Sesame Vs. Storyland

Story Land in Glen NH is wonderful, my son was 2 when we started going and he asked if we were going back this year - he will be 6 next week and we take vacation in August. There were only 3 rides he could not go on until last year and now he is able to go on anything he wants but all the rides are also able to have an adult accompany the child so it is truly a family park not like kiddie land at the larger parks. I thought he would be too old this year and had pre-ordered tickets for Santas village before he gets too old for that. I really think he will be disappointed that we do not go to Story Land this year. In past years when we have gone there have been older kids without younger siblings that have been there and appeared to be having fun. One person I spoke with while in line for a ride said his daughter was 10 and still insisted that he take her there because it was the daddy/daughter vacation place since she was little - he had offered to take her someplace else since she was getting older but she really wanted to go there.

Hi C.,
I have been to both Storyland and Sesame Place. I do not have any experience with a disabled child, but I have a ton of experience with a child terrified of costumed characters! My sons are ages 9 and 6, and they still want to go to Storyland this year. We have been every year for the last 5 years, and it is a great family park with parents being able to go on all of the rides with their kids if they would like to.
Sesame place is also a great vacation spot. My son was terrified of the characters so we simply avoided them. If we saw one coming, we went the other way. They are pretty good about leaving you alone if you aren't interested since they have so many other children who are dying to see them. During the parade, stand towards the back so you can still see (if you want), but they won't come up to you. Although there are a lot of water rides at Sesame, there are also rides that don't involve water. If the rides are too much, there are great water areas where you can just sit in the water and relax while your kids play.
Both places are great options. I hope you have a fantastic vacation!

If your child is afraid of characters, you should avoid Sesame Place. They walk around and mingle and can be anywhere. It would be awful for this to ruin a fun vacation.
We have also been to Storyland, and think that it's a wonderful place! The only costumed characters are "face characters". Dressed as Mother Goose or the Old Woman in the Shoe. Both just look like friendly old ladies, not characters. The rides are fun for everyone, little ones up to adults. The food is inexpensive, and there is so much to do in that area, that the vacation is sure to be a hit!
We also did Santa's Village in NH- about 30 mins from Storyland. So you can do two parks in one trip. Santa's Village is so nice, quiet and peaceful. Most rides are appropriate for the kids to ride without adults if they want to. Which is a nice thing sometimes!
There are many inexpensive, yet nice hotels and resorts in the Mount Washington area. It's a pretty affordable vacation.
-S.

My son is disabled too and we took him to Storyland. They gave us a VIP/Handicapped ticket and we got to go on the rides without waiting. They also have these strollers that you can get at the entrance and they have a few for larger children too. The only characters at Storyland I saw were the Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe and Cinderella.

Hi C.-
I'm not sure if your talking about the Storyland in NH or if there is another one out there some where but the one in NH does not have custumed creatures. Everyone is in costume but you can tell that they are real people. Unfortunately I have never been to Sesame Place so I can't help you there.

I don't remember seeing more then a few of the characters when we went to sesame place its more of a water theme park so if your kids don't like water slides and other water rides then its not the place to go. You may want to consider Hershey park they have rides for all ages I never found storyland to be anything that great.

Hi C.,

I've never been to Sesame Place, but we have been to StoryLand several times and my daughters love it. No costumed characters. Definately geared toward the younger set, but my girls are 8 and soon to be 10 and we are planning another trip there this year. Plenty of bigger rides as well as the kiddie ones.

J. L.

As Rachel K says, a lot of Sesame Place is waterpark (thank goodness, since PA gets so humid!).

There is a character parade every day, maybe twice a day, where you can see them from afar if you wish, and there are shows there as well, where you can sit as far away as you'd like.

We started our kids out at Sesame Place, and it worked out nicely that they weren't afraid of the large characters when we finally got to Disney.

Love, love,love Sesame Place! The characters are easy to avoid, stay away from Main St., they don't roam too much when it is busy as they get mobbed. It is a water park but we have gone on days when the weather wasn't great and had lots of fun in the playground area.

Hi C.,
I've never been to Sesame, and I don't have experience with disabled children. But I think that six years old is probably a bit old for Storyland. I think that the peak age for kids for that park is four --- even five is stretching it. Just my opinion. However, either way I'm sure your kids will have a delightful time, and it's wonderful that you're centering a vacation just on them.

Good luck!

I don't know anything about Sesame Place, but my husband and I took our girls to Storyland a couple years ago and they LOVED it.