Daddy and Edmund at Elmo's WorldTo celebrate its 30th birthday this year, Sesame Place is offering a two day pass, so we decided we might as well use the days. This turned out to be perfect for our family, since we had wedding events in the evenings and a child who would suddenly sprout horns without a nap. The first day we planned to be at the park as soon it opened. The weather was a bit gloomy that morning, but nothing we couldn't handle. The rain actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise as there were few lines for anything. When we walked into the park Sesame Street music was playing in the backgr
ound. Edmund stopped chattering for a moment and said "I Love Trash." Sure enough, Oscar's theme song was playing in the background, and we adults had been completely oblivious. We headed to the life-size replica of the Sesame Street set first. Edmund had a blast exploring Mr. Hooper's Store and walking up the steps at 123 Sesame Street. When the line to sit on the fire engine at the firehouse suddenly exploded we decided to move on.After letting Edmund have his fill exploring the famous street, we moved onto the rides at Elmo's World. Elmo's World is guarded by the Sunny Day Carousel, which of course Edmund had to ride. Even Kay Kay and Aunt Becca couldn't coax Edmund to ride a horse on this carousel. We sat on the bench again. Edmund thought the bench was awesome, especially since he got to pet Slimey the Worm who was perched on the armrest. After the carousel ride we took Edmund to ride on Elmo's Flying Fish, a ride much like the Dumbo Ride at Disney World. Edmund was as happy as a clam (it's an underwater ride after all) while he sat with Daddy on his chosen fish. That is, until the ride attendant informed Steven that Edmund had to sit next to Steven, not on his lap. It was then that the screaming ensued, but the ride was already moving. To make matters worse Steven couldn't figure out how to get their fish to fly. Mommy was sailing away in the air, while Edmund and Daddy circled around on the ground. Edmund cried until Steven finally figured out the intricacies of elevating the fish into the air. To be fair Steven and Edmund's fish might have been defective. At least that's the story Steven's sticking to. Once Edmund was aloft he had a great time. He was excited to tell Kay Kay and Aunt Becca how he rode the fish in spite of the tear rolling down his cheek. The experience must not have scarred Edmund too much because when we returned the following day, the first thing Edmund asked to do was "ride Elmo's Fish." He said "sit next to mommy." This self-talk gave Edmund the courage he needed to conquer the flying fish. For this ride Edmund was all smiles.
During a very expensive macaroni and cheese lunch Edmund pointed out Cookie Monster walking by the restaurant, which again the oblivious adults missed. Steven was lucky to catch a tail end glimpse of the furry blue monster. After lunch we got in line early for "Elmo Rocks," a 30 minute live Muppet performance with a few aspiring actors thrown into the mix. Edmund appeared to enjoy the opening number as the Sesame Street monsters made their way to the stage, but as soon as Elmo appeared the grin on his face was as big as
I've ever seen and he began clapping. During one musical number Cookie Monster gave Edmund a high five. Edmund vowed never to wash that hand again. "Elmo Rocks" was the perfect family musical experience. It had enough interaction to keep Edmund involved, and was lively enough that the adults began rocking out. It also had the perfect mix of cheeky Muppet humor. The following day we went to see "Elmo's World Live," but the Mercer/Pattishall families are tough critics. "Elmo Rocks":2 Thumbs Up; "Elmo's World Live":1 Thumb Up, but still enjoyable.Sesame Place is half water park, so after the dry attractions we decided to hit the pools. The water was a little cold due to the rain, but Edmund didn't seem to mind. He tried of few of the preschool-aged spray attractions, but decided his favorite location was the Twiddle Bug Tidal Pool. Kay Kay and Aunt Becca let Edmund wade while mommy and daddy decided to turn to icicles on a few of the water slides. When we returned to the pool we took Edmund to the Twiddle Tracks. If the "Elmo Rocks" show was Edmund favorite part of Sesame Place, the Twiddle Tracks were a close second. The Twiddle Tracks are small train cars that children ride around a track by pushing on a handle with their hands. Labeled an "all-by-myself" ride, the Twiddle Tracks are a tucked away treasure, which meant Edmund was able to ride to his heart's content. The handle was a little tough for Edmund, but he thought it hilarious to make me run his train car around the track and through the giant flower pot. I didn't mind as I got my requisite exercise for the day.
Before we left for the day we discovered "Rubber Duckie Pond", a little water alcove with toddler sized water slides. I wasn't sure how Edmund would do with this, since he tends not to like any water surprises. Although this particular attraction is for children under five, adults aren't allowed to walk on the boat that houses the slides, which meant Edmund would need to go down the slide sans mommy. After helping him climb aboard the boat I was afraid Edmund would sit at the top of the slide and cry out that he was stuck. Not an unreasonable assumption as he has been known to cry when he believes he is stranded on a slide. We could tell he was nervous during the first slide, but after all the applause he received he was raring to go again. He had so much fun he didn't want to leave when the lifeguard signaled our five minutes were up.
Edmund really did enjoy himself at Sesame Place. He has no fear when it comes to large, walking characters, so getting to see his favorites from Sesame Street was a dream come true. He was so enamored with Elmo and Big Bird that we had to chase him out of a few other families' photo ops. True, these children were not as thrilled to meet the characters as Edmund (meltdowns might be the word for their reactions), but we felt we needed to remind Edmund that people don't randomly join other families even if it does involve more time with a favorite red friend. Edmund mig
ht have enjoyed Sesame Place a little bit more if he were slightly older, but I'm glad we got to take him while Sesame Street still has the "cool factor" in his mind.A tip for any of you who may be planning a trip to Sesame Place with a two year old. Unless your child is totally fearless and relishes in a chance to be drenched with ice cold water, avoid The Count's Splash Castle. It all seems innocent enough until you begin walking your child toward the climbing structure. You and your sister are oblivious to the large crowd that has gathered slightly in front of you and somehow miss the sound of "3, 2,..." Fortunately on the count of "1" your husband sees what is about to transpire and shouts "stop." A giant bucket of water tips over and water crashes onto the heads of the people millimeters from where you are standing. You are spared from a drenching by the icy waterfall, but your child is hit by some residual spray, and begins screaming. At this point you retreat and make your way back to the Twiddle Bug Tidal Pool. Ah, now that's more like it.
