Now that I’ve caught up on some sleep, I’d like to tell you about our trip we took this last week. We bought tickets for “A Day Out with Thomas,” for early morning Thursday, and since it’s a two-hour drive, we decided to drive up the day before and stay overnight. We also tacked on an extra day after to make it into a “mini” vacation before my oldest started summer school.
So, let’s start with Day 1…
We packed up the car, packed up the troops, and my parents met us at the house. It’s always best to have more adults than children on our trips, so I was very happy they were joining us. My oldest road with Grandma and Grandpa, and the twins went with us. Surprisingly, the 2 hour car trip went really well. No screaming or whining, although the twins were very concerned that Grandpa wasn’t in the car with us. I had to keep assuring them we were following him, and would meet up with him soon.
First Destination: Bay Beach
Bay Beach is an amusement park in Green Bay, WI. It’s known for its “kid” friendly rides and cheap prices.
It did not disappoint!
For $20 worth of tickets and $20 worth of food, all 6 of us were entertained and fed for over 4 hours. Now for most of us adults, the entertainment was watching the kids.
We did all go on the train ride…which was up first.
Not only do they have one train, but two. This eliminates a long wait, plus one looks like a diesel and one looks like a steamy. We had to ride both, of course.
Next up, the kids went on a bunch of rides themselves. Adults and really tall children can’t ride on most because there’s a height restriction. You can’t be taller than 50 inches. It made me a little nervous send them by themselves at first, but you get to walk them in, strap them in, then go back in to get them as soon as the ride is done.
See if you can notice a theme for our riders.
Red Bug
Red Train Car
Red Race Car
Uh Oh. Green Boat.
Nope. Red Boat.
Finally, Dad and Grandpa road on one of the bigger rides with the kids.
Adults are also allowed to accompany kids on the Merry-go-round. There are bigger rides for older children and adults, like bumper cars, a roller coaster, a giant pirate swing, tilt-a-whirl, and a giant slide, but all have height restrictions of at least 4 feet. We’re a short bunch, plus the little rides were more than enough fun.
The rides all operate by the ticket system. The smaller rides are all 1 ticket ($.25,) the rides you can accompany your kids with are 2 tickets ($.50,) and the adult rides are 3 tickets ($.75,) with the exception of the Roller Coaster, which is 4 tickets ($1.00.) There are also Pony rides for $2.00. The ride times are very generous, the lines were always really short, and the operators were pleasant and helpful.
In addition to the ticketed rides, there is also a playground on site, a couple of concession stands, and a place to sit down and eat. We got our lunch, (and another bonus!) sat outside with a view of the Lake. Bay Beach is part of Green Bay’s Park system, so it’s really beautiful surrounding all the amusement rides.
Overall, I highly recommend Bay Beach for anyone with little ones. You can’t go wrong with the prices, and seeing the kid’s faces on the rides was priceless for me.
Ps. I was not compensated in any way for my review. I just wanted to share how much fun we had!
The boys looked like they had so much fun!
Yes, they loved it! Thanks!
This looks like a fun time! Love the cute, old fashioned amusement park rides.
This looks so fun – we are moving to Michigan next year so we’ll be up in that neck of the woods, good to know about this place.
Road trips are so fun, and it looks like they had a blast!
Wow! What a great place and at such a reasonable price! I always wonder how families can afford to take their kids to big theme parks because they are so darn expensive. This seems like a great option, and close to home!
Yes! It was awesome! Thanks for reading!
Wow! That looks so fun! If I’m ever in the area I will have to visit!
I remember my parents taking me to Bay Beach when I was a kiddo! I’m sure I’ll do the same with my kids, as it’s a Wisconsin staple!
Yes, definitely! Thanks for reading!
Looks like you had a great time! Love the pictures!
what a fun trip!!
What a fun day! I bet your kids will remember it for years to come. I love making memories like that with my kids. 🙂
Me too! Thanks!
While I grew up on the West Coast we have some parks similar to these, for the life of me I can’t remember what they were called, but what I do remember is our visits were some of the best times our family had together… thanks for reminding me …
Thank you for reading!
This looks so fun!! I wish it was near me. My kids would love it!
Omg looks like y’all had a fabulous time!!! We have a park close by with similar rides. Can’t wait to take my daughter sometime this summer!
Nice! Hope you have fun too!
That’s a steal! And it’s so sweet that your twins were concerned about Grandpa’s whereabouts 🙂 🙂
We’ve never been to Bay Beach. Glad to hear how kid friendly and affordable it is!
Looks like a bunch of fun! It’s great that the grandparents came along too.
It was! And yes, we were so glad they were there too. 🙂