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new for us friday–amusement park

home / family life / travel / new for us friday–amusement park
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After last week’s touchy New For Us Friday which was immediately followed by the somewhat unexpected passing of my husband’s amazing, loving, charming, and incredible grandmother, we needed to see life on the upswing.

So, on the way back to Maryland from Pennsylvania, my husband and I took the kids on a necessary-for-us detour and a surefire NFUF hit: their very first
amusement park.

  • Dutch Wonderland: This place really is a “Kingdom for kids” because it’s a park made especially for little ones. There are over 30 “kid-friendly” rides there, a train that runs through the whole park, great shows and entertainment, nursing stations for moms, and snack bars and restrooms around every corner.

Maddy and Owen rode their first roller coaster.

We all rode the Sky Ride together that spanned the park.

The Sky Ride totally rocked.
(So what if I couldn’t stop praying to God
that none of us would fall through the bars.)

We tried the swings, the Turtle Whirl, the fun slide, the log ride, and the carousel.

We saw ponies, listened to music, and watched the dancers.

You can’t miss them–Brent and Maddy are on this coaster!
(Owen wasn’t tall enough for the really big one.)

We laughed, screamed, hooted & hollered, sweated our pants off, and enjoyed every second of it.

I would totally recommend that anyone with kiddos here in the DC Metro area hit Dutch Wonderland while their little ones are small. I know we’re already planning our return trip–next time possibly with some support-staff aunts, uncles, or grandparents–and as far as NFUF’s go, this one was a winner.

It was new; it took us all out of our comfort zones, and it was a little bit of a challenge (on top of a lot of fun). And it especially helped to lift our spirits after an emotionally-exhausting and doleful week.

Talk about a super way of watching our summer wind down before school, activities, and tutoring will pack our calendar.

Thanks for subscribing to teachmama! Have a good one!

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About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro · http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Christy

    August 22, 2009 at 2:49 am

    I am sorry to hear about your husband's grandmother.

    I have heard of this amusement park and hope to make it there in the not too far off future. I'm glad everyone had fun.

    Reply
  2. Laura

    August 22, 2009 at 11:51 am

    I knew you guys would love it! So glad you went. We hit Hersheypark yesterday and had a blast!
    I'm so sorry to hear about Brent's grandmother.

    Reply
  3. dana

    August 22, 2009 at 6:02 pm

    so sorry to hear about your husband's grandmother.

    dutch wonderland is amazing! just right for the first amusement park trip!

    Reply
  4. Tara Rison

    August 23, 2009 at 2:24 am

    I am sorry to read of your family's loss.

    We just went to Dutch Wonderland for the first time in July. It was my children's first time visiting an amusement park. We all had an absolute blast! They liked the waterpark area, as well.

    Great day trip!

    Reply

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