I have been watching the weather for weeks to plan this trip. I wanted to pick a beautiful day that wouldn't be scorching hot for my toddler's first experience of Storybook Land. I remember going to this little theme park as a kid so I needed the conditions to be right for a wonderful day! Having finally just went, it was definitely a highlight of our summer!
Storybook Land is a theme park for little kids, especially perfect for that 7 and under crowd. All the rides are geared towards younger ages (nothing thrill-seeking about this place unless a teacup ride is your version of a thrill ride) and everywhere you turn you see elements of that wholesome storybook theme. While my toddler actually isn't familiar with most of the stories, this mama was so happy to show him around the stomping ground of my yester-years!
The first thing I noticed is how well-kept the whole park is. Everywhere you turn there are beautiful flowers, clean walkways, and freshly painted attractions. It honestly looked better than I remembered it! Sure, some of the attractions are older, especially the animatronics, but our gaggle of toddlers, kindergarteners and grandparents still loved it all!
The park opens around 11am on most days (but check the times because I am sure this varies per season) and on the day we were there it was open until 6pm. We stayed almost the whole day, leaving around 5:30pm (yup we skipped the afternoon nap for a late nap on the car ride home) because we were having SO MUCH FUN. We went on a Thursday in late August. The parking lot was pretty busy but as the day goes on, the crowds start to fade. The last hour or so the park was almost empty-- it's a good time to ride the rides that have longer lines (like the construction vehicle ride, and the old-fashioned cars) at the end of the day. Right before we left, there was NO wait for most attractions.
I feel like this park is really reasonably priced. You need a ticket for ages 2 and up at $29.95 per ticket if you buy in advance online. Tickets are a few dollars more at the entrance. We packed a picnic lunch which you are allowed to bring into the park but there are snacks and food available at several places in the park if you prefer. If you have picky eaters or allergies, bringing your own food is probably best. There is a great picnic area to sit and eat-- we brought a whole cooler of food and drinks and that worked perfectly for us. We sent someone from our party to grab the cooler from the car once we were ready for lunch and definitely saved some money doing so!
There are so many cute attractions here! The favorites in the group included the old-fashioned cars that kids can drive, the trains (there are 2!), the Alice in Wonderland tunnel and card maze, the mini ferris wheel, the construction ride and mini excavators next to it and Mary's little lamb that you can pet and feed (and let me tell you-- that lamb isn't little anymore with all the food it gets during a park day. Yes, it's an actual lamb!). There were plenty of things our group didn't do but we were able to get to everything we WANTED to do. Luckily, we had a group that didn't have any afternoon meltdowns that a snack break couldn't fix!
Honestly, if you haven't been with your toddler yet, I strongly urge you to consider a fall visit. The stories will make YOU nostalgic, and this sweet, mostly shaded park has fun packed in every step. You don't wait very long for anything and you can support a small business that has been around since 1955! They also decorate for Halloween and Christmas so you can expect some fun themed attractions as well!
Storybook Land was a 10 out of 10 for us. If you haven't gone yet-- pop it to the top of the list!