Opening Day at Sesame Place

My family had such a blast trick-or-treating at Sesame Place last fall.  There were so many fun things to do, despite the fact that all of the water rides were closed.  We couldn’t wait to explore Sesame Place in the Summer, so I was delighted when I was asked to become an ambassador for the 2011 season. 

Saturday was opening day.   We were a few minutes early and I thought we’d have it wait outside, but the staff kindly let all of us early birds inside.  As soon as we came up to the gate, Emma exclaimed, “Play!”   Yep, she remembers.

As we entered the park, staff informed us of the 10am parade so we quickly lined up and waited.  After a few minutes, all of the characters made their entrances.

The Sesame Place ambassadors and our guest bloggers had the opportunity for a special meet and greet with Murray, the latest character to move in on Sesame Street.  You may recognize him from Sesame Street’s “Word on the Street” show. We have a ton of photos of Emma and Murray – I’m pretty sure they’re best pals now.

From there we explored the park, enjoying the rides, lunch and souvenir shopping.  My original plan was to attend the press conference alone, thinking Emma and Kevin would be bored there.  Far from it!

We first heard from the President of Sesame Place, Robert Caruso.  His excitement for the new “Neighborhood Street Party” parade was contagious, dubbing it “the largest production ever of Sesame Place’s 31-year history.”  I was able to chat with him after his speech and learned that he started at Sesame Place as an intern.  To me, that really speaks for the type of organization that Sesame Place is.  He was such a nice, down-to-earth guy, and he truly appreciates the hard work of his staff members. 

Emma and the handsome Jack, in front of a parade float.

After the unveiling speech, the children (and parents) met the entire crew of Sesame Place characters.  We even got to examine one of the parade floats up close.  This was by far the best part of our day, as Emma was in her glory, and I enjoyed chatting with many blogger friends, ambassadors, and Sesame Place staff.

Finally, we were treated to the very first “Neighborhood Street Party” parade.  With 11-floats, this educational parade is filled with three impressive dance performances, great music, and all of our beloved Sesame Place characters.  In June Sesame Place will launch the nighttime version featuring lights and synchronized music, and in September the spooktacular version will be put in place.

Sesame Place is located 30 minutes from Philadelphia and 90 minutes from New York City. For more information, call 1-866-GO-4-ELMO or visit www.sesameplace.com.  This season as a Sesame Place ambassador, I’ll be posting more news and hosting giveaways for park passes.   Stay tuned for much more!

Also, make sure you check in with the other Sesame Place ambassadors to get their take:
Corine – Complicated Mama, Karen – A Child Grows, Adam – DaDa Rocks, Kathleen – Katydid & Kid, Stephanie – Dial M for Minky, Jessica – Momma’s Gone City and Melissa – The Staten Island Family.

As a Sesame Place ambassador, my family will receive free admission, parking and discounts on park purchases for the 2011 season, thanks to the Big Bird Season pass.