Theme Parks...Vacations...Children???

There is an amusement park in Pennsylvania called Knobles. It is the best amusement park to take little kids! They have tons of things for the kids to do. It isnt very crowded. There are tons of trees and benches - so you dont have to be in the hot sun all day. You can buy a day pass for unlimited rides or you can use tickets. There is no entrance fee. Makes for a fun, inexpensive day! Sesame Place is another place that is geared towards kids. It is more expensive, but they would have a lot of fun there! Another one that I can think of is Dutch Wonderland. (I never thought of myself as living in a place with a lot of amusement parks, but there are tons close by! ) The first time I went to an amusement park (because Knobles wasnt close!) was when I was 12. I went with a group from school. There is a program called 'Music in the Parks' where school choirs and bands compete. It is close to an amusement park, so when you arent competing, you get to spend the time in the park! I had tons of fun. I was big enough to ride all of the rides, though. I think that a lot of times, the parents want to go to the amusement parks, so they do. They dont think about what the kids will be able to do or not do. I have no problem with people taking their kids for days out. I am going to take my 4 year old nephew to the zoo in a couple of weeks! But it should be age appropriate. Many amusement parks are not age appropriate for small children!

I have been to Disney World and Universal Studios twice. I've seen parents with very young children at these parks.I dont have kids either but if and when I do I wont be taking them to a theme park untill they are old enough to were everyone can enjoy the park. I can understand bringing a baby to a theme park when you have other kids who are old enough to get on the rids. You wouldn't want to rob them of a vacation and fun. When me and my sister were young my parents took us to the zoo and the local fairs that had a section for small children. We didn't go to a theme park untill I was 9 and she was 7. My mom didn't want to be pushing a stroller around and lugging all the stuff you need when you have a young ones. Everytime I see the moms with the strollers they don't look like they are having a great time lugging all the stuff around a massive theme park, and only one parent can go on the rids with the kids cause one has to stay with all the stuff and the majority of the times its the moms that stays. I just think vacations to theme parks can be enjoyed by the whole family more when you wait until your kids are older

Part of the reason so many little children go to the Florida Theam Parks is that they are going to Disney World. My son and his family want to go and they have a 2 yr old and a 8 year old. They think the children will have fun, I think that both of them would enjoy it more when they were older. I got out voted.

My sister has 4 children so she takes them to a theme park that is appealing to the three oldest but the youngest one has less to interest her there. Some parents think any theme park is a child's dream and don't consider the rides being age appropriate. Some grown ups visit for themselves more than their children. I really love traveling and have a 23 month old son. I try to include visits to places he will enjoy during my trips. He is disabled and so likes to get out of his buggy and have a crawl around for example. In Cape Town I found a soft play center that he adored. In Lithuania I let him crawl across a castle draw bridge. His first trip was to Portugal when he was four months old. He couldn't do much then but it was a much needed vacation for me. In South Africa I took him on a two and a half hour safari. He is a lucky boy to have been to five different countries over the space of two years. He loves traveling and that delights me.

This is an interesting question. I think, many parents are just excited to start to make memories as soon as possible. Even if they are the only ones that really remember. They can pull out the photos and say, "See, this was the first time you met Mickey mouse." Another reason I think you see kids is that with families that have several kids, you don't want to wait until they are all the perfect age, that might never happen. then you are denying the older children experiences because the baby is only 6 months old. The last reason I can think of, is that mom and dad want to have fun to. Many destinations make an extra effort to accommodate and entertain kids. Cruises for example, often have programs all day for kids so that mom and dad can go and have some fun while the kids are playing and being entertained as well. There are more and more ways to vacation as a family. You might have to pay a bit more to find those types of trips, but you will have some special memories.

well i agree with ur question buddy.. budyy how can u leave ur dear ones at home...??// u urself think that if u r out for njoying how cud u leave ur very young budies at home????/dere is no meaning enjoying widout dem!!!!

The big deal with bringing little ones to the disney parks is to see Mickey Mouse. I do agree, it is a waist of money unless you spend the entire time at the kiddy park so the little ones can enjoy it. We just brought my 8 yr old to Magic Kingdom and she loved it. I think it was a good age. She was there when she was 5 and that was too young for her to really enjoy. We have amusement parks around our house that are very inexpensive~ like $20 for the day. I don't mind bringing little ones here because they get their moneys worth. When we vacationed when our kids were little, and actually still now, we tend to hit the beaches.

I also live in Florida and I know exactly what you are talking about. I don't exactly know why either, but the only thing I can think of is that they take them just for the experience.. just to get out. I think even if the kids can't do anything that they would still just enjoy being somewhere that's not their familiar setting and they would still be with their family who they love.