Family Fun at Kings Dominion

Family Fun at Kings Dominion

My kids are starting to get older, so this summer my husband and I decided it was time to making some more fun memories with them.  Living in Maryland has some awesome perks, including being close to several states like Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware and more.  We’ve been spending a lot of time at amusement parks lately, so I wanted to take the kids to places they’ve never visited this summer.  I remember going to Kings Dominion when I was in college, and my husband use to take his students there all the time, so we started planning a trip down during their Spring Bloom event.

We started off by posting a teaser to where we were heading that day.  Of course by the time I posted were already almost at the park.  Locals in the DMV area knew almost immediately were the family was spending the day.

We arrived and heading in the parking lot.  I highly recommend springing for the preferred parking, it was so close to the park entrance and it only cost a few bucks more.

Thanks to Kings Dominion for providing complementary tickets for my family and I to visit the park. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own.

After picking up our tickets, clearing security and entering the park, we stopped by the fountain to take a few photographs.  With four kids its always hard to get a photograph with everyone laughing or smiling.  These were the best ones from the day.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFZZ0GEIIEvbSfc87sRKuRmRq0Dc1HX2pnS53I0/?taken-by=oklahoma_gentleman

Luckily we found someone to take a photograph of the whole family so we had it for our personal memories.

Before heading into the park we stopped by the official measuring station for the kids to get measured and get wrist bands, this made the process of getting on rides easier and they didn’t have to get measured at every ride, the ride attendant was able to look at their band to make sure they could ride the rides.

We stopped by the fountain to enjoy some of the shade while plotting our desired route for the park.  The Spring Bloom festival was in full swing at the park when we visited.  We saw beautiful flowers and other spring decorations around the park.

We headed to Planet Snoopy since it’s where most of the kids rides are located in the park.  I really liked that everything for the kids was concentrated to that one area, making it easy for us to navigate and enjoy.

During the Spring Bloom Festival there was a petting zoo in Planet Snoopy.  We didn’t stop there but lots of families enjoyed petting the animals and even getting the opportunity to feed them.

These are just a few of the topiaries that we spotted in the park.  My son was so excited to see all the Peanuts characters throughout the Planet Snoopy area of the park.

Kings Dominion was one of the cleanliest parks that I’ve visited in a long time.  It was pretty much spotless, not a single piece of trash was on the grounds at all.  Even the petting zoo area was very clean and organized.  We also noticed that Lowes was in the park passing out free Build and Grow kits to families so they could build different projects while relaxing in the shade.

The park also features amazing safety signs near all their rides, it gives critical information about who can ride the ride, the thrill levels, who should avoid the rides, height restrictions, weight limits, and even accessibility information for park visitors needing them.

The kids had to take a picture with this giant Charlie Brown statue.  They had so much fun trying the different rides around the park.

The kids even tried the roller coaster all by themselves and in the front row at that.  I was so proud of them for getting out and having fun on their own.

Our autistic son had the most fun he’s ever had at a theme park.  Usually he’s panicking and upset about the crowds.  Plant Snoopy was very clear for us, the lines weren’t that long at all, the longest we waited for a ride was about 15 minutes, which was still torture for him.  When we choose the rides for younger kids the wait times were a lot shorter.  He absolutely loved Whirly Birds and we ended up on that ride at least five times.  If you’re interested in skipping the line on some of your favorite rides check out the Fast Lane program.  I also recommend checking guest services to learn about the Board Pass Program.

• Kings Dominion is proud of their reputation for accommodating guests with disabilities through their Ride Admission Policy. To continue to provide equal access for all guests, be aware that all guests with mobility impairments or ASD will now receive a Ride Boarding Pass with wait times. The Ride Boarding Pass Program allows guests to access rides at specified times via the exit ramp in order to avoid crowds and waiting in the regular queue lines.

If you’re planning on visiting the park with someone with special needs, or someone on the Autism Spectrum be sure to visit the website for tips and helpful information before your trip begins.

Planet Snoopy didn’t just have rides for kids but family rides as well.  My husband and I ended up splitting up a few times taking turned with the kids on rides.  I had the younger kids, and he had the older two.  The park also offers a Parent Swap program for certain rides.  To participate and learn more visit Guest Services at the main gate.

Kings Dominion is open all summer long for hours of family fun and entertainment.  Visit the website for special offers, events, park times, and more.  If you live close to the park you can purchase a Season Pass, Kings Dominion offers three different season pass levels, all with special perks for pass holders like, discounts for friends, parking, even admission to all Cedar Fair Parks when you purchase the Platinum level season pass.