DUTCH Wonderland is a Pennsylvania, US, theme park designed for families with young children. With over 35 fun-filled rides and attractions, Duke’s Lagoon water play area, Exploration Island and live entertainment, Dutch Wonderland offers a host of fun things to see and do.
Having opened in 1963, the park was family owned and operated until 2001, when Hershey Entertainment and Resorts purchased the property. Then, it changed hands once again in 2010 and has been part of the Palace Entertainment/Parques Reunidos family ever since. Throughout its almost 60-year history, Dutch Wonderland has maintained its familiar and nostalgic charm with rides like the Wonder House and Wonderland Special train, while still evolving with new technology and modern rides like Merlin’s Mayhem, a family suspended roller coaster.
Each year Dutch Wonderland looks to recruit anywhere between 600 and 800 team members to cover ride operations, food and beverage, retail, games, environmental services and more, to deliver great service to its guests, who generally come from the Lancaster County area. Outside of the park’s home market, Philadelphia and Baltimore are within a one-hour drive of the property, making these destinations top markets for the park too. Typically open at the end of April/beginning of May for weekends until Memorial Day, the park then operates daily until late August, moving back to weekend operations through to early October. The entire park is then decorated and reopened for the rest of October for its annual Halloween event Happy Hauntings, before ending the year with Dutch Winter Wonderland, a festive event featuring hundreds of thousands of lights plus holiday treats and rides at the weekends – this runs from mid-November through to the end of December.
RWS Entertainment Group works closely with Dutch Wonderland to provide the park’s mascot characters including Duke the Dragon, Princess Brooke, the Knight of Safety, Merlin and Mayhem – who all bring life to the park through a variety of live shows and appearances throughout the venue. Guests are also treated to Dutch Wonderland’s Diving Shows; produced and performed by Mirage Entertainment, guests can enjoy multiple dive shows throughout the day with performers executing daring dives from heights of more than 50ft.
The three key roller coaster attractions at Dutch Wonderland are Kingdom Coaster, formerly known as Sky Princess – this was the first roller coaster designed by Custom Coasters International, featuring a train from Philadelphia Toboggan Co.; Joust, which was the first of the Chance Big Dipper models; and Merlin’s Mayhem, the park’s most recent roller coaster, which opened in 2018 and is the first family suspended roller coaster from S&S Sansei Technologies.
Other fan-favourites at the park include the Wonderland Special, a Chance C.P. Huntington train with engines 123 and 206 on the property; the Double Splash Flume, an Arrow flume ride; Flying Trapeze, a YoYo model from Chance; and the Monorail, which was designed by Intermountain Design and takes guests on a journey through and outside the park gates.
In early 2020, the property expanded with the addition of the world’s first Cartoon Network hotel, located just next door to the park. The 159-room hotel features a variety of guest rooms as well as Dream Suites, all themed to Cartoon Network shows such as Adventure Time, We Bare Bears, Powerpuff Girls and more. It is also home to the Cartoon Kitchen restaurant, the Bearista Café, indoor and outdoor pools and splash pad, a retail store with exclusive Cartoon Network merchandise and more and is a one-of-a-kind themed lodging experience that can’t be found anywhere else in the region.
Back in the park, and Duke’s Lagoon features a multi-level water play platform, kid-sized slides, a variety of spray nozzles, jets, tipping cones, a large tipping bucket and Pipeline Plunge, a classic attraction featuring two large water slides and two levels of intensity. Guests can start with the lighter Blue Slide where they are able to see the path in front of them, or choose to turn out the lights with the Black Slide and ride a different path completely in the dark. The area also includes a lounge area in keeping with the tropical paradise theme of Duke’s Lagoon, which includes palm trees, thatched umbrella shaded areas and plenty of seating.
Exploration Island sees guests journey to a prehistoric paradise full of adventure, fun and dinosaurs. Crossing the kingdom’s bridge they will discover over 22 life-like dinosaurs on the Prehistoric Path. Children can dig up ancient fossils in the Dino Dig sand pits, drive around the island on Turnpike or take a relaxing boat ride through the prehistoric era on a gondola cruise.
Other guest services at Dutch Wonderland include an offering of great food and beverage items in-park suitable for every appetite. Families can sit down for a meal at Mill Stream Eatery, Merlin’s Restaurant and Castle Café, or pick up a quick snack at one of the many other food locations.
In terms of accommodation, as well as the Cartoon Network hotel there is Old Mill Stream Campground, conveniently located steps away from the castle doors of Dutch Wonderland. The campground sits along a quiet stream on 15 acres, is near to outlet shopping, restaurants and theatres and offers over 130 campsites, plus tent camping sites and family cabins.
At a Glance
Opened in 1963
Part of the Palace Entertainment/Parques Reunidos family
Over 35 rides
Three key rides – Kingdom Coaster, Joust and Merlin’s Mayhem
Suppliers include Chance, S&S Sansei Technologies, Arrow, Intermountain Design
Also incorporates Dukes Lagoon waterpark area
Accommodation includes Cartoon Network hotel and Old Mill Stream Campground
https://www.dutchwonderland.com/
All details correct at the time of publishing – InterPark magazine May/Jun 2021 edition
