A birthday at Sesame Place - Sesame Place review

We spent my son Shane's 3rd birthday at Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. Shane has grown to really connect with Elmo in the past year. He loves the show and has numerous stuffed animals that he tries to take everywhere we go. Sesame Place seemed like just the right place to celebrate, so we loaded up the car with food and family and made a  day of it. We drove up on Saturday and spent the day at the park and opted to stay at a hotel Saturday night, rather than drive back home that night after a full day of sun and fun. Here's my review of my experience at Sesame Place below!

Sesame Place Parking

There were two types of parking available one is a “VIP” parking for visitors with disabilities and there is regular parking. The regular parking is a dirt field and unmarked spaces. You do have to beware that drivers park very close and can possibly nick your doors. Parking costs about $18, so it was fairly reasonable.

Sesame Place Park Rules

Park rules are fairly strict. Even though we brought an infant along for the day at the park, the park turned us away with our cooler. We opened the cooler and the contents were all baby milk and baby food. We explained that we planned to be at the park for a long time and needed the food for our infant. The security told us that our cooler was too big and they didn’t care that the contents were infant formula that we didn’t want to leave in the car. Our cooler was only off by an inch on each side. I actually plan to lodge a complaint and took several pictures of other park goers who were allowed to bring in their coolers that were the same size or larger and one person actually had a bucket that was much larger. This was disappointing as we drove 2.5 hours to visit the park on a Saturday morning with an infant and toddler.

Sesame Food

The food at Sesame Place was just okay. You are allowed to leave the park and get a hand stamp and then return, so I would definitely leave the park for lunch and go to a restaurant or eat at home as the food wasn’t satisfying for the kids or adults and costs way too much.

Dine with Me Experience

We went to Sesame place to celebrate my son’s 3^rd birthday, so we decided to purchase the dine with me experience for our family. The theme in September was a Cook Out with Elmo. This experience takes place indoors in a building near the entrance to the park and the experience included pictures with the characters and buffet style eating. Let me just say, it was by far the most fun we had at the park. The characters were lively and engaging for all age groups and the food was absolutely delicious! The barbecue buffet included brisket, pulled pork, London broil, chicken tenders and salads and macaroni and cheese and plethora of deserts (cakes, cupcakes, cookies, fruit). I was glad we decided to have the experience because my whole family enjoyed the meal and the characters led the kids in line dances and singing songs, it was perfect end to the day as we selected the Dine with Me for dinner at 5pm.

Sesame Place Rides

So, we arrived at the park around 11:15am and then left at 3:30pm and returned again at 5pm and my son only really got on 2 rides, and this was because of lines and him just getting adjusted to the park and the scenery.

I would really recommend bringing a swimsuit because the water rides rule. My son who is 3 really enjoyed the Count’s Splash Castle, where he got to walk through a fun maze of water and then go down a small slide and just splash and have fun. There are tons a reclining chairs for older adults to relax and enjoy the scenery, too.

Ticket prices

Ticket prices usually hover around $55, but we were able to get a Groupon for $35 for each person, so this was by far the best deal. There was another deal that SeaWorld/Sesame place had where you could purchase a ticket for $55 and return another time for free, but since we don’t live in the area, we thought we probably would not be able to return any time soon.

Additionally, if you happen to be season ticket holder for Busch Gardens or any of Sea World Entertainment’s other parks, you can purchase a discount ticket at the door for $35 with your season pass.

Overall, I enjoyed being at the park and most of all my son enjoyed it too. The park is small enough for kids don’t feel lost and parents don’t feel alarmed every minute that they will get lost in the crowd. We went on a Saturday in September and the lines for rides was moderate. I never felt that it was simply too crowded to have a good time. I would recommend thoroughly reading all park details before going and relax and enjoy the Sesame Street parade, which takes place twice a day on the main drag.

I’d love to hear about your experience at Sesame Place as well, please comment below.

Toddler friendly Beach trip – Colonial Beach, VA 4th of July edition

This summer has been majorly hot and I found myself really unprepared as far as toddler play dates and swim lessons and camps are concerned. Last summer (1 year old) we were super busy with activities and exploring and swimming. This summer we have been sort of taking it easy. This is really because Shane is working on building major potty and speaking skills so we spend a lot of time at the house. 4th of July was really no different, I think we really just wanted to give Shane a little beach without the fuss of crowds and of an amusement park or large beach.

I grew up in the Northern Neck of Virginia, so Colonial Beach was a natural choice. Colonial Beach is a quiet town for the most part, but has some great family activities…there are tours and great walking and bike riding scenery and the actual beach which rests on the Potomac River. There is also a casino that sits right on the rivah, which is what the locals call the Potomac.

We spent the day relaxing by the water and reading and eating “beach food”. I really enjoyed the 4th and never felt like I was anywhere else but home.