Sesame Place is a place where your childhood dreams come to life. For our Sesame Street-loving toddlers, we met our other blogger friends "Living With Liam" at Sesame Place park near Philadelphia, PA. Traveling from Maryland wasn't a terribly long drive about the same distance as the drive from New Jersey. I had no expectations for this trip other than having some fun, riding some rides and getting to see Sesame Street characters. Plus virtual friends always saying hi to each over video calls, finally got to meet and oh boy did Braden and Liam have a blast!
What Is Sesame Place?
Sesame Place Philadelphia is the only theme park on the East Coast based entirely on the award-winning show Sesame Street! Sesame Place is ideal for families and kids of all ages and was the first theme park in the world to become a Certified Autism Center. The park has over 25 attractions including Sesame Street-themed dry rides, interactive play areas, water attractions, live character shows, a daily parade, an interactive Sesame Street Neighborhood, and everyone’s favorite furry friends. Celebrate the seasons at Sesame Place with Elmo's Furry Fun Fest, Elmo’s Easter Eggstravaganza, Elmo's Springtacular, The Count’s Halloween Spooktacular, and A Very Furry Christmas events throughout the year.
Accessibility
Sesame Place® has partnered with The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), a global leader in online training and certification programs, to
become the first theme park in the world to be designated as a Certified Autism Center (CAC). It is our goal to provide every family with an enjoyable and memorable visit to Sesame Place, and we are proud to offer specialized services to guests with autism and other special needs.
The Ride Accessibility Program matches the individual abilities of our guests to the requirements of each ride. The Ride Accessibility Program is designed to allow guests to fully participate in the enjoyment of our park while keeping in mind the safety requirements of our rides and attractions. The program was developed based on the requirements of the ride manufacturer and by evaluating the physical and mental attributes required to safely ride each ride. It is our policy to allow anyone to ride our rides and enjoy our attractions as long as they meet all these requirements and such that it does not present a potential hazard to the guest or to others.
A valid IBCCES Accessibility Card is required.
Guests with physical disabilities, mobility impairments and/or cognitive disorders who would like to participate in the Ride Accessibility Program must present a valid IBCCES Accessibility Card at the Welcome Center inside the park. Guests can register for an IBCCES Accessibility card at www.accessibilitycard.org.
Rides & Attractions
Whether you’re 2 or 62, you’ll find rides for kids of all ages to enjoy! From Elmo’s World to Cookie’s Monster Land, the rides at Sesame Place are themed with everyone’s favorite furry friends in mind. I love that Sesame Place is geared towards younger kids. Braden is 36" and was able to ride everything that he wanted to! They both were brave as the Sesame Character "Ji-Young" and conquered the Vapor Trail Steel Roller Coaster!
I think Braden loved climbing around the most! Everyone is welcome at the Monster Clubhouse - no secret password necessary! Discovering new levels of fun, climbing, and exploring on the 3-story colorful net climb. Everyone will have a monster of a good time playing together on this fun filled structure. I know we did!
Water attractions open daily 10am-6pm. On days the park closes at 5pm, the water attractions will close at 5pm. Select water attractions open May 27-Sept. 5 and Sept. 10- Sept. 11. All of the water attractions were spread out through out the park. Making it a quick way to cool down in between rides! I suggest doing the water activities first before everyone crowds in the escape the heat.
The Neighborhood Street Parade
The Neighborhood Street Parade is the best time to see all the characters of Sesame Street, without paying to dine with them. Families start “staking their spot” for the parades about an hour ahead of time. Go find a front-row spot by using the dots on the pavement. Park the stroller or blanket there and then you can still go do a ride or two until the parade starts. One of us stayed back to cool down and watch our spot as we headed off to the rides!
All of the characters ride by on a float for little ones to see. We got the perfect shot of all of our favorite furry friends as they made their way down 123 Sesame Street. The parade was just long enough to keep your little one's attention the entire time while you rest before you'll back off to walking to all the rides! Try to get your kids up front and you stand behind them. Characters do greet kids during the parade. I noticed they go every other child as there are too many kiddos to be able to say a hello to every single one. There are always characters meet and greets separate from the parade as well.
Although the parade doesn’t happen as often as Magic Kingdom, it’s still a lot of fun if you catch it.
Dining Options
For lunchtime, instead of waiting an hour for chicken fingers, pizza or a meatball sub, we went into Mr. Hooper’s Food Market. It had pre-packaged sandwiches and salads along with grab-and-go items (cheese sticks, apple sauce, chips, granola bars, etc.).
There were no prices anywhere. We bought 3 salads, 2 refillable cups, 1 vitamin water, 3 apple sauce cups and 2 Uncrustables, and 2 bags of chips for about $60. Expensive? Yes. But we didn’t have to wait in line and it was much healthier.
During the parade we grabbed a refillable popcorn bucket for a little snack before the end of the day.
For an extra $44.99 you are able to dine with Elmo and friends. Joining your favorite furry friends for a fun-filled feast. They have a kid-friendly menu plus air conditioning for those hot summer days!
What "Living With Liam" Has To Say About It
The accessibility pass for Liam was wonderful and accommodating for his special needs. It was easy
to apply for and it is good for one year until you need to reapply. Between him and my grandmother in her wheelchair, we had no problem getting on and off the rides.
There are plenty of food options and eateries. We enjoyed that there are more tables with umbrellas along Main Street. Having a shaded area is great to step out of the heat.
Another great way to cool off is the water areas! They are back open for summer, so make sure you pack your swimsuits and sunscreen!
Liam’s favorite part was getting a bubble wand! For all your souvenir needs, there are several shops to get your Sesame Street memorabilia!
The shows are so fun! The parade was colorful, fun and interactive. It was great to see all the characters and dancers in one spot. From what I’ve seen, most people line up about 2pm for the 3pm parade. So grab your blanket and a snack to enjoy!
Shop Before You Go!
Buying anything Sesame Street ahead of time will definitely save you money (and shopping time when in the park)! - Click any picture below to shop!
More Information:
Where? 100 Sesame Rd, Langhorne, PA 19047
Prices? Adults $66.99 Wee Ones (ages 3-9) $32.99 Parking $15
Website? Sesame Place
*** All photos are property of The Destination Family. We were not paid to write this article. All information is based on my non biased opinion. Thank you Sesame Place for inviting us! ***