Idlewild Park?

[disneyfamily05]

DH and I decided to not do a "family vacation" this year for various reasons. But of course i was looking at trying squeeze in a little weekend trip. I was thinking of going to Idlewild Park - its not too far from us (2 hours i think), the whole trip (hotel & tickets for two days - not counting food) looks like it would be less than $300. And i would like to go now to check out the Storybook Forest while the kids are little enough to enjoy it (5 & 7).

Has anyone been there? What are your thoughts? And do you think we can cover everything in two days (plan on spending one whole day at the Soak Zone) as I really am not sure how large the park itself is. Any advice from those who have been are welcome.

[biodtl]

This is a VERY small park. It's a nice family day in the country, but not much for thrills. It depends what you are looking for. If you want more rides, Kennywood is much better, as is Sandcastle for water parks. But the nice thing about Idlewild is having everything in one place and the ease of bringing a picnic lunch.

You could easily do it in 2 days (especially Soak Zone - it's tiny. We usually do both in one day.

[4277]

We've gone to Idlewild many times when our kids were young and it was just a day trip for us, although we weren't much for water parks so we didn't do soak zone. I remember the Wild Mouse ride being a little wicked but that's about it. The only so called "roller coaster" has very small hills but the kids really liked it. At the far back of the park they have a huge barbecue that serves very yummy chicken. I think your kids will enjoy the park.

[Rockstar Boyfriends]

If you're going to Idlewild, you might as well drive about an hour more and spend a day at Kennywood.

[crazeedizneefinatic]

I agree that both parks can be done in 1 day . It is a very small park with some very traditional rides, really no "thrill" rides, but perfect for kids. My sons baseball team has their banquet there. I do have a suggestion. I don't know where you are but Altoona PA has 2 very nice parks, Del Grosso's and Lakemont. Lakemont has both a park and water park and admission on Wednesdays are only $1! We usually go in June and catch a minor league baseball game too. The ballpark is right next to Lakemont. The Holiday Inn in Altoona runs package specials including bowling, mini golf and such. I enjoy the parks better than Idlewild, which I find a bit run down, but still traditional family fun.

Idlewild does not have too much to do around the perimeter, it's literally in the mountains, you will have to drive to go anywhere. lakemont and Del Grosso's do have lots of activites in the area. The Slinky factory is close and they have a family fun center, also Horseshoe Curve is nearby. You could easily spend 2 days in the area.

[kakn7294]

Chiming in late! Idlewild, Soak Zone, and Storybook Forest is all one park, very small, and can easily be done in one day. It's a bit cheesy but fun. Soak Zone consists of a large pool, several smallish water slides, and a couple of kiddie play areas - not really an all day place. Idlewild itself has typical old-time amusement park rides but nothing real thrilling. Kiddieland is great - the best one I've ever been to having kids of my own - but it's meant for smaller children. The 7 yo may be too big for some of the kiddie rides. Storybook forest is a lot of nursery-rhyme and kiddie-story themed houses that you just look in or walk through. Occasionally, you might run into costumed characters such as Mother Goose, Raggedy Ann, the Little Old Women Who Lived in a Shoe. Parking is free and you can bring your own food. There is no table-service eatery, it's all fast-food. Absolutely NOTHING is air-conditioned (one of the only 2 things I don't like about it - the other is those horrible wristbands you have to wear all day). We'll be there for my best friend's family reunion on July 6.

[Linda13]

I live an hour (or less) from Idlewild. I think it is wonderful "family" park. It is very laid back. It can definately be done in 1 day. There are not too many thrill ride and they are the spining type that I could not handle. The coasters are very tame. Storybook forest is OK. More of a walk through various children's storybook settings. The whole park is in a forest/woods setting which makes it very appealing. The water park area has expanded and is very nice. You can see all the rides, etc. on the website. There are also shelters and picnic areas. FYI - sometime in August they offer carload days where the whole car pays 1 price. Good for a larger family. I would definately try to go when it is hotter to use the swimming area (July/Aug). There are other activities in the area. Check out Ohiopyle for whitewater rafting, LONG bike trail, Uniontown has Laurel Caverns and Champion, PA area has some activities and a Zoo-type place that you can feed the animals (Living Treasures). But I agree with the others, Kenneywood is definately more "exciting" and last year you could get a pass that you could go to Sandcastle Waterpark and Kennywood on the same day (but I think it is pushing it abit timewise).

[mudpuppysmom]

This might sound a bit hokey, but we get season passes for Idlewild (we live about 25 minutes away). This is something that my DS likes to do about once a week and once you go twice the pass is paid for (it's something to do during the summer). I will say that we usually take our lunch with us and eat at a pavilion picnic table with no one bothering you (well, maybe the bees). As for how long it will take you to do the park.......I agree with everyone else that it IS a one day park, even with the waterpark. We usually do some rides, go eat lunch then get our swim stuff and head to the waterpark for a few hours, then back to the park to finish up (but again, we have passes, so we don't always do everything).

As another poster said, there is nothing with AC, so if it's hot the only place to recover is in the waterpark!

The food leaves a LOT to be desired, thus why we take our own (plus we take snacks and water in our backpack so we usually don't spend too much money when we are there -- maybe the fish pond is about it and possibly a cyclone cone).

Anyway, someone else mentioned Kennywood and Sandcastle. If you are looking for a quaint family park, Idlewild is it (I call it a glorified carnival tough) and Sandcastle is a nice waterpark. If you are spending two days do Idlewild one day and Sandcastle the next. Just my opinion though.