There’s a handy guide at WeJustGotBack.com that gives a run down on which theme parks in the U.S. have Halloweeny type thrills for particular age groups. Similar to movie recommendations, the site presents details about the theme parks Halloween happenings and the age range the fun is aimed towards.
A teenager might not get a charge out of the “Countdown to Halloween” musical act at Count’s Halloween Spectacular at Sesame Place in Langhorne, PA your toddler will–even your 10 year-old. But, take your young ones to Halloween Horror Nights at the Universal Orlando Resort in Florida and Universal Studios in Los Angeles and you find yourself dealing with more nightmares than you could ever imagine. This one is recommended for the ages 16 and up. Watch the video on the Web site and you’ll see what I mean. (I warn you though, it’s the exact opposite of a meditation video of bubbling brooks.) Jason, Freddy, and Leatherface are just a part of the action. If you ever wanted to know what it’s like to be in Nightmare on Elm Street or Halloween, this might be for you.
Each Six Flags has Fright Fest, also meant to scare the wits out of you. This one is appropriate for middle-schoolers though, but is not appropriate for under 12. From the descriptions of the events at each park, one can see the difficulty with finding the right fit for a multiple age group family–or the kids who are moving into preadolecence. Then, it becomes a matter of finding one that is entertaining enough for your child who is past being enamored with Mickey Mouse, but too young to have Freddy chasing him or her down with a butcher knife. The great thing about amusement parks though, for a kid who gets bored with a younger sibling’s Halloween speed, there’s always the rides.
Guess which theme park the photo posted on Flickr by WeJustGotBack is from. Did you say Disney?