A Day of Happy Hauntings at Dutch Wonderland

Halloween decor around the park!

When that crisp chill hits the air and pumpkin spice is suddenly everywhere, you know it's officially time to start the Halloween season!  If you're looking for a place to take the whole family for some festive fun, add a visit to Dutch Wonderland's Happy Hauntings to your to-do list.  Dutch Wonderland is known as "A Kingdom for Kids" and it has plenty to entertain preschool and elementary aged children.  I was excited to visit for the first time since my own childhood - now with kids of my own!

Welcome to Dutch Wonderland!

My youngest and I set out to explore Dutch Wonderland on the first day of the Happy Hauntings weekends.  Happy Hauntings is held select weekends in October on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons.  Caleb was immediately impressed with the decor on the castle as we entered the park and continued to be thrilled throughout the day and evening by all of the entertaining decorations around the park.  We arrived around 1:45 for the 2:00 opening, which I would highly recommend.  Crowds seemed heaviest between 3:00 and 6:00.  By the time we were leaving close to 8:00, crowds were again minimal and Caleb could just about walk on to any ride he wanted.  Around the park, guests could enjoy rides, games, shows, character greetings, food, and trick-or-treating!

Riding his very first roller coaster!

There are so many rides that are perfectly designed with little riders in mind.  From airplanes to trucks, bulldozers to panda bears - Caleb wanted to ride some of his favorites over and over again!  There was also a chance for mom to join in on the ride fun too!  Caleb drove me around the speedway and we enjoyed riding together on boats, the monorail, and the train throughout the park.  If you're traveling with slightly older children that might be up for more of a thrill, there are 3 different roller coasters from the smallest for those just learning to ride up to Merlin's Mayhem which will certainly keep coaster enthusiasts happy! We never waited more than 10 minutes for a ride all day long - a great perk!

Selfie time with Duke the Dragon!

When you wanted to take a break from the rides, there were several shows and character greeting opportunities.  We saw a magic show by Merlin himself which was full of fun songs and cool tricks for kids.  The show was short as I'm sure it's designed with little attention spans in mind.  There were also several characters you could meet, and I couldn't pass up the chance to take a selfie with Duke the Dragon!  There were also several food locations open throughout the park including some familiar favorites like Dippin' Dots and Auntie Anne's pretzels.  We visited the Mill Stream Eatery for dinner as it's home to several food locations where guests can enjoy sandwiches, pizza, chicken tenders, hot dogs, fries, and much more!  I highly recommend the Pesto Change-o Chicken Sandwich which was a nice change of pace from the regular theme park food.

Trick-or-Treat Time!

And of course, what would a visit to a Halloween event be without trick-or-treating?  Here at Dutch Wonderland, Exploration Island is transformed into a trick-or-treat paradise where over 20 dinosaurs are dressed in their Halloween best to greet guests.  I recommend heading here early as the line got long pretty fast.  Kids were allowed a piece of candy at each station along the trail and adults received one ticket that they could trade in for one piece of candy.  It was actually very refreshing to leave a trick-or-treat without being overwhelmed by candy!  And the candy was some of the best - Hershey's!

Happy Halloween!!

We loved our mommy/son date day to Happy Hauntings at Dutch Wonderland and hope you have a chance to check it out soon!  If you're planning on visiting, be sure to visit this link to get a special discount on your tickets - just $22.95 each for everyone 3 and older!  The promo code is "halloweenblog18".  I can't wait to hear about the Halloween adventures you enjoy with your family this year!

Our family received complimentary admission to Happy Hauntings at Dutch Wonderland so that we could share our thoughts with you! As always, my opinions are my own.