Sesame Place PA - Langhorne, Pennsylvania - Family Theme Park

Sesame Place is a family fun theme park located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The park is owned by Busch Entertainment Corporation, the entertainment arm of the Anheuser-Busch Corporation. It is one of ten theme and amusement parks owned by Busch Entertainment. Opened in 1980, Sesame Place is themed on the Sesame Street television program, and is aimed at families with young children. Its major attractions include many rides and activities that are designed to appeal to children in the Sesame Street age group. There are, however, many attractions that will also appeal to older children and adults.

The actual count of 17 dry rides and over a dozen major water rides doesn't do justice to the number of attractions and activities available for children and families at Sesame Place. The newest attraction, for instance, is the Count's Splash Castle, opened in 2009. Though it has no "rides'', it features over 90 play elements on multiple levels, including several water slides, water curtains, hose jets, water wheels and a one-thousand gallon tipping bucket - in other words, enough activities to easily occupy a young child for hours.

Among its other popular attractions is the Sky Splash, a six person raft water coaster that is billed as a "thrill ride'' accessible to children as young as three years old. The rafts traverse a path that takes it under gigantic toys and up over six story high hills before eventually dumping into an enormous pool. Also in the thrill ride category is the Vapor Trail, a steel roller coaster that is built to be a child's "first roller coaster ride''.

Another popular attraction is Elmo's World, opened in 2006. It features three dry rides, each of them themed to parts of Elmo's imaginary world. Peek-A-Bug takes children through Elmo's oversized garden. Flying Fish fly through imaginary seas, and Blast Off is a high-jumper ride that bounces them into "outer space''.

In addition to the rides, families can take a walk through Sesame Neighborhood, a replica of the Sesame Street set that includes life-size recreations of Bert and Ernie's House, Engine House #1 and Mr. MacIntosh's Fruit Stand. Sesame Playhouse is a kid-size arcade featuring games of skill with a chance to earn points and prizes, and Monster Maze is a fun and challenging "obstacle course'' where the obstacles are lightweight punching bags that swing back into the way as soon as they are pushed aside.

Sesame Street characters are also in evidence throughout the park. The entire crew marches through the center of the park twice a day in the Rock Around the Block Parade. Parents can make arrangements (for an extra fee) to have breakfast with the Sesame Street characters before the park opens, or be part of a Meet and Greet before the Rock Around the Block parade. There are several live shows that take place throughout the week at Sesame Place. The schedule varies, so check the calendar to find the performance times.

Admission prices vary with the type of ticket chosen, but include single day passes for about $50 per person, and season passports for as little as $77.95. Group rates are available, and Season Passports entitle the purchaser to in-park discounts on other purchases and activities. For more information about Sesame Place, call 215-752-7070.