Theme Parks for Older Kids

There may come a time when little kids start looking for a little more adventure from theme parks. While Magic Kingdom and Sesame Place are always fun, the kids might seek the adventure bigger theme parks offer.

Hershey Park is a good middle ground and starting place for families looking for a more adult-oriented park. Located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Hershey Park offers rides of all sizes and intensities, as well as close proximity to Hershey’s Chocolate World. In fact, guests can take a tram to each entrance. Chocolate World boasts cool experiences for kids of all ages, like making custom candy bars and taking a ride through a chocolate factory.

In addition to the fun characters and rides for young kids, there are also enough intense rollercoasters at Hershey Park for the bigger kids.

Dorney Park also bridges the adventurous gap. Like Hershey Park, Dorney is filled with characters kids will recognize. In this case, characters from Charles Shultz’s Peanuts. There is an entire section of the park dedicated to young kids in Camp Snoopy as well as some truly intense roller coasters like Steel Force and Hydra.

Roller Coasters at Dorney Park. Photo: Chris Kelleher | Dreamstime.com

Silverwood is the biggest theme park in the Pacific Northwest, located in Athol, Idaho. Like many modern theme parks, Silverwood offers a water park and standard theme park for the price of admission. The rides vary considerably, but it is safe to say there is something for every kind of theme park guest. Intense roller coasters like Corkscrew and Timber Terror are joined by standard thrill rides like Panic Plunge. This park lacks recognizable characters, but makes up for it with a varied slate of fun rides for all ages.

Finally, perhaps the most well-known, are the Universal Studios parks. Lately, these have marketed themselves as the next step for families growing out of Walt Disney World. At the same time, Universal features recognizable characters and series like Jurassic World, Dr. Seuss and Harry Potter.

These parks feature lots of shows and intense rides while offering chances to see familiar characters and settings for kids who aren’t quite ready for the major leagues of theme park attractions.