the mommy avenger

In the sleepy little hollow of Allentown, Pennsylvania resides the unassuming amusement park known by residents as Dorney Park. Yet, when the harvest moon rises, a change comes over the park bringing pumpkins, treats, tricks, monsters, and fun for a great value. 

If you know your North American amusement parks, you will recognize the company that manages Dorney: Cedar Fair. Known amid roller coaster fans for premier thrills and experiences including a favorite of ours in Ohio, Cedar Point. 

We’ve shared our love for Dorney in the past and how much of a deal their annual passes are for those in the greater New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York area. So let’s look at what happens during their fall celebration! 

Rain throughout last night and this morning scared off the crowds, so when we got to the park just after opening we enjoyed short lines and quick access to all areas of the park.

We started at the great pumpkin fest. This area catered to the younger audience with a petting zoo (including a “unicorn”), hay mazes, fair games, and “Trick or Treat Street” where the young ones can knock on the doors to a bunch of home fronts and get Hi-Chews, Peeps, and Takitos. It was well planned, organized, set-up, and did not feel cheap like many other thrown together Halloween events. 

We enjoyed an afternoon of rides and got ready for the scares to start at 6pm. 

About five p.m. the park started to fill up, a good sign as we have been at other parks where everyone seems to scatter for Halloween festivities. Fast Lane passes come in handy when things get busy and for the extra fee you can move to the front of the line. This year, the fast passes also work at the indoor Haunts. This saved us hours in line and enabled us to get to the fun very quickly.

Once night falls on the park, the graves open and the jump scares come in abundance. Families with small children would wisely exit before the ghouls begin their hunting. There is a $15 don’t-haunt-me glowing charm that helps the monsters back off as soon as they see it. 

For those that love the adrenaline high of haunted houses, Dorney provides twelve areas for frights, three themed drink locations, and three Halloween themed shows with dancing and acrobatics know as Halloween HAUNT. We started with the shows. 

The opening scaremony’s hostess was fully in character, and exceeded our expectations with her professional level acting. The “Conjure the Night” seven deadly sins show was skippable for our tastes. We then visited the Skeleton Crew, a dance/acrobatics/fire-handling/trampoline group worth the watch. 

There is no photography in the “Haunts” so you’ll need to see the make-up artist skill up close to perform  volume checks on your vocal cords. 

Ghost in the Machine is the newest of the Haunts, and it is there for the most extreme fright seekers only. Old favorites, such as Blood on the Bayou, continue to entertain. 

Our personal favorite was the witches’ coven at “Trick or treat.” Lots of distracting little design details and props made us easier to scare. 

Dorney feeds your need for adrenaline thrills and chills during this season. It may be the best time of year to visit the park! 

Get more information at Dorney Park online and plan your next visit. You will love it!

_{*we were invited to facilitate a feature, all opinions are our own*}