A visit to Idlewild & SoakZone is the perfect vacation for young families. Located in Ligonier, PA, Idlewild Park is the third longest operating park in America. We have visited Idlewild for the past two years and plan on visiting again next year. Our kids are in love with the park!
We happened to vacation during a week of record-high temperatures so we spent a good amount of time at SoakZone. The kids love Lil’ Squirts, an interactive water play area designed for young children. Captain Kidd’s Adventure Galley and the Hydro Blasters (think enormous water guns) were also a huge hit. Captain Kidd’s Adventure Galley features six waterslides and over 80 entertaining water features and the zero-depth entry Wowabunga Family Wave Pool was fun for all.
Raccoon Lagoon is a special area that features over a dozen rides designed just for young riders. My family loves the cute and unique trolley ride through Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood of Make-Believe. Then it was on to the Original Storybook Forest, an adorable area where children can meet their favorite nursery rhyme characters. Count the socks on the line at the home of the Seven Dwarfs, visit with the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe or step aboard the Good Ship Lollipop. It’s truly a magical place that will create wonderful family memories. Remember to bring your camera, Storybook Forest provides great photo opportunities!
We stayed at the Four Points by Sheraton Greensburg for both of our visits. The Four Points by Sheraton is a great, family-friendly hotel that is just a short drive from Idlewild. Our kids loved the pool and Vista Plateau Restaurant that offers a large selection of toys, books and coloring pages to entertain. For only $156.00 a night (including taxes) we received 4 tickets to Idlewild & Soakzone, $25.00 breakfast gift certificates (2), one pizza dinner for four with salad and soda plus a bag filled with a snack and small trinkets for the kids. Since we have young children, our breakfast was free for both days (ages 3 and under received free breakfast at Four Points by Sheraton Greensburg). You can purchase next day passes to Idlewild & SoakZone (stop at Guest Services during initial visit) for only $17.99. The whole trip was a fantastic deal!
Though food and beverages are available throughout, Idlewild Park also allows you to bring in your own food and beverages which is a great way to keep costs down. Parking is very convenient (follow the road to the right after driving through the ticket booth) so it’s possible to make quick stops to the car throughout the day for snacks and beverages.
For more info on Idlewild and SoakZone, visit their website here.
