theme park - Pitstops for Kids

Tips for making the most of Knott’s Berry Farm

November 8, 2017 By Amy Hagstrom

Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California is, in many ways, the OG of Southern California theme parks. Originally created around an actual berry farm, where the Knott family sold boysenberry jam and homemade desserts and comfort food, Knott’s has retained many of its quaint characteristics, from its famous fried chicken restaurant to its marketplace of artisan shops and holiday-themed decor.

Knott’s Berry Farm tips:

I appreciate that Knott’s still attempts to educate guests on California history, from information on the Pony Express outside its Pony Express ride to pioneer history in Ghost Town and Calico Park, as well as exhibits to explore such as an authentic frontier school house and displays throughout the park depicting the California mission system.

Over the years, thrill-type attractions have been added, allowing Knott’s to essentially become a hybrid of Six Flags-ike roller coasters and the slower-paced fun more aptly represented at Silver Dollar City.

Compared to Disneyland and California Adventure, or even to Universal Studios or Sea World San Diego, Knott’s is a smaller-sized park, easily tackled in one day. Because of its size, the park can feel crowded easily, but unlike Disney, Knott’s still enjoys an off-season: when I visited on a Sunday in October, practically no wait times existed.

Want to fuel up for Knott’s in the morning? Stop at Porto’s, a Southern California institution with a large location adjacent to the park. Plan to get there early and wait in a line at this Cuban bakery, but the crew here has crowd efficiency down to a science, and the prices cannot be beat for homemade pastries and roasted coffee.

Making the most of Knott’s:

1. Arrive at park opening, but there’s no need to rush to rope drop in the off-season.

2. Try to park in the South Lot, to avoid the need to ride a shuttle to the ticket booths, saving you time.

3. During peak season, upgrading to Fast Lane wristbands is worth the cash. That said, this $60 per ticket upgrade is NOT necessary outside the peak summer season. Fast Lane works essentially the same as Universal’s Front of the Line Pass (except it can be used on any ride offering a Fast Lane, as many times as desired, making it a better value). Most Fast Lane return gates are located at the attraction exit, which is a bummer: I dislike looking like a ‘VIP’ or special guest…I’d far rather merge into the regular line. However, during my visit testing the pass, it worked smoothly.

4. Start at the back of the park, and move forward, to avoid crowds that bottleneck near the entrance, where a few of the bigger coasters await. Additional top attractions are further back, and remain empty for longer.

5. Don’t neglect to take in the shows. Get a show schedule at the entrance along with your map, and make a plan for your day around at least a few offerings. Knott’s does a good job with performances.

6. Young kids will enjoy Camp Snoopy the most, with rides suitable for all ages, as well as some offerings in the Boardwalk section.

7. During the Halloween season, Knott’s transforms to Knott’s Scary Farm after 5 pm, requiring a separate ticket, and truly is very scary. I don’t recommend bringing young kids to Scary Farm, but the good news is, you can’t accidentally remain in the park after the transformation.

8. Knott’s Merry Farm, however, during the holiday season, is worth bringing the kids back to, and parents will enjoy the holiday decor, too. (During fall, some of the fall decorations are a bit scary, even in the daytime…be advised.)

9. If you think you may return to Knott’s Berry Farm at least one additional time during the year, consider Annual Passes. APs at Knott’s are only about $15 more than regular admission, making them a deal. Buy your day tickets online instead of at the window, for a big savings (as low as $45 instead of $75).

10. Use the Knott’s app to track wait times and show times.

Have you been to Knott’s Berry Farm? Share your tips!

Kansas City with kids: LEGOLAND Discovery Center and Sea Life

September 14, 2015 By Amy Hagstrom

Ready to explore Kansas City with kids? Kansas City, Missouri’s Crown Center is a year-round draw for families, in part because of two high-profile attractions: LEGOLAND and Sea Life.

LEGOLAND Discovery Center:

A visit to LEGOLAND Discovery Center-Kansas City begins with a short demonstration of how the iconic bricks are made. Afterward, guests can opt to ride the Kingdom Quest laser ride, an instant hit for the video gamers in your family. Caution: this is a now-or-never proposition. You won’t be able to come back to it later, which can be tough on kids who need time to warm up to a new environment.

The day of our visit, our Star Wars-loving crew was over the moon to find a room dedicated to Episode IV (A New Hope). The detail is everything you would expect of LEGO. On one side of the Death Star, kids can try their hand at blasting TIE fighters.

Next door, we lost the ten-year-old to a large Ewok Village construction set. He didn’t resurface until we pried him away for a 4D movie. In the meantime, the younger kids found the play place and Earthquake Tables, where we tried to build earthquake-proof structures out of LEGO. (Although any child will tell you it’s far more fun to try to make them fall down!)

Kids can also build and test race cars, and there’s an area devoted to LEGO Friends as well as Merlin’s Apprentice, a carnival-style ride. Height restrictions apply, but the employee running the ride was very accommodating to families with small children.

LEGOLAND is a high-stimulus attraction, and my three-year-old was a little overwhelmed. But he found his niche in a sandbox-style pit filled with Junior LEGO cars—one of several sprinkled through the facility for free play.

We arrived early on a school day; even so, the building reached critical mass well before noon. It can be chaotic, so it’s a good idea to have a low adult-child ratio in your party. Plan to spend a minimum of three hours. Outside food and drink are not allowed, and re-entry is not permitted; however, there is a cafe inside. Admission is limited and often sells out, so I recommend booking online ahead of time. Online tickets start at $15.30* for both adults and kids (2 and under are free).

Sea Life:

If you need a breather after the high-power intensity of LEGOLAND, Sea Life is just the ticket. From the moment the doors open, the low lighting and ethereal music transports visitors to another world.

The displays are beautifully designed and lit, and the aquarium is set up to guide the flow of traffic along a set pathway through the facility, which makes it easy to keep track of kids. Each child receives a passbook with activities and room for stamps to mark their progress through the aquarium.

Sea Life’s marquee attraction is the pair of walk-through tunnels in the shark and ray tank, but the kids will also love the “bubble” indentations in the center of several of the tanks., where they can get right in the middle of the marine action. A touch pool holds starfish and crabs, and a raised deck lets you look down on stingrays from above.

There are also several play areas; when we visited, one of them was devoted to the Octonauts. Our only problem in this area was that the competing video animatronics made it hard to hear the game instructions.

Admission:

Sea Life-Kansas City advance tickets start at $15 for adults and $11 for kids 3-12*. You can see the whole aquarium in around an hour and a half, but you won’t exhaust the possibilities for learning and enjoyment in that length of time. If you can, give yourself time to read the displays, which are on video monitors rather than static boards, and attend some of the educational talks that are spread throughout the day.

Better yet, take advantage of the combination tickets that offer admission to both Sea Life and LEGOLAND, which share a building, a ticket counter, and gift shop. Start your day by exploring the lower-stimulus Sea Life, then switch over to LEGOLAND and return to the aquarium if your pack has time and energy.

Hours:

Sea Life-Kansas City and LEGOLAND open daily* at 10 and close at 5 p.m. Sunday through Thursdayand 6p.m. Friday and Saturday. However, Sea Life remains open to guests already inside for two more hours.

*Note: Hours and ticket prices fluctuate by season and holiday, so check the website for the most up to date info.

Directions:

Crown Center is located in the heart of Kansas City at 2450 Grand Blvd. Full directions to Crown Center.

Our family visited Sea Life and LEGOLAND as guests of Visit KC in exchange for an honest review.

Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri

July 10, 2015 By Amy Hagstrom

The town of Branson, Missouri is a curious mixture of overtly touristy and world-class attractions. I thought Silver Dollar City would fall in the former category. Instead, after spending a day there, I believe it fits in the latter. I’m going to state a pretty strong opinion here: this theme park is second only to Disney parks for quality, cleanliness, and character.

Silver Dollar City began in much the same way as classic theme parks like California’s Knott’s Berry Farm or Oregon’s quaint Enchanted Forest: as a family business built around a simple, wholesome theme (in this case, the limestone Marvel Cavern and classic Missouri hospitality). But instead of commercializing to the point of soullessness or remaining in relative obscurity, Silver Dollar City somehow grew into itself without losing its heart and sense of purpose.

Yes, there are rollercoasters. But there are also authentic, working craft artisans. There are gift shops selling trinkets, but there are also studios selling handblown glass and pottery fired on-site. With Silver Dollar City’s blend of craftsmen and women and thrill rides, it’s easy to see why it’s a beloved park for multigenerational travelers. And somehow, it all goes together nicely.

The theme park’s premise is of a 1880s frontier town, and what could be hokey is instead charming. Its village of artisan shops and craft demonstrations encircle rides and shows, with dining venues weaved throughout. Somehow, the whole place remains peaceful, despite the bustle of attraction queues for the headliner coasters. In truth, visitors who are not interested in thrill rides can easily avoid them altogether. The Silver Dollar ‘streets’ are distinctly ‘Disney-like’ with pristine cleanliness, lush vegetation, and exceptional theming. A few authentically historical buildings are on display in the center of the park, with the rest of the structures carrying out the theme via replica. At the heart of the park lies Marvel Cave, the original attraction that brought people to the area, but you might actually miss it if you’re not careful: the entrance is actually in the center of the large gift shop near the entrance. This is my only real beef with Silver Dollar City; I’d love to see this limestone feature given more limelight.

In the park’s craft and artisan areas, families can see demonstrations on everything from pottery to glass blowing to bread baking, and just about everything in-between. The artisans in the many shops are not simply dressing in period costume and explaining how things such as lye soap, honey, leatherwork, woodwork, and metalwork items are made…they are actual master craftsmen and women. It’s fascinating to watch them work, browse the shops, and buy souvenirs in stores that are not junky tourist traps (they have those too, though, if you’re partial to that). In addition to the crafts, many food vendors demonstrate their skills as well; Silver Dollar City has a working bakery, grain mill and bread baking facility, creamery, and food stalls serving authentic recipes like succotash and apple dumplings alongside the classics like funnel cakes and kettle corn.

Dedicated ‘lands’ for kids are plentiful: near the artisan areas is an upscale country fair style area with a giant swing and plenty of kiddie rides, and the new Fireman’s Landing features a semi-thrill ride, water splash area, and more children’s classics. Down a ‘holler’ past the park railroad lies an area celebrating Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, with a giant treehouse, river raft ride, and two higher intensity water rides. Beyond all this lie the thrill rides, which consist of three high-quality rollercoasters on par with the top theme parks I’ve been to. In fact, the newest ride, Outlaw, won an award for best new ride of 2013 worldwide. It’s certainly the most intense rollercoaster I’ve ever been on. Two additional high-adrenaline rollercoasters are joined by several smaller rides and Silver Dollar City’s oldest ride, an indoor dark ride that tells the local legend of Missouri hobnobs (up to no good vigilante bandits). It’s a bit scary…mostly because it’s dated and dark, but I can see why long-time park goers are fond of it.

If you want to see all of the park in a day, it’s certainly do-able if you plan correctly. Start with the thrill rides in the morning, while the artisan areas are quieter (you’ll want to hit this area when demonstrations are in full force). After the headliners, ride the smaller rides, grab lunch, then spend the afternoon touring the artisans or the cave. No matter where you are during the day, plenty of higher-the-usual quality theme park fare is on the menu, and shows are regularly scheduled (of the comedy and musical variety). Everywhere you go, you’ll be greeted by big leafy trees and beautiful grounds. In fact, take a look around while ascending to the peak of the rollercoaster mountains…instead of viewing parking lots and city scenes below you, you’ll see miles of rolling Ozark mountains. It’s truly lovely.

Dining:

You can’t go too wrong dining in the park…there are a lot of options, and most of it is very good. If you want an all-you-can-eat-buffet, you’ll find two on the grounds, but I’d opt for finding the street food vendors who sell homemade items unique to Silver Dollar City (you’d find many of these in the buffets, too). Items I liked best include the apple dumplings and cinnamon ice cream, baked beans, and fried okra, plus I was told anything BBQed was excellent. The traditional theme park fare is good too, but trust me, get some of the ‘eats’ unique to the park.

Admission:

Daily admission is $60 for adults, $49 for kids 4-11, and free for kids under three. The value is there, but for $45 more each, you can upgrade to season passes. If you think you’ll make it to the park even twice, absolutely upgrade. Silver Dollar City also posts special offers continuously.

They do offer a ‘front of the line’ pass they call the Trailblazer pass, which allows families to enter in a separate ‘fast pass’ line for up to eight rides for $35 extra per ticket. I’m a fan of these types of passes in the peak of summer when time truly is money, but most of the time, I don’t believe they will be needed at Silver Dollar City. Simply get to the park at opening and ride your favorites first. I was told lines don’t get longer than 1.5 hours even in summer. (This is not an official stat, but was told to me by a senior park staff member.)

Hours of operation:

The park is seasonal, operating from late spring through December 31. It’s closed Jan-April (except for spring break weeks). Check the calendar for exact hours.

Directions:

The park is located at 399 Silver Dollar City Parkway Branson, MO.

As I disclose whenever applicable, I toured Silver Dollar City as a guest of the theme park. All opinions are my own.

Xcaret eco park Mexico: culture, conservation, and adventure

January 22, 2014 By Amy Hagstrom

The Riviera Maya boasts three major eco theme park opportunities between Cancun and Tulum, all within easy access to area hotels and resorts. Families will definitely want to experience at least one during a Riviera Maya vacation, but which one? In the most basic terms, Xel Ha focuses on water activities and aquarium life, Xplor offers the most extreme sports, and Xcaret eco park Mexico centers around conservation, culture, and eco-wonders.

Because Xcaret offers the most well-rounded programming while still not skimping on adventure, we opted to spend our eco-park day here. We were not disappointed…if anything, we needed more time. Xcaret offers so much, it’s almost overwhelming. The park grounds are extremely well-kept (think Disney in Mexico) and even though the many paths through the park are well-marked in both English and Spanish and park maps are available, you still won’t know quite where to go first.

Animal protection and breeding programs:

Xcaret has won awards for their aggressive conservation and breeding programs. From the park entrance, we started our tour at the macaw nursery, where Xcaret staff are aiding this endangered population with their breeding program. We could view incubators and baby macaws in the nursery, then see adults in the lush jungle throughout the macaw area. Babies are released into the wild at a certain age.

Closer the the center of the park, Xcaret’s aquarium is a great place to cool down after seeing the macaws, and families can view a second breeding center, this time for the endangered sea turtles. Toward the back of the aquarium, a sea turtle exhibit leads to a nursery area where baby sea turtles are making their way out of their rubbery eggs in the sand, and outside, adolescents swim in large pools awaiting their own release into the wild. In addition to the sea turtles, the aquarium houses numerous tropical fish and reef animals, including a great display on jellyfish.

As you walk throughout the park, animal enclosures include those for jaguars, howler monkeys, manatees, and more, in addition to a beautiful butterfly enclosure with–yes–another breeding program. We watched staff collecting butterfly eggs to nurture in to larvae. All the animal spaces were on par to those you’d see at a world-class zoo, and all animals looked very well cared for.

Water play and adventure:

After viewing the animals, we were very ready to get in the cool water of the park’s river system. These natural rivers, partially underground xenotes, are the real deal, but they have been ‘theme parked’ up a bit. Walls, bridges, and tunnels have clearly been added, as well as theming with stairs, emergency exits, and the like. We definitely suggest swimming in the more wild xenotes along the Riviera Maya, but these rivers do make for a fun addition.

They’re also a great way to cool off: we decided to swim through the Manatee River (there are three in total), and the swim took us about 45 minutes. The river meandered through caves and tunnels, then past the sea turtle and manatee areas, where we could view the animals underwater on the opposite side of a plate of glass. Within the rivers themselves are tropical fish (though you’ll see more toward the end of the river as it nears the ocean). The only downside: the occasional snorkel littering the floor of the river.

Snorkel gear is provided at the start of the river system, with lockers and a rather ingenious locked bag system included: simply store your belongings in a large duffel bag, and the staff will lock it, give you the key, and send the bag to the end of the river, where it will be waiting for you. This service–locker, bag, and gear–is included with the Xcaret Plus ticket option (a $20 upgrade that also includes a buffet meal). Unless you are bringing your own snorkel gear (which is permitted), the upgrade is a great deal.

In addition to snorkeling the rivers, ocean snorkeling is available in the protected bay (like the rivers, it’s a bit ‘themed’, but does contain natural fish that can come and go from the adjacent ocean). There are also natural freshwater pools available for swimming.

Culture and eco-archaeological sites:

Of all the offerings at Xcaret, we believe they do Mayan and Mexican cultural exhibits best. Throughout the park, there are numerous shows and exhibits–we were lucky enough to see the Mayan traditional dance and show in the Mayan village and the Papantla ‘flying men’ pole performance. At night, the Experience Mexico and Mexico Espectacular shows take visitors through musical traditions from Mexican states and showcases traditional Mayan ball games…one played with a ball of fire! All performances are impressive and entertaining as well as educational.

On display through the park are a Mexican hacienda visitors can tour, a Mayan village, and Mayan ruins. You never know when you’ll experience a performance or walk past a performer in traditional costume.

Looking for additional Riviera Maya adventure? Check out our video on eco tours and activities in the region:

Date last visited:

August 2013

Admission:

Xcaret admission is on par with major theme parks everywhere. At the time of our visit, one-day adult admission was $89 (or $119 for Xcaret Plus), with kids 12 and under half price (and kids under five free). Two-day admission is available, and while you could certainly use two days to see everything, we personally recommend spending your additional precious vacation time exploring the other eco attractions along the Riviera Maya, unless you have numerous days. Standard admission does not include transportation, but hotel pick up can be added to the admission. Otherwise, numerous taxi stands will take you where you need to go (for a standard fare of $10 for the Playa del Carmen area).

Dining:

Just like in any theme park, there are numerous restaurants and snack stands in Xcaret. With Xcaret Plus, one buffet meal comes with admission. (Xel Ha does have a completely all-inclusive option for a lower admission cost.) Additional snacks and meals will set you back, but the food quality is very good. We snacked on traditional Mexican corn on the cob and loved the wide array of toppings available. (The experience has changed the way I will eat corn!) It’s possible to bring water bottles and other snacks into the park in backpacks, though you won’t want to carry around too much.

Hours of operation:

Xcaret is open 365 days a year, with the majority of their crowds during their high seasons of mid-summer, spring break, and winter holidays. It goes without saying families should try to tour the park on a low-peak time to have the most pleasant experience. When we toured at the end of August, crowds were few. Daily hours vary by season.

Directions:

Xcaret is located along Chetumal-Puerto Juarez Federal Highway (the highway that follows the coastline from Cancun), adjacent to Playa del Carmen.

Disclaimer: we experienced Xcaret as guests of the park, for the purpose of review. All opinions are our own.

Legoland California

March 21, 2011 By Amy Hagstrom

Dino Land's Coastersaurus

As lifelong Disney fans, we didn’t see it coming, but Legoland California has become my family’s favorite theme park. Located just north of San Diego in Carlsbad, CA, this answer to any Lego-lover’s dream is perfect for the 2-12 age set. Plus, it has a Kidscore rating of 96. (Learn more about Kidscore.) And due to recent expansion, it’s now three parks in one: Legoland, Sea Life Aquarium, and water park! We love the interactive nature of the exhibits (kids and parents can built and test Lego race cars, pedal their own Lego roller coaster compartment, and play in a Lego town), the manageable size of the park, and all those primary colors!

As with any theme park, families will want to get to Legoland before rope-drop to beat the crowds in summer, but during the off-season, you may have the place relatively to yourself! Shops line the market area just past the entrance in The Beginning, and if you can entice your kids past it with promises to return (they remain open an entire hour past closing to give families plenty of shopping time), you’ll arrive in the popular Land of Adventure or Castle Hill area before the masses.

Get a 'driver's license' in Fun Town!

If you have younger kids, you may want to head left after The Beginning instead, hitting Dino Island and Fun Town before lines get too long. Skip the Duplo Village in the morning; this fun attraction is a line-free playground and is perfect for the afternoon when kids are tired of waiting their turn for rides.

Check the park schedule when you arrive; the shows are worth your time, and there are always events and activities going on in the Imagination Zone (where kids can get hands-on with Lego creations). We love how Legoland has built-in features that force families to slow down: you’ll get a nice breather while your kids are building and testing Legos, playing in the awesome castle climbing structure at Castle Hill, or splashing in the water park.

Because there are so many time-consuming activities at Legoland, families should plan to visit more than one day. Luckily, ticket prices are built around this concept, and are affordable for multiple days. Check for online and local offers: Legoland does an amazing job working with the Carlsbad community (at the time of this posting, they were running a ‘five days for the price of one’ deal). If you’re visiting at a busy time of year and are able to splurge, Legoland’s Premium Play Passes with front-of-the-line access are worth the expense! For more great Legoland touring and planning tips, I recommend Michele Bigley’s Unauthorized Guide to Legoland!

Car testing in Imagination Zone

Sea Life Aquarium: Families have the option of buying only Legoland tickets, or ‘park hopper tickets’ which will include the aquarium and water park. If you only have one to two days, you may want to skip the aquarium, which only takes half a day but would significantly cut into your theme park time. If you’re planning to visit Legoland only a few days, but will be in the greater San Diego area longer, I advice adding the aquarium to your tickets and saving it for a rainy or foggy morning later in your vacation.

Water park: For better or for worse, Legoland’s water park is now nearly a theme park of its own. You’ll want to devote at least half a day to it, and remember that if you tour it on the same day as the rest of the park, you’ll want to store a change of clothes in a backpack. And don’t forget towels…we ended up buying a set on-site…a fun but costly way to spend souvenir money!

A word on accommodations: Good package deals can be had during certain seasons at Legoland’s ‘Bed and Brick’ preferred hotels, which includes the on-site Sheraton Carlsbad. However, if you’re looking to get away from the theme park hustle and bustle, our family recommends staying in nearby Del Mar. The Del Mar Motel on the Beach offers a fun and funky seaside experience!

Carlsbad on Dwellable

Travel Tip: Legoland’s Premium Play Pass

September 17, 2010 By Amy Hagstrom

Toby enjoys a Legoland horse ride minus the wait!

If you plan to visit the increasingly popular Legoland California in Carlsbad, CA during their peak summer and holiday periods, you might consider upgrading your admission tickets to Premium Play Passes.

Not widely advertised, this upgrade allows every passholder front of the line access for every ride, all day long and preferred seating for every show. The cavat: you pay dearly for this convenience, and with a limited number of passes available per day, they go fast.

The nitty-gritty: PPPs are $150 per adult and $130 per child (almost double regular admission). They include 1 day admission to Legoland and the CA Sea Life Aquarium and front-of-line privileges. (I do not believe they include water park admission.) Each day, only 100 PPPs are sold on a first-come, first-serve basis. To snag a set on a crowded day, plan to arrive at the park at least 45 minutes before opening. (When we experienced Legoland with PPPs, 55 of the 100 had been sold by the time we arrived 1 hour before park opening.)

Where you get them: Pay for regular admission at the main booth to enter the park, then head to Guest Services, where you can upgrade your tickets to PPPs. (You can access Guest Services even before park opening.) PPPs aren’t sold at the admission booths. In fact, when we visited, they weren’t advertised on their pricing board in any way. Even at Guest Services, you need to ask for Premium Play Passes specifically.

The way it works: At Guest Services, each member of your party who upgraded to a PPP will be issued a wristband (when we went, it was yellow). These must be worn all day! At each ride or attraction, go to the exit (similar to how you’d access rides with a disability pass). Show the attendant your wrist bands (they’ll probably spot them immediately) and follow instructions for boarding the ride (in our experience, within 30 seconds to 2 minutes). All day long, you’ll never enter a regular line.

Our experience: To be honest, when we decided to try the PPP, I was unsure about how I’d feel about boarding rides in front of people who had waited in line. Sure, it’d be awesome, but would I feel like a jerk? The answer: yes and no. At times during the day (at especially crowded rides with long waits), I did feel a bit uncomfortable (it was weird for our kids, too!). However, the way Legoland has designed the PPP, you never directly ‘cut’ in front of waiting people, for which I was grateful. Because you enter at the exit, most regular guests never know you’re there (or what you’re doing). And the park employees are very good at getting PPP holder on rides quickly (that’s what you paid for, after all) and smoothly. We never encountered an employee who didn’t understand the system, and there was never any ride where the PPP didn’t apply, no matter how long or short the wait time.

And for us, the value of the PPP was measured way beyond the lack of wait time. If you’re the type of theme park guest who gets anxious about getting to the ‘big’ rides early in the day, staying on a schedule so that you avoid major crowds, or try to plan your break and meal times around crowd levels (that’s me!), the PPP will give you a peace of mind that slows your whole day down. Instead of worrying about what ride lines were filling up, we could spend time meandering the Mini-Land exhibits and posing next to lego-fied Darth Vader (all my preschooler wanted to do!). I didn’t rush my kids, took lots of breaks in the middle of the day, and generally felt stress-free…which I’m pretty sure is how a day at Legoland is supposed to feel!

The moral of the story (at least from a travel perspective!): The PPP is a perfect example of a little research going a long way. At Pit Stops for Kids, we always advocate pre-planning, and since the PPP isn’t well advertised, it’s definitely something you can only take advantage of if you know what you’re looking for. Any time you opt for something the general public is not readily made aware of, you’re going to find a crowd-reducing measure. We ended up having a memorable day of fun with our kids because we knew what was available.

Worth the price?: Definitely, if you’re visiting during peak season. The PPP buys not only convenience, but time, a commodity in short supply while theme park touring. If you plan to visit while California schools are in session (and avoid Spring Break weeks, winter breaks, and three-day weekends), the PPP will not be worth the price. But if you go on a weekend in August (which is when we found ourselves there), I’d recommend it, especially considering how large Legoland is becoming.

For more Legoland tips, Pit Stops for Kids recommends the Unauthorized LegoLand Guidebook by Bridget Smith.

We upgraded our park admission to Premium Play Passes at our own expense. Legoland CA did not pay or compensate us for this review in any way.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom tips

September 13, 2009 By Amy Hagstrom

Thrill rides remain the biggest draw to Discovery Kingdom

1001 Fairgrounds Dr.
Vallejo, CA

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom may seem more like a destination than a pitstop, but given its location off I-80 and near the I-5 corridor between LA and Sacramento, it serves as a great overnight break from long-distance driving. We stopped on our way home to Oregon from Laguna Beach this past summer, staying one night at the Courtyard by Marriott Napa Valley (which was very comfortable although predictably packed with families) directly across the street and playing for one day at Six Flags before continuing home.

In the interest of full disclosure, my family enjoyed the park using complimentary admission vouchers. We did, however, pay full price for all food and extras. This compensation came with no expectations or agreements for a positive review (as you will see).

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom tips:

We had not visited Six Flags for a number of years (I believe it was Marine World Africa USA last time we were there) and this trip, we found our enjoyment of this park varied greatly depending on our age and propensity toward high speed thrill rides. Perhaps it’s not fair to compare Six Flags to the likes of Sea World, Disney World, and Legoland, but we did¦and they must too, since their admission prices are compatible. The staff we came in contact with at Six Flags was generally apathetic and at times downright rude. We found the areas geared toward young children to be lacking; in short (no pun intended) there wasn’t enough for someone under 48 to ride. This was especially hard for our thrill seeking 36er and our almost tall enough 47-and-a-halfer. The family attractions, such as the animal shows, were nice to have on hand, but compared to the degree of professionalism at Sea World (from both the trainers and the animals), Six Flags fell flat.

That said, our ten-year-old loved the park. As in, absolutely LOVED everything about it. He couldn’t get enough of the roller coasters and thrill rides (and so those of us tall enough to accompany him did so over and over and over again).

We purchased the Flash Pass for three people in our group, which allowed us to squeeze more quality time out of our experience in the park. Simply put, the Flash Pass is a programmable beeper you can rent which will essentially hold your place’ in line, much like the buzzers handed out at casual restaurants to let you know when your table is ready. Basically, it calculates how long you would wait in any given line at any given time of day, then sets a timer for you. You don’t have to be physically present in the line until it beeps, and then you walk through a separate entrance (the exit) to get on the ride. It worked well (though not as well as Disney’s Fast Pass, which, of course, is free). My theme park philosophy is always to do what is necessary to make the most of your investment–in other words, saving time equals saving money. Therefore, even though we had to pay extra for this service, I’d recommend renting a beeper (for those members of your group tall enough to take advantage of most of the rides) if you visit on a busy day in summer.

In summary, we found Six Flags to be overpriced for what it offers. In the future, we’ll stay a night in San Francisco and explore the city for the better part of the day instead.

(I do, as always, welcome additional parent reviews of this pitstop. If you stopped at Six Flags recently and loved it, tell us why!)

Date last visited: early August 2009

Distance off the interstate: two minutes from I-80

Hours and Admission Prices: General Admission: $44.99
Child Under 48″: $29.99
2 & Under FREE
Everyone is admitted for the child’s price if tickets are paid for online.

Food Services: There are many counter service restaurants, all of course, priced in the theme park’ range. The souvenir drink bottles sold throughout the park (with free refills) is a good deal, even if you’re only drinking water. The lines for refills can get long, however.

Website: http://www.sixflags.com/discoveryKingdom/index.aspx

Directions: From San Francisco/Oakland: take Highway 80 eastbound. Take the Highway 37 exit, just five miles east of the Carquinez Bridge.

From San Jose/South Bay: take Highway 680 over the Benicia Bridge. Then Highway 780 through Benicia to Highway 80 and then east to the Highway 37 exit.

From Sacramento: take Highway 80 westbound. From Highway 80, take the Discovery Kingdom exit.
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