back and watch the stroller. You want to go on Grover's World Twirl (aka THE TEACUPS)? That means you are on your own because that ride makes both Mommy and Daddy nauseous. You want a bowl of Puffins for lunch? That means we have to go back home.
4. DEALING WITH DISAPPOINTMENT
Otherwise known as "YOU MUST BE AT LEAST THIS TALL TO RIDE THIS RIDE" or "We are all out of rainbow sprinkles" or the worst heartbreak of them all— "I'm sorry but Cookie Monster is going on break so there will be no more pictures". He was literally escorted away by handlers while Mazzy moped quietly, "But I want to hug him…"
Did I mention the waiting? (Please keep in mind, we were there on a holiday weekend.) Waiting occurs on the ticket line before you even gain entry into the park. Then you wait for rides, food, and shows to start. Going to a theme park is really one big exercise in "gearing up to stand still". Even if the lines aren't that bad, to a toddler they will feel like an ETERNITY. But once that ride starts, it will be well worth it.
Unless you have the kid that starts crying as soon as the ride begins. If that's the case, stick to the shows. Below is Mazzy losing her mind at the "Play With Me" Show.
I call this reaction "Bieber Levels of Sesame Fandom":
6. EVERYONE LIES, INCLUDING YOUR PARENTS
Those 12" lollipops that are sitting next to the ice cream register? They are for display only. The rows upon rows of stuffed Abby Cadabbys? They are for playing in-store. The Cookie Monster that went on a coffee break? Yeah, he's not coming back— he went home. Those nauseating teacups? That ride is broken. "But I see people on there!" "Those aren't real people, KEEP MOVING!"
7. ACCEPTANCE OF THE INEVITABLE
Mazzy waited patiently to go on Ernie's Bed Bounce. When it was finally her turn, Mazzy ran all over that thing like she owned it. Then a whistle was blown and it was time to come back. Mazzy stood still. She surveyed the situation. Then she ran to the part of the bed that was farthest away from the exit. The whistle blew again. Mazzy stood defiantly. Then the whistle-blower jumped onto the bed to retrieve her. Mazzy ran in the opposite direction. A "Fast & The Furious" worthy chase ensued. Unfortunately, Mazzy lost and was escorted back in what I call "The Toddler Hold".
Also, when we made our final decision to leave the park, we were met with a crossing of the arms and a foot stomp. "But I don't WANT to go HOME!!!!" "Mazzy, you can stomp your feet all you want but it's not going to change anything." Then, right before we hit the exit, Mazzy spied a spritzing station. I think it might have been her favorite part of the day.
So yes, Mazzy learned that all good things must come to an end but she also learned how to milk them for all they are worth.
All in all, Mazzy had an awesome time and we would definitely go again. There is a whole other half of the park (the waterpark side) that we didn't even have time to attempt.
Although, I think we'll try to go on a weekday next time.
Great information! Thanks for sharing such informative post.
My very good friend from college worked at SP all through college in the summers. She met her hubs there and everything. They have an ANNUAL PASS! But she’s a damn genius because since they live so close, they go in the evenings when everyone is getting ready to leave and then they hardly have any waiting. Of course this only works if you live near by but still…
we live near sesame so we get to go often (was 10 min away now about 1/2 hr) and we have season passes. hope you got to see the elmo rocks show! definitely the best show there! if you ever consider getting a season pass, definitely get the second level Big Bird one because it gives you early entrance to the show and you get a meet and greet with all the sesame characters before the parade (aka toddler’s best time EVER. they come out one by one and my daughter waits at the gate and makes sure she’s the first one to hug every. single. character.)
Seems like she had a blast.
Seriously adorable and it looks like she had tons of fun! xo
We got there pretty much when the park opened and the lines were considerably shorter. At about 11:30am, the place went nuts. But we also got a lot done at around 3pm when everyone else was watching the parade. Although, we missed the parade…
One of the biggest issues we had was the lines to take pictures with the characters. Mazzy didn’t understand why she couldn’t just run up and hug them. She would have loved a pre-show meet and greet!
We did the character breakfast which made meeting the characters a whole lot easier. I highly recommend that the next time around. The characters walk around to all of the tables. My daughter loved it and I am sure Mazzy would have enjoyed it too! Also, get the 2-day pass next time so you can do the water park side… that was the best part of th park!
I just got back from Florida with my whole family- all 3 of our toddlers in tow. My sisters decided to spend the $90 apiece to take their kids to Disney but I knew Caitlyn wouldn’t have the patience needed to wait in line for anything, so I skipped it.
Here in Jersey is the Land of Make Believe. That place is awesome, and clearly made with toddlers in mind. It’s smaller and less crowded then any other park I’ve taken Caitlyn too. The smaller part was actually a big plus, because there was no dragging of a toddler half a mile to the next thing. And there’s also a water park, which was really great for her because the water is shallow and there are tons of little slides. And we never waited more than 2 minutes for a ride.
We haven’t braved Sesame Place yet, but I’d seriously recommend Land of Make Believe for a lower stress day.
So cute! I love the “toddler hold.” So true. The thought of braving an amusement park is terrifying to me… when my friend suggested we take the kids to the dinosaur museum this weekend, my “Ok” definitely came out with a question mark or two at the end. I had images of dinosaur bones crashing down around my giggling 18 month old. (Thank god, that didn’t happen. We survived.)
The Character breakfast is the way to go. (just don’t expect to actually eat as food is awful and toddle ris distracted) Not only do you get one on one time with the characters, when the breakfast ends you get into the park at least 20 minutes before everyone else. That time bought us 4 water rides with NO lines.
We came fully prepared to do the waterpark but it turned out that the kid of the friends we went with doesn’t really like the water. And it seemed like it was on the verge of rain the whole day. Also, I think it would have been better on a less crowded day. Too many diaper-clad toddlers in the wave pool- you know what I mean?
Definitely want to go back and try that part though!
Now I’m really sad we didn’t know about this character breakfast! Mazzy would have loved that.
Cool park. Didn’t know it existed.
Ahh the toddler hold. My daughter was about the same age as Mazzy when we took her to SP. She too had to ‘personally escorted’ off Ernie’s big bed.
AWWW! I’m so glad that Mazzy had so much fun, and that you and Mike survived it enough to say you want to back! I have a tip for getting the best experience at amusement parks (although I realize as I am typing this, that putting it out there means everyone else will now have the same idea!) If it’s possible (and may not be), try to go on a weekday where it either rained really hard in the morning and then clears up to drizzly and overcast, or a day when it’s just drizzly and overcast all day. Morning storms tend to make people change their plans for the day, meaning NO LINES!! And you can still usually ride all the rides and do everything you normally can when it’s drizzling. Another bonus (for mid-summer when you don’t want heatstroke) is that an overcast day will be a bit cooler, usually. I know it’s kind of hard to arrange that, but if you happen to have flexibility and can look at an extended forecast to get a good chance of that happening, it’s really worth it.
You did *all* that while heavily pregnant? You are insane, woman! I salute you!
Wow! That looks like quite an adventure! Great suggestions for people thinking of taking their kids to a place like this. So many challenges, so many rewards!
Would love it if you could add this post to my Travel Tuesday linky.
http://familyfoodtravel.blogspot.ca
Kerrie
We are theme park junkies and our kids have learned a lot of these the hard way. One of the nice things about Disney theme parks is they offer fast pass which is where you can get a ticket which tells you what time to come back and essentially walk on the ride. it’s like a reservation system and really helps with little ones.
Here in California, we get a teeny, tiny version of that at Sea World. We took my daughter when she was 2 and we learned that she HATED characters. The breakfast is a good idea, unless your kid is terrified of them and screams the whole time and throws up the food that didn’t look that good to begin with. Yeah, wonderful memories.
Love that Mazzy had such a blast!
We have been to two theme parks with our kids. We have learned two things:
(1) Theme parks are like crack for most toddlers/preschoolers but are like heroin or weed or ecstasy (not that I know what ANY of those are like AT ALL!!) for my wee one … a usually fiesty, active, demanding child, who both times refused to ride on any ride or do any attraction but was more than happy to play happily beside her wagon for EIGHT FREAKING HOURS!!! not uttering even one word of protest while her sister and a parent went on rides together. I don’t think even this paragraph really emphasizes how incredibly weird/bizzaro that whole scene was …
(2) amusement parks are horrendous places for teaching children how life lessons such as “gambling” and “carnival games” are designed to make you waste money and time, as are rigged to ensure no one ever wins, because as soon as you start talking that way, after letting your child “ok, you can waste $5 but I am telling you, you WON’T win and it is a huge waste of money” on a game that no one in the history of games has ever won – she will proceed to not only win, but win the BIGGEST FREAKING STUFFED ANIMAL EVER MADE which you THEN have to figure out not only how to transport home in your compact car for the four hour drive … but also how to convince the customs people at the border crossing that your child really did win a huge-ass wolf at a carnie game and we are not actually smugglers.
Did you guys get to see the parade? That’s always a lot of fun. Nicky loved the shows, too. First time he ever danced enthusiastically (in life, not just in public) was during an Elmo show. 🙂 It’s a great place to go. Even better if you either get a pass or know someone with a pass who can score discount tickets.
I’m glad you guys had fun!
I couldn’t stop laughing when you said the people on the teacup ride weren’t real. Too funny!
During a holiday weekend? You guys are either the greatest parents ever or completely nuts. If Disney is in your future, I HIGHLY recommend the FastPass to help with the lines. I gotta say though, the pictures don’t lie. Despite any tough lessons learned that day, she looks pretty darn happy with the overall experience.
The look on her face as the whistler blower is carrying her out of the bouncy house is hilarious. It’s like smug acceptance – she’s succumbing to her fate, but proud that she eluded capture for so long.
We took Lil’ Bit to Busch Gardens a few months ago. Considering the fact that it was 90 degrees and she had an inexplicable case of the runs, it was not exactly my preference. But we were in Williamsburg for my husband’s family reunion and my MIL was determined to take her grandkids to Busch Gardens – and when my MIL gets an idea in her head, not even toddler diarrhea can stop her.
So, it was a pretty miserable experience and I’ve now sworn off theme parks until Lil’ Bit is 4 years old. At which point, we might definitely have to check out Sesame Place. We’re not far from PA at all.
I would have loved to run into you at Sesame Place, and by that I mean I would have specially driven up to Philly for a chance to meet you. Please don’t be freaked out ;). That’s a lot of a little toddler to learn in one day huh? On our son’s first rides at a theme park this summer, luckily he didn’t make TOO much of a stink when the ride was over. And lines were non-existent. But she sure made a BIG stink when it was time to leave. When it comes to products in stores, I always say “that’s not ours” and move on. Working so far! I love that the guy bad to chase Mazzy down. I wonder how many times he does that a day. How cute is Mazzy with an Elmo the size of her! Love her looking deeply into the camera. When you go, give a shout-out! I’d love to go and “bump” into you!
Where is it? I want to go… We did not have a great time at HK Disneyland with our 2 & 3 yr olds either… not the happiest place on earth haha.
It’s located in Langhorne, PA. I would recommend this place over Disney anytime. My daughter and I had a great time and will go back again next summer.
Ah yes, we have something similar here in Florida LEGOLAND! Land of rides where only two people can ride at once (like a train with ONE car.. one car?), the lines are incredibly long. Patience was number one on your list and that is so true 🙂