Trick or Treating and Major Fun at Sesame Place (Review)

Now that we know how to get to Sesame Place and have experienced what fun it is for young kids and parents alike, we can’t wait to return.  We visited the park for the first time as a family a few weekends ago in early October.  I hadn’t been since I was very young and have little memory of it now, but what I do remember is that I loved it.  So naturally, I couldn’t wait to relive that joy again through my daughter and look on as she saw the real authentic Elmo live and in the…erm, fur?

This time of year, Sesame Place is only open on the weekends.  Many of the water rides were closed, but no amount of water can match the fun of a Halloween-themed Sesame Place!  Everyone was dressed up.  Kids, parents, even the characters wore costumes…and the halloween décor dressed up as the characters.  See?

This ivy is shaped in the likeness of Elmo.

You can see Count and Bert in the pumpkins here, and in the back I think that’s Snuffleupagus.

Bags were handed out to all of the children who wanted to trick or treat throughout the park.  They even made up slips with clues to help you hunt down all of the stations.  I tweeted while on my way there and the overwhelming response I got was to see one of the live shows, so that’s what we did.  We packed ourselves like sardines into the teeny little Sesame Studio where we saw Elmo Live.  Aside from the packed-like-sardines part, it was a lot of fun.  It took a lot of willpower on Emma’s part to keep from running down and attacking Elmo with hugs and kisses.

What we loved about this theme park is how fun it is for all age groups.  There are rides to keep the big kids and the little kids happy.  There was a large range of things that Emma could do, which is rare in the theme park world.  Emma thoroughly enjoyed Big Bird’s Nest, which essentially is a large matted play area that kids can roll and bounce around in, injury-free.  Aside from the carousel, I think we spent most of our time there.

We took a stroll along Sesame Street and got a few great snapshots on the steps before the big parade:

You’ll notice a birthday cake is part of the procession.  That’s because Sesame Place is celebrating its 30th birthday.  We had such a great time, and I have a gazillion more photos I could show you—but I ‘m running out of space!  We have plans to buy season passes for next year.  They’re available now and include your admission for the remainder of this year too.  If you go to Sesame Place, make sure you tweet them when you’re there.  Someone will meet up with you.  I had the pleasure of meeting Jenn, the VP of marketing and she gave us a few Sesame Place water bottles.

I was not compensated to write these things.  I was provided with one complimentary ticket and 50% off the admission price of the second ticket so that I could blog about my experience.

Peddler’s Village Event and Giggleberry Fair Giveaway!

 Contest Closed -Congrats to Sheila Comment #20
A few weeks back I let you all know about the free event for Mommy Bloggers that Mama’s Little Helper had organized.  Today was the big day, and we arrived at Peddler’s Village bright and early and ready for a good time.  I hadn’t been to Peddler’s Village in about a decade and I did not remember it being as large as it is.  For those of you that aren’t familiar, Peddler’s Village is a shopping destination for the entire family, with great boutiques, restaurants and pubs, and fun activities for children—all in a quaint old-world village setting.

We all gathered at Giggleberry Fair to enjoy some play time.  Once we stepped inside, Emma’s face lit up.  There were carousels, balls and rides galore at first glance, and she knew she was in for a special treat today. One of the main attractions, Giggleberry Mountain, is a huge indoor obstacle course with balls flying all over.  This was perfect for the older kids, but not for my 20-month-old.  She wanted out just as soon as we stepped inside.  Not to worry, there were plenty of other things for her.  Like the Grand Carousel (right).  This was the longest-lasting carousel ride I’ve ever encountered.  Emma loved it.  And the mini carousel ride (left) was pretty great too.

We spent a lot of time in the Giggles Discovers play area for the young lads.  The water table was one of the highlights, along with the slide and firetruck. 

Then we went back out to the main area and looked into the fun mirrors while waiting for another carousel ride.  Emma kept touching her head as if to say, “How can this be?”.  She looks like one of the coneheads here. It was too funny—I was laughing out loud like a crazy person.

Once all of the mommy bloggers and their kids worked up an appetite, we took a stroll through along the brick path through the village while looking at all of the beautiful shops and taking in the scenery.  It is so beautiful here.  It’s even more so in the wintertime with all of the Christmas decorations and lights.  But we were in for something even better, Sweet Lorraine’s.  They had a delicous spread laid out for us including sandwiches, salads and made to order pasta.  The macaroni and cheese was heavenly.  Sweet Lorraine’s has free kids meals and face painting on Monday evenings.  We will definitely be back there when we return to Peddler’s Village.

This was such fun, and we can’t wait to visit again!

GIVEAWAY!
One lucky reader will win two passes to Giggleberry Fair!
*Each pass includes admission to Giggleberry Mountain, Giggle Discovers, unlimited rides on the Grand Carousel and ten free tokens.

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment below telling me your favorite attraction at Peddler’s Village, or if you’ve never been, what you’re most looking forward to.

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Win two passes for unlimited fun at Giggleberry Fair in Lahaska, PA http://bit.ly/aR6QRW @villageinsider @girlgonemom #giveaway

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No compensation was received for this post. I received the product sample in order to facilitate my candid review. Contest is open to US residents 18 and older with a street address (no P.O. box or APO) and closes at Midnight EST on August 31st.  The winner will be selected using Random.org. See giveaway rules before entering. GOOD LUCK!