Matthew Monday: Dutch Wonderland

Here are some more pictures from our vacation to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, this from the amusement park called Dutch Wonderland.  If you want to read the first blog of the vacation, read here. 

Dutch Wonderland is not large like Disneyland, but it's large enough for an almost four year old to be enthralled.  He just loved driving this car.  I pressed the gas petal since he couldn't reach it while he steered.  The car was on a track so he couldn't make too many mistakes.

This tractor was a simple ride, but he did like trying to mauenver the plow up and down.

 

He loved this  - not sure what it was called - whirl buggy.

 

And he was really concentrating on this train that he hand powered.

 

My future fighter pilot...lol.

 

 

This was a very tall slide that we had to go down together.

There were a number of other rides that he just loved but were difficult to photograph.  His favorite was the bumper cars, but he also really enjoyed the water flume, a couple of boat rides, and others.  He still talks about them.

Matthew Monday: Lancaster, PA Vacation

We took a five day weekend in Lancaster Pennsylvania.  It’s an easy to get to spot, basically a two and a half hour drive from our house.  We didn’t think Matthew was old enough yet for long drive or a flight.  So we kept it simple, and they have a number of things there that would interest a little boy.  In our plans were the National Toy Train Museum, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, and the amusement park there named Dutch Wonderland. We had expected to fill the remaining time by horsing around at the hotel pool, but to our surprise when we got there the hotel didn’t have a pool, just a hot tub.  My wife and I could swear their website showed a pool, but when we went back to check it was only a hot tub in the picture.  Silly us, but the angle they took the picture made the tub look as big as a pool.  LOL. 

 

Well, Matthew wasn’t into a hot tub, nor am I sure it would not have been adverse to his health at his age.  We filled in the time with some other activities we found.  We discovered a wolf sanctuary  that provides tours, we took an Amish Horse and Buggy ride, and took a nice countryside leisurely drive.  Plus the Railroad museum had an option for a train ride, and we took that too.  I took a thousand pictures, so I’ll just share a few.

The toy train museum was really a bust if you ask me.  They had nice trains and nice exhibits, but it was two rooms.  We were done in an hour.  They claim to have a hands on exhibit for kids, but it was two little wooden trains that two year olds play with.  Their website makes it look like it’s way better than it is.  Here’s one picture of Matthew in front of an exhibit.

 

The Railroad museum was very good.  They had trains both indoors and out.  They also had a nice play area for children.  Trains were refurbished from various times in history.  Here’s a couple of pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here’s a couple from our old fashion coal, steam engine ride.

 

 

 

 

 

And from our buggy ride, Matthew and mommy petting the horses.

 

 

 

I'm going to save the pictures from the amusement park for next week.