Theme parks are the ultimate in family vacation destinations. From roller coasters to live concerts, kids' activities, petting zoos, water rides and concessions, theme park vacations offer quality entertainment for people of all ages. And if you're willing to spend some time planning, a theme park can be the perfect setting for a budget family vacation.
Many theme parks have affiliations with hotels and restaurants, which means discounts on meals, accommodations and even gas or airfare when you purchase theme park tickets or weekly passes. You can find theme parks all over the United States, too, so you've probably got at least one within driving distance.
So, you've decided that a theme park vacation is right for you and your family. Next, you need to choose a theme park. Perhaps you have a park in mind that you and your family have been eyeing, or maybe you're looking for a theme park within driving distance to save on airfare costs. Visiting a theme park in a part of the country where you've never been before is a great way to combine the new experiences that travel can offer with a budget family vacation that you'll remember for years to come.
On the Internet, you can learn about different theme parks around the country and find at least one offering the type of experience that you and your family are looking for. You'll find reviews of theme parks and theme park vacations written by real travelers, tips and tricks for getting deals on theme park tickets and hotel stays and even reviews of the theme park hotels themselves.
When choosing theme parks for theme park vacations, take a few things into consideration:
While you can make any park the focal point of a theme park vacation, consider investigating theme park resorts. A theme park resort combines one or more theme parks with hotels, restaurants and other attractions, such as nightlife, making them all available to guests at discounted or combined rates. Theme park resorts can be a good choice for family theme park vacations, especially for people with small children; they provide an easy transition from park to hotel to dining without having to get everyone into the car.
The most well-known theme park resorts are the Walt Disney World Resort® and the Universal Studios Theme Parks and Resort® in Orlando, Florida, but you'll find great theme park resorts all across the country.
If you've got small children, taking a budget family vacation to a theme park known for its roller coasters doesn't make much sense. Fortunately, many theme parks are geared especially to the needs and likes of young kids. Some parks like Story Land®, nestled into the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and Sesame Place® in Langhorne, Pennsylvania offer attractions and rides especially for small children. Other parks offer a good combination of attractions for kids of various ages as well as for adults, such as Hersheypark® in Hershey, Pennsylvania and Legoland® in Carlsbad, California.
Whichever theme park you choose for your family vacation, you'll have the best time if activities are available to keep everyone in your family busy and entertained.
More and more often these days theme park vacations are offered as packages by airlines and hotel chains, as well as by the parks themselves. Vacation packages offer the advantage of discounted theme park tickets, hotel stays, airfare and sometimes meals that you can pay for all in one lump sum. This will enable you to be happily "cash-free" on your vacation, saving you hundreds on what you would have paid for each component of the same vacation individually.
Many theme parks across the United States offer packages of various types. If you're interested in package theme park vacations, ask your travel agent or check out the offers available on individual theme park, airline and hotel websites.
If you've ever been to a theme park, you know that it's easy to spend way more money than you think you will. To make sure that you don't return home with an empty bank account, these tips can help you plan your theme park vacation: