Dutch wonderland

[Goose killer]

I just found out about this place and I see they have a campground " steps away". Sounds great. We camp at Knobles about 3-4 times a year and love the camping in the theme park idea. Have kids 3-4 and others in my group have them 3-10. Is Dutch wonderland good? Comparable to Knobles? How's the campground? Is it age appropriate 3-10? Any other input appreciated. Would love to get a trip in there next year to mix it up a little.

[asquared]

Haven't been to Dutch wonderland since I was a kid. I did meet some friends at twin grove campground last year. They have a merry go round, Ferris wheel, mini golf, and pool. They are 20 min or so from Hershey park too. Check them out.

[rockfordroo]

Here's what I know:

I've driven past it many,many times since about 1960, but have never been in it. From the outside, it always appeared to be geared to younger kids (I'd say under 10 yrs old). Their website seems to show that, too. Although if you look at it in Birdseye view on Bing Maps, they seem to have a fairly large roller coaster.

It's located just east of Lancaster, PA on US 30. This part of US 30 is basically a tourist trap, with Dutch Wonderland, an Amish Farm, outlet stores, etc. In many places it's a 3 lane road, with the middle lane swapping back and forth in direction. During the summer, it can get very congested.

A couple miles south is Strasberg, PA. Home of the Strasburg Railroad (steam train rides) and the PA Railroad Museum. Show the kids how railroading used to be.

[rsscully]

We just did Dutch Wonderland and the railroad/museum a few weeks ago. We didn't realize how much there was to do at D.W. so we bought tickets ahead of time for the railroad the same day. My kids are both under 5 and there was plenty to do at the amusement park for both of them. They even had a nice roller coaster that I enjoyed myself. We didn't get to do the water games because they didn't open until after memorial day.

The railroad is very interesting, but the trip itself is pretty short. You go about 4-5 miles they hitch the engine to the other end and they pull you back. We have done it twice and ate lunch in the dining car both times. The museum is awesome! There is so much to look at and they even have some small models and toy trains the kids can play with.

We did not camp at the campground right beside D.W. but instead stayed about 40 minutes away at Lake in Wood campground (very nice). We chose this because it was kind of centrally located between D. W. and Cabelas in Hamburg, PA, which we did the other day we were there.

[dblr]

The campground at Dutch Wonderland( Old Mill Stream) is very nice and well run but does get crowded so plan and reserve early. We still prefer Knobels over Dutch Wonderland but both are nice for younger ones.

[Paradise115]

Don't know if it's still there but the used to be a great ice cream shop on the corner in Strasburg. Don't know which corner but if you blink you'll be through the town.