Kennywood for a 2 1/2 Yr Old

My daughter LOVED Kennywood at 2. (She actually first loved Idlewild at 1, which I think is a great park for little ones.)

You can go to the Kennywood website and see what he can ride, based on his height. Last year, McKenna was able to ride the Turtles, the Kangaroo, go in Noah's Ark, Garfield's Haunted House and of course, all of KiddieLand and the Merry-Go-Round. We also rode the train, which I generally don't recommend anymore because some brain wave thought it was a good idea to change it from a fun ride to an educational one about Pittsburgh's history. BORING!

The first time we went, I took a half day off to go, thinking that we would be there maybe 3-4 hours. We got there at 2 and closed the park! The only negative was that she wanted to ride things she wasn't tall enough for yet. We are very excited to go again this year!

If you have any specific questions, feel free to email me.

HTH,

Kali

I second the vote for Idlewild - MUCH better for younger ones, so much more to do and see and enjoy, especially if your little guy likes water! There are also some rides in the "big park" you can all ride together, and I think they might let parents on some of the ones in the kiddie-ride area... there are probably discount coupons around if you keep an eye out in the grocery stores etc.

If you've never watched Mr Rogers with him, be sure to try and catch it before you go (I think it's only on PBS on Sunday mornings now - maybe other times on one of the cable channels or 'on demand'? or the library system has lots of his videos!) - that way your son will recognize some of the characters on the Mr Rogers trolley ride - one of the best parts of the park, if you are a fan of Mr R! :-) Even if he's not into it, do it anyway, especially if you watched as a child - warm and fuzzy and nostalgic for us adults too!!! Have fun!!!!

Have you ever thought of Idlewild? It's owned and operated by the same people who own Kennywood. It's geared more towards the younger kids than Kennywood. At Soak Zone they have a rather large kiddie area and there's also a pirate ship with 6 different water slides of varying heights. We started going there when our then youngest was 2 (he's almost 8 now). Racoon Lagoon is wonderful for the younger kids too. Most of the rides have a height requirement of UNDER 52" and it's almost completely shaded so its much cooler than the rest of the park. They also have Story Book Forest with a lot of characters from fairy tales as well as Mister Rogers train. You can take a cooler and picnic while you're there as parking is never far away from the many entrances to the park. We love it there...it has something for just about everyone!

Speaking from experience, Idlewild would be my suggestion for you.

I agree with Denise. My kids were 3 and 4 when we took them for the first time. My younger one did well, I think, because my older one was there to hold her hand and lead the way. Another thing to consider is going in the evening. They used to have a reduced rate for entry after 5:00. Don't know the price or if they still do that, but if you want to give that a try check into it and be sure to ask what time Kiddieland closes. It doesn't stay open as long as the rest of the park.

Personally, I'd wait another year....but if you have the $$, then go and do Kiddieland!