Sesame Place
Be prepared for plenty of wet n’ wild fun at Sesame Place! There’s a Big Bird’s rambling river for low-key fun with the little ones, plus the Teeny Tidal Wave splash pool (hardly teeny at 10,000 square feet) and Slimey’s Chutes waterslide. You’ll also need to visit Ernie’s Waterworks, which has cascading fountains and water-spraying mazes, and The Count’s Splash Castle, which has a 1,000-gallon tipping bucket, water slides, interactive levers, blasters, bongos and water wheels. Last, check out the Sky Splash, which lets up to six riders swirl around in an eight-foot Rubber Duckie. 100 Sesame Rd, Langhorne, PA (215-752-7070, sesameplace.com). Tickets from $55. Open May 2–Dec 31, hours vary. Ages 2 and up $55, children under 2 free.
Dorney Park
During the regular summer season, Dorney Park tickets also offer full access to Wildwater Kingdom Water Park. There are free-fall body slides like Python Plummet (nearly vertical fall), crazy 360-degree loops on the Constrictor and high speed slides like twin Boat Blasters that’ll surely please teens and tweens. In case you were wondering, there are a total of 28 slides to choose from in varying levels of “thrill.” For littler folk, check out the Kids’ Cove, where they’ll climb through a submarine and slip down the tentacles of an octopus. The Lollipop Lagoon also offers low-key fun; families might run under mushroom fountains and geysers or play with squirt guns. 3830 Dorney Park Rd, Allentown, PA (610-395-3724, dorneypark.com). May 1—Nov 1; hours vary. Adults and children taller than 48 inches $39.99–$44, children 3 and up under 48″ $34, ages 2 and under free.
The Land of Make Believe and Pirate’s Cove
Try the 12,000-square-foot wading pool with a dump bucket and climbable playground (Pirate Fort), then head to the awesome water slides like Cannonball and the Black Hole. For older kids, there’s a new-ish water slide called Pirate’s Escape where they’ll enter a futuristic chamber and the floor comes out from beneath them, sending them zipping down a long green tube slide. Last, for a totally calm water adventure, try tubing along lazy waterway Blackbeard’s River. 354 Great Meadows Rd (Route 611), Hope, NJ (908-459-9000, lomb.com). Weekends only May 25 –Jun 20, open 10am–6pm daily from Jun 21–Sept 7. $25, children ages 2–18 $27, children under 24 months free.