It was a normal summer day, with rain in the forecast. But we decided to make our trip out to Dutch Wonderland anyway. It might rain, but we’d enjoy what we could, and maybe just need to head home a little early.
The day started out perfectly. The rides had very short lines, if any line at all, probably because people were afraid to come to the park with potential rain and thunderstorms in the forecast. The sky was overcast, so the hot sun wasn’t unbearable.
As the day went on, the sky got darker, and after lunch it soon started to drizzle. The water park was closed for a little bit, but then it reopened. Most rides were still going – including the train!
Then there was a downpour. But the good thing was, it was while we were at the water park. So we could hardly even tell. The kids thought this was wonderful of course – to be running through the water park in the pouring rain.
It stopped raining and we went back on some amusement rides. The water park had closed again. We looked at the radar on our phones and determined that Dutch Wonderland was trying to figure out what the weather was going to do next. They had to make sure there was no thunder or lightning.
We were down at the bottom of the park, near the swings, actually riding the swings, when it started to rain.
Then it started to pour.
AND IT JUST KEPT POURING!!!
We took cover with a ride attendant under a canopy, and it just kept pouring.
I never saw it downpour so hard for so long!
Five minutes went by. We figured we would wait a few more minutes, surely it had to stop soon. Downpours are usually short things, aren’t they?
Fifteen minutes had gone by. Then thirty minutes. It was now about 4:30pm and an employee came around saying they were going to close the park at 5:00pm.
I could not believe it was still downpouring! And when I saw downpouring folks, it barely touches how much rain was coming down. It was terrential downpours!!!
The kids had decided that staying dry was boring, so they were running around getting soaked and jumping in the puddles. We had to avoid many areas because it literally had started to flood!
I loved that they made the best of the situation!
Still, we waited. Surely, it had to stop soon.
Finally, with only about 15 minutes until the park would close, we decided we had no choice.
We made a run for it!
We were of course soaked in about 5 seconds.
No, it was probably 2 seconds, if that! We could see about three feet in front of us as we made our way to the front of the park. We laughed hysterically. How fun!
Needless to say it was quite the memorable experience.
We had no idea at the severity of the weather until we got home and saw this article on Lancaster Online. The downpour had literally hovered right over the Dutch Wonderland area, creating torrential downpours. Then on top of it all, several cars had gotten stuck in the flash floods and the sinkhole that opened up on Route 30! Check out the pictures in this article to see the craziness – people were even tubing down their streets.
Throughout the morning, as we were enjoying the park, we realized kids really enjoy the little things. You would think they’d run to the best rides and want to keep moving and experiencing everything quickly (like most adults). But our kids enjoyed unexpected things.
#1. Parents joining them in the activities.
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We first noticed this at the dino dig. They were so excited to dig up dinosaur bones, but it didn’t take long until they just wanted us to dig with them. I wanted to say no, but then I remembered the time I was at the park, chose to be a kid and play line tag, and thoroughly enjoyed the freedom and peace that resulted from it!
So we got down in the sand with them and dug. And brushed off the bones. And acted like a kid, full of excitement and joy, experiencing the thrill of the pretend world of paleontology!
#2. Feeding and watching the baby ducks.
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You’d think since we live in a somewhat rural area, our kids would have their fill of animals. But still, every time we visit Dutch Wonderland, the first thing our kids love is seeing the baby ducklings walk behind their mommy.
I’m not sure if the park plans this or not, but I find it interesting that there are always baby ducks! We have gone in the early season (June) and in the middle of the season (late July) and every time we go, there are always cute little baby ducklings following the mommy duck! It really is quite the picture!
#3. Cows in the river.
We decided to take the riverboat cruise while we were there. The kids are always very excited about things we never expect, and this was one of them! What no one was expecting on our ride was to see cows walking in the creek “river” right next to us! Since we live in Lancaster County, this wasn’t a huge deal for us — we see cows every day — but to the other people on the boat, their amazement and excitement was contagious!
While riding the riverboat, we learned that this ride is not always open. In fact, it is only open occasionally. Which made us very excited that we did get a chance to ride it. Since it is a real creek that it rides in, with a real driver, and a real boat (it’s not really an amusement park ride at all), it can only operate if the creek level is not too high and not too low.
#4. Riding the carousel.
Okay, maybe this is kind of expected. But to me, the carousel is a very basic ride. You find them everywhere—at the beach, the fair, the zoo. However, for our kids, it is the first thing they see as they enter the park, and it is what they MUST do first! They absolutely love it. And as parents, we ride it with them and enjoy their excitement.
#5. Following the maps.
We noticed this when our oldest children were only 3 years old, and we were so surprised. They absolutely love following the maps! Sometimes they don’t know what they are looking at or where they are going, but now at age 6, the boys love to be our guides, watch the signs and figure out how to get to where they want to go next!
Again, this can be difficult for me. I’m very much the type to go quickly and get as much in as we can. But I have found it very peaceful and relaxing to walk slowly behind them and enjoy their curiosity and determination to learn something new!
If you didn’t get a map on your way in to the park, you can go back to the entrance and you’ll see a pocket near the ticket booths with lots of maps in them. Apparently people come back asking for them often—I guess our kids aren’t the only ones who love to follow a map. 🙂
#6. The princess bathrooms.
The first time our daughter had to go to the bathroom, my sister took her. She came back so excited she could hardly contain herself. “Mommy, the bathroom is pink for a princess! It’s soooo pretty!!”
There is also a little potty and a little sink and step stools to make it easy for any child to wash their hands. They really cater to the mommies!
#7. Eating at the lunch pavilion.
We packed our lunch (one of our 7 secret tips!) and parked next to the lunch pavilion in order to save money by not buying lunch at the park. We had no idea how much fun the kids would have eating there! They loved watching the roller coaster fly by and every time the mono rail passed over us they all had to run out and wave at the passengers!
Tomorrow I’ll be sharing our 7 secret tips that you must know before your Dutch Wonderland visit. They cover everything from how to save money to interesting facts and tidbits that we learned from a Dutch Wonderland insider!
And here’s a graphic you can pin—for future reference!
