Places to go in Lancaster, PA
Dutch Wonderland
Dutch Wonderland, dubbed a “Kingdom for Kids,” is one of Lancaster’s top amusement parks. It has everything from roller coasters to water slides, allowing kids of all ages to yell, splash, and scamper their hearts out. The carousels and teacup rides are suitable for toddlers. Bumper cars allow teenagers to collide with one another. Cafes, gaming booths, fun houses, dinosaur exhibitions, and virtual reality simulations are available for mom and dad to enjoy. Dutch Wonderland is a 48-acre (19-hectare) theme park that caters mostly to families with small children. The amusement park entrance has a stone replica castle façade erected by Earl Clark, a potato farmer, prior to the park’s opening in 1963. Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company bought Dutch Wonderland from the Clark family in 2001. Hershey Entertainment announced the sale of Dutch Wonderland to Palace Entertainment on November 12, 2010. The park features 32 coasters as well as Duke’s Lagoon, a tropical-themed interactive water play area. Duke’s Lagoon is a multi-level water play platform with kid-sized slides, spray nozzles, jets, tipping cones, and a giant tipping bucket. In line with Duke’s Lagoon’s tropical paradise concept, there is also a lounge area with palm trees, thatched umbrella-covered sections, and lots of seats. The park also has costumed characters such as Princess Brooke, Merlin the Wizard, and Sir Brandon, the Knight of Safety, in addition to Duke the Dragon. “Exploration Island,” a five-acre island in the park’s rear, has a Prehistoric Path with over 22 life-like mechanical dinosaurs. Dutch Wonderland offers a delightful camping trip to Old Mill Stream Campground, which is conveniently located feet from the castle doors of Dutch Wonderland. The campsite is located on 15 acres beside a calm creek and is close to outlet shopping, restaurants, and theater. In-park offers a wide range of delicious food and beverage options to fit any hunger. Take a meal at Mill Stream Eatery, Merlin’s Restaurant, or Castle Cafe, or get a quick bite at one of the numerous food outlets. For Halloween and Christmas, the park enjoys an extended season, with “Happy Hauntings” and “Dutch Winter Wonderland” activities. The park is part of a wider entertainment, eating, housing, and convention facility in Lancaster. Since its inception on May 20, 1963, Dutch Wonderland has been acknowledged as a prominent family theme park in Pennsylvania, and Amusement Today magazine has named it the Best Family Park in the World for 2019 and 2021.
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