Day Trips For Young Children: The Land of Make Believe and Sesame Place

By the end of July, many day camps are winding to a close and parents of young children are searching for kid-friendly amusements for the rest of the summer.  Two ideas to keep in mind are Sesame Place and The Land of Make Believe. 

The Land of Make Believe is closer to home: take Route 280 to 80 to exit 12 and you’ll be there in about an hour.  The park is homey, friendly and picturesque and makes for a lovely day trip with the younger set.  Billed as “New Jersey’s Premiere Family Amusement & Water Park,” The Land of Make Believe is spread over 30 acres with an amusement park featuring a roller coaster, ferris wheel, tilt-a-whirl and theatrical shows.  The separate waterpark area is a wonderland for very young children, with a squirting pirate ship, rubber tube rides and an assortment of slides and fountains to play in. 

Your admission ticket covers both the amusement area and the water park, and it’s small enough that you can easily visit both areas in a single day. Waterslides and a giant wading pool are great for cooling off and having fun but these are generally not the huge, steep slides that you find at parks geared toward older children or adults.  Though there are long, steep tunnel slides older kids will like (“The Black Hole” is reserved for children older than 8 and adults) teens and older children looking for major thrill rides might be disappointed.  

If your toddler or child is obsessed with Big Bird or Elmo, you may have to drive the extra thirty minutes and visit Sesame Place.   Located in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, approximately an hour and a half from north Jersey, this park is bigger, busier, more expensive and farther away than the Land of Make Believe, but for those die-hard Sesame Street fans, you can’t beat it.  

Similar to The Land of Make Believe, there are separate areas for “dry fun” and “wet fun” although it’s pretty much impossible to avoid the ‘wet fun’ here, so have your kids wear their bathing suits for the day.  Giant slides, wave pools and lazy rivers will cool down the whole family in no time so you might as well enjoy it. 

Note that some rides and attractions are geared for slightly older kids with a minimum height requirement to ride (42 inches is a common one.) 

If you’re a bit peckish after all that fun, Sesame Place boasts character dining a la Disney, as well as more traditional eateries.  Make reservations in advance if you’re thinking of joining Elmo, Cookie Monster or Big Bird for “Up Close Dining” for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  

In addition to the rides and slides, there are also many entertaining shows, as well as games, a parade, and fireworks – all, of course, with a Sesame Street theme. Crowds can be overwhelming, there’s not much shelter from the sun, and lines can be long, so plan to arrive early.  Hotel packages and multi-day discounts are also available for overnight stays but a nice long day trip might be more than enough Elmo to create a lasting summer memory for everyone. 

Land of Make Believe: www.landofmakebelieve.com

Cost: Adults: $22.50, children (age 2-18) 24.50; kids under 2 free, seniors $5 off.  Cash & Discover ONLY

Sesame Place: www.sesameplace.com

Cost:$55.99 for kids & adults (age 2-54); kids under 2 free, seniors $5 off.