Dutch Wonderland

In June, we decided celebrate Father’s Day by taking Mike on a quick weekend trip to Pennsylvania. We planned on going to Dutch Wonderland on the first day and then the Strasburg Rail Road to ride Thomas the Train on the last day. So many of our friends having been telling us for years that we needed to take the kids to Dutch Wonderland because it was a perfect amusement park for kids their age. They were right! The kids were able to go on so many rides! One ride to be forewarned about though is the “Sky Ride”. Although this ride is fun, it is also a little deceiving because it looks like you go across the park and come back, but it actually only goes one way. That means that you end up standing in line to go across, but then you need to get off and stand in line again to go back. Mike and I wished we had known that, because when we reached the end of the ride, Mike needed to stand in line to go back and get our stroller, and then walk it halfway across the park to us. Luckily, the kids just rode rides and ate New York Gourmet Italian Ice while we waited for their dad and the stroller (the Gourmet Italian Ice was yummy!).

Dutch Wonderland also has a water park too! So as soon as we started feeling a little hot, we headed over to Duke’s Lagoon. Our boys love water parks, so they had a blast in Duke’s Lagoon. If you ever happen to go to Dutch Wonderland on a hot day though, I would recommend heading over there before lunch time to get a good spot to sit down because it can get crazy crowded heading into the afternoon. After spending a few hours at Duke’s Lagoon, we did a few more rides before heading out of the park. Of course no one can enter Dutch Wonderland without going through the gift shop (it is built into the entry and exit point of the park…very sneaky), so on the way out we stopped in the gift shop so the kids could pick out a souvenir. It was during this souvenir shopping that this scene took place:

Me: Aidan you can pick out 2 things to get from this gift shop

Aidan: I want this (a sour fruit roll-up) and this (hand-cuffs).

Me: I don’t think hand-cuffs are a good idea. While Mommy is standing in line to buy, why don’t you quickly go around the store with Daddy and see if there is something else that maybe you like better.

Aidan: Awww…I want the hand-cuffs.

Me: But you haven’t looked through that side of the gift shop, and maybe over there you might find something even better. Go quickly with Daddy and look, because I really don’t think we should buy hand-cuffs.

….a few minutes later Mike walks up to me standing in line

Mike: So Aidan found something that he liked better.

Me: Great! What is it?

Mike and Aidan: A cap gun!

Me: Give me the handcuffs.