10 Spookily Smart Tips to Rock Happy Hauntings at Dutch Wonderland

***Thank you to Dutch Wonderland for sponsoring this post so I could share these smart tips with you on how to rock Happy Hauntings!***

Our family LOVES fall! All the things–the pumpkins, the pumpkin-carving, the campfire dinner nights, coordinated Halloween costumes, the corn mazes, the blender honey muffins, and always, always…Happy Hauntings at Dutch Wonderland! I have shared before how much we love the Trick or Treat trail and visiting Dutch Wonderland during the Halloween season! It’s an outing my kids look forward to every year, and one we all enjoy (true story!–Dutch Wonderland is the easiest, most family-friendly [read: parent-friendly!] park to visit). Read HERE to find out why this is such a sweet fall spot to visit and then read on below for some smart tips to make it a genius win when you do visit!

10 Spookily Smart Tips to Rock Happy Hauntings at Dutch Wonderland

1. Get there a half hour before it opens. The rises may not be up and running, but often they open the gates early, which allows you trek on in and…
2. Go directly to the Trick or Treat trail. Do not pass go!! Trust me, and ignore the pleas of your kiddos to stop at spots along the way. Make tracks to Exploration Island, in the very back of the park, where the Trick or Treat Trail is located. I was VERY impressed with how quickly the trail moved this year, but…a long line is still a long line, especially with young kiddos. Get there early and avoid the entire patience-trying bit.
3. Wear costumes! This goes for kids and adults. I am a sadly boring mom, but many parents were rocking fun costumes too. And definitely dress those kids up…you spent enough time or money sorting your children’s costumes–get the wear out of them for the season! Speaking of costumes…
4. Doll your kiddos up BEFORE you head out. This is another one you’ll need to trust me on. When you finally arrive at Dutch Wonderland’s Happy Hauntings, park, and get yourselves sorted while the kids are buzzing from excitement, you will be very thankful to have one thing already done!
5. Take your own Trick or Treat buckets…only if you want them. Dutch Wonderland thoughtfully provides bags at the beginning of the trail, which well suffice. Personal bags/buckets are welcome, but not necessary.
6. Immediately after hitting the Trick or Treat Trail, head straight for the BIG rides. If you are of the roller coaster sort, Merlin’s Mayhem is FANTASTIC, and the Kingdom Coaster–these are hot spots where lines are longer. At Happy Hauntings (when the water attractions are closed), Turnpike Cars and Bumper Cars are the other spots where lines queue up quickly.
7. Happy Haunting is busiest in the middle of operating hours, around 4-7pm. Anticipate LOOONG lines at all attractions during these hours. As suggested, get there prior to opening if possible, but don’t ignore those late-evening hours if your kids can be up for it. For the first time this year, we stayed later, and were rewarded with super-short lines!
8. If your child has a disability or special consideration, don’t be hesitant to pursue the Special Access pass. At Dutch Wonderland, this is so easy to obtain, and so user-friendly. We simply explained our issues at Guest Services and were given a card, along with instructions, to use throughout the park.
9. Food lines are long! Not to mention, it can be far cheaper to dine outside the park. Since our visit landed directly over the dinner hour, we loaded our kiddos up on snacks before entering, then did a late dinner upon leaving the park.
10. Roll with it! This life is such a busy, crazy business, my friends. Taking time as a family to enjoy a fall activity is a win within itself. Should you not hit all the rides on your list, or hang for as long as you want before the kids start to lose it? It’s still a win. Pat yourself on the back for kicking off a very cool family outing. Appreciate all the fun parts and feel like a boss!

Now that you have the whole smart scoop on how to best enjoy Happy Hauntings at Dutch Wonderland, use promo code halloweenblog18 to save on tickets, and go ENJOY, friends! Truly, out of all the things we do as a family, Happy Hauntings is one on my very favorite! Such a win 🙂

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Meredith

Meredith blogs at The Mom of the Year, where she dedicatedly earns her title one epic parenting fail at a time, offering quick, relatable laughs for fellow parents and all their empathizers. She has been part of several best-selling anthologies, featured on prominent sites such as Huffington Post, In the Powder Room and BlogHer, and loves her role as the Executive VP/Operations Manager of The BlogU Conference. When she's not breaking up fights over Legos and juice boxes, she remains fully committed to sharing a less serious look at the world of parenting.

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