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Toddlers and Amusement Parks
Tips for Having a Great Time with Your Toddler at a Theme Park
By Mark Stackpole
Looking for some family fun in the Midwest? For the last 117 years, folks have been visiting Elitch Gardens in Denver, Colo. The oldest theme park west of the Mississippi, Elitch Gardens offers everything from its 75-year-old carousel to Disaster Canyon and Shipwreck Falls.
"Elitch Gardens has rides and entertainment for all ages," says Brooke Gabbert, Public Relations Manager for Elitch Gardens. "For the pint-size kids, we have Startoon Studios, which features rides and games for children under 48 inches tall."
It is worth noting that the price of admission to Elitch Gardens also includes admission to The Water Park, which also has an area for children and families. What kid wouldn't want to see his cotton candy hand-spun right in front of him? What parent wouldn't be happy to learn that there, all of the food is trans-fat free? Something for everyone, indeed.
When Adryenn Ashley of Petaluma, Calif., thinks of an amusement park, she thinks smaller is better. An award-winning filmmaker, wife, mother and self-professed Disney-freak, Ashley wants a more relaxing experience with her toddler-age son.
"I'd like to nominate Train Town ... in Sonoma, Calif.," Ashley says. "We have been taking my son there nearly since birth. The rides are age-appropriate, and the whole park is only 10 acres, so it is easy to get around. It's the most developed scale railroad in the U.S. And did I mention the petting zoo?"