Nothing says summer like the obligatory theme park visit. Ok, maybe the beach or the pool are more traditionally associated, but for many of us, an annual pilgrimage to our local theme park, or a not-so-local one, is what gets us excited about summer. I recently took my almost 7 year-old son to Hershey Park in Pennsylvania. But before doing so, I did what all parents do, I took to Facebook to see if that was a good idea. I wanted to ask my friends who have similar age children if he'd be big enough for most of the rides and we'd get our money's worth. Theme parks are not an inexpensive endeavor. The response was an overwhelming yes! So, I scoured the web find an inexpensive hotel in the area and then asked around for discounts. Almost all theme parks, with Disney the exception, have discount coupons on either cans of soda, at local eateries, supermarkets or even online. Hershey does discount single day tickets but I wanted to go for two days, so I was out of luck. They do however, offer a discount themselves on this option, I just couldn't get additional savings. Below are my tips on surviving a theme park with a small child and your sanity intact:
Have you taken your family to a theme park? What advice do you have?