A couple of updates since last year... Food: Lines were long, places were closed, and lots of items were unavailable. I paid nearly $4 for a small soda and $2.50 for a small bag of chips. Ridiculous! And, for a kid's park, there's a couple of food stations that aren't very kid friendly. Games: If you were expecting $1 per game, most everything is now $2. Bah! What I love about the park: If I could get discounted tickets again, I might consider going to spend the entire day at SoakZone. Also, pro tip - If you head to SoakZone later in the day, you may be able to snag a cabana for free. If the rental station is closed, and you find a cabana that is not reserved, it's all yours! What I hate about the park: Wayfinding signage seems to have improved; however, it's still difficult to get around. And, beware - the height requirements have changed for a lot of rides, so you may find that your littlest ones can't ride their favorite rides anymore. Overall, it seems Idlewild & SoakZone are beginning a slow decline into obsolescence. The park is still worth at least one visit in your kid's life - but you really need a good game plan to keep costs down and spirits high. read more

Way over priced. Almost 50$ per person and literally the park doesn't look like it's received any of those funds to update any part of it. Story book forest is filled with perverted nursery rhymes. The gravel makes it's extremely hard for strollers which makes zero sense considering the size of the park. They barely gave any candy during the trick or treat. Go to kennywood this was just not worth the drive or money. read more

We're from out of state and drove quite a ways to get here with our almost 4 year old. Last season we attempted to go to the park, but it was closed due to weather. We were given rain check tickets and we used them this last week. In summary, the park was disappointing. Very dated. Rides were dirty and the whole place looks like it needs a deep cleaning. Many of the rides were shut down. The rides that were open had short lines..... but they did not move. We waited 45 minutes to get on Daniel Tiger's trolly, and the line was only 50 feet long. They were only running 1 trolley. The roar of kids melting down waiting in a 45 minute line was ridiculous. Kept overhearing the employees talking about people taking breaks. Sad. The kid running the airplane ride was stopping to measure every kid with the stick... even ones who were clearly tall enough to ride. Then running the ride less than half full. The place has serious operational issues. The lack of cellphone signal was also annoying. We will not be returning. Cedar Point's kid area is much better and much closer to us for a comparable price. read more

Pretty outdated, especially storybook forest. Also very upsetting that my 2 year old was only able to ride maybe 4-5 rides? She didn't meet the height requirements for almost every ride in KIDDIE LAND. And parents aren't allowed to ride with? She's able to ride triple that at Kennywood. Pretty disappointing for the price and the fact that it's supposed to be a park for children. Soakzone was a hit though. read more

If you have a kid between 3-10 then this is the perfect place to take them. We made a few mistakes with my 3 year old that I would do over. We tried to get her to go on rides in the elementary kid area before taking her to the preschool area. She loved the preschool area but didn't want to go on any rides after being scared in the big kid area. I think we should have started her on the little kid area and she may be willing to go on the big kid rides. A three year old is big enough to go on many rides as long as the adult is with them. My 16 month old could go on a few rides but not many. They both loved the mini teacups and little train. My 3 year old struggled on the bumper cars but it was funny watching her go in circles. The biggest negative was that the funnel cake was burnt to a crisp. I can't wait to go back next year with hopefully a more adventurous 4 year old. Parking is free, food can be brought in from the outside, go when it is slightly overcast because the place is empty, and go to the little kid area earlier, Storybook is a good thing to do right away because the kids are excited and after the rides they might see this as boring. read more

See all

Idlewild is still going strong despite COVID! A few attractions have been removed just due to age and some other circumstances, but aside from that the park is still a great place to go with family. The water park is a highlight here, the lifeguards are really attentive and it just feels like a safe place to take your kids. read more

We had the pleasure of Kennywood yesterday, and made the trip to Idlewild today. Definately different parks, but there is one theme that binds them together...they are both historically relevant parks that take you back in time, to when life was more tranquil and simple. No vomitoriums at Idlewild; this is pefect for young families. It's clean, it's safe, the rides are good, and even if there is only one roller coaster (which is 900 feet long, but worth the ride), who cares. I didn't expect Disney or Six Flags...I expected my 9, 6 and 3 year old boys to have a great day, and that they did. The Soakzone was the favorite, with the wave pool and slides...and, a real, performing human cannonball! Other favorite rides were the Howler (never rode one of them before!), the Flying Aces, and the Rollo Coaster. We all also enjoyed the Storybook Forest, Mr. Roger's ride, and the jumpin' jungle. All very well done. Food was good, decently priced. And the fries from "Potato Patch" were great! It definately stacks up with Knoebels of Elysburg, PA, on of our favorites. Both are real historically-relevant parks (unlike 6 Flags, etc. built in a concrete jungle), with historic buildings, great landscaping, beautiful natural settings, and rides that my kids enjoy at this age. It's the 1950's, frozen in time. One of the worst part of kids getting older will be seeing them outgrow these rides someday, and being forced into the more obnoxious, loud, crowded theme parks. For now, at Idlewild, life is good! The other regret is that it is 4+ hours away from home! read more

Read some of the reviews where people were complaining about the price. If you buy your tix at Giant Eagle and pack a cooler, a family of four would pay $140 for an ALL DAY experience at the park and soak zone. C'mon people, buck up and quit your whining. I, personally, am not a huge fan of massive water parks that you must share with the mass public. Sharing water space with that many people and sharing communal areas creeps me out on a biological level. Now, for the park itself. I love it. Lots of shade keeps the park cool. Storybook Forest is a must because nursery rhymes are going out of style and it is such a throwback. The park has an Old West feel which is kind of cool. There is jumping jungle which is huge obstacle courses with netting and places for the kids to play. It entertained the kids for hours. The workers are mostly miserable but that's all amusement parks besides Disney so I won't hold it against them. I've been going here since I was a little kid and will continue doing so. Keep up the good work. read more

Idlewild & SoakZone - View from top of ferris wheel - Amusement Parks Near Me - Ligonier, Pennsylvania

See all

We visited on Saturday and it seemed like every other attraction/shop was closed, including the trolley to Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Need better lighting in the restrooms. There was a water station at Guest Services, which was great, but there weren't anymore that I could find. More water stations throughout the park would be appreciated. On the plus side, the lifeguards at the splash pad were VERY focused. read more

Went to Idlewild on Monday for the first time in probably 20 years. This time I took my daughter who is 20 months old. We had a fantastic day. She loved Story Book Forest. True it looks like it hasn't been updated since I've been there last but it was still nice to walk through. There was only one character out: a princess at the castle. She was super cute. I forgot to mention that upon entry into the park we received heavily discounted tickets for next year. They said that some workers had gone back to school so things may be understaffed. I really didn't notice anything understaffed except for story book forest. My daughter LOVED daniel tigers neighborhood both the ride and the show. We did the waterpark around 4pm and it seemed a bit less crowded. The kids lazy river was awesome. I would definitely spend more time here next trip. We ate lunch in the park but opted for dinner at a restaurant down the road. We made the right choice as there aren't a ton of food options in the park. My only real complaint about the day was it was over 90 degrees and we could only locate two water fountains in the park. Would be nice to have one located near every bathroom. We will be back next year with our discounted tickets. read more

Reading some reviews, I wonder if people visited the same park we did... Is Idlewild perfect? Definitely not. Is it worth the gate price of $45(ish). Maybe not. But if you have a season pass or one of the other discounted ticket options, it really is worth the visit. I hear a lot of complaints that Story Book Forest isn't "modern" enough and that kids don't know these stories anymore. This isn't Disneyworld. So Disney movies aren't going to be included. The first few times my kids visited, they had never heard any of the classic fairytales and they still enjoyed their visit. Now that they know more of the stories, they really enjoy being able to see them on display and walk through some of the houses. The one down side to Storybook forest is that there is no bathroom in it. This seems to be really poor planning for an area specifically designed for kids and could lead to an accident as there is no quick way to get to a bathroom if you are in the middle of it. Highlights of storybook forest for my kids are always the live characters. The Old Woman in the Shoe and Princess Lilly. What I especially enjoy about Princess Lilly is that they have a line outside so your family/group are the only ones with her at the time. And she gives you a decent amount of time without feeling rushed. I really like that once kids are 36", they can ride almost everything in the kids area by themselves. And there is a decent number of options. I have two complaints about the park. One is the food prices. It is crazy how expensive it is to eat in. An order of potato patch fries is almost $12. Granted, they give you a lot of fries and you could share them with several people, but it is really high for just French fries. Same goes for things like ice cream which is about $5 for a fairly small serving. The second is the ride attendants and policies. In kiddie land, especially. For example. they are only allowed to load half of the boats or half of the airplanes at a time unless there are two ride operators. There has yet to be two operators any time I've been there this summer. We waited over a half an hour for the stupid airplane ride. This could easily trigger toddler melt downs (which it did for several in line when we were). Is it a perfect park? No. But I do think it is worth a visit if you have kids (age 10 and under, or so) in your family. Just pack your lunch and expect that there will be a wait time for some rides. read more

So much disappointment. My sister had two free passes so we only had to pay for one person, and at $45 I think that was a complete waste of money. I used to come here once a year as a kid when they had the pay-per-car deal. Let me tell you, this place is a dump! The Storybook Forest was our main priority because my nephew is only 18 months, so we thought it would be nice for pictures and interacting with the characters. Mother Goose was so lively and friendly, but the rest was just a collection of closed, unkempt displays and characters just saying a quick hello or nodding at us. The new King Cole castle was very nice, but of course as we showed up, the princess was going on break and wouldn't be back for 20 minutes, which is a lifetime to an infant so we decided to pass on meeting her. The gift shop was small and crowded so it was hard to get the stroller through. You might say, why would you bring a stroller in there then? Well you have to pass through it to get out of the Forest. The food was just plain bad and EXTREMELY OVERPRICED!! I had this conversation with my sister, who was upset we were having a lousy time. I told her that I have absolutely no problem shelling out money for an awesome time with my family, as long as I don't feel as if I'm being robbed. $4.50 for a standard slice of pizza? $12.50 for nachos? $8 for 3 meatballs on a hotdog bun? Come on. And none of it even tasted remotely worth it. The park was in complete disrepair, the same photography people stopped us about 5 times to ask us for a picture after we politely declined the previous 4 times, and there were maybe 4 games open that we saw, thank goodness one of them was the fish pond which my nephew loves. The games were overpriced and the prizes were small pieces of junk. Who still gives out spider rings and Chinese finger traps? *facepalm* Maybe I am biased because I visited Del Grosso's Park 2 months ago and the games were cheap with great toy prizes, the food was affordable and delicious, and the park was clean and tidy. Nevertheless, this park's appearance was just unacceptable to me. As I mentioned before, my nephew is young so we only planned to ride the train or Daniel Tiger ride. We got to the train and the man sitting on it said his conductor hasn't shown up yet so he couldn't start the ride, but could when he showed up. Where in the heck was he?? Couldn't you go and ask the front desk if you could have a substitute? And is the train that hard to operate? The whole thing was very bizarre. We went to eat next door for about 1 hour and had a view of the ride- the 'conductor' never showed up. We decided to cut our losses and go to Daniel Tiger, on the other side of the park. Idlewild decided that they only wanted to run one trolley, so although the line was probably less than 30 people long, the wait was 1.5 hours. I was in complete shock at this lack of appreciation for paying customers. The water park was a nice surprise, and I could see myself there on a hot day, but it was bit cold, so it was an absolute ghost town (I counted less than 10 guests in there, most were getting a tan). It's nice that it is included in admission, I guess. The lounge chairs themselves looked worn and rusty, because I'm sure no one takes the time to cover or put them away each night. The water park oddly enough was well-stocked with employees for customers who didn't exist. They were pretty much just sitting there looking like zombies waiting for anyone to come by. I hate to sound like a broken record, but I have to think this is the result of the new owners. I guess Kennywood and Sandcastle has a bigger budget and workforce but this park needs a dramatic rehab. It is a complete waste of money and time. I have not been this disappointed in an establishment, probably ever, but I will not be spending one more dime here. And I suggest you don't either. If you have a vehicle and don't mind the drive, go to Del Grosso's Park; you will be so much happier! By the way, the star that I'm forced to put is for the free parking (which doesn't matter because you are robbed for admission at the entrance gate) and the water park that I thought looked pretty nice but didn't even take advantage of. read more

Bathrooms- majority were out of service . Limited bathroom space One of the water slide tubes was slow due to only one slide in operation. Employee advised due to low staffing. Took over an hour to ride it with a 6 year old Goose droppings all over the grass in children's area in the water park. Unacceptable when children are in bare feet. 3 rides were down and out of service Hootin holler ribs and chicken were burnt and over cooked. Very dry. If you're going to cook this type of food for the masses , get it right. Cold water in showers at soak zone. Locker pay machine was broken and wouldn't accept credit cards. Kept saying card is unreadable for everyone trying to use it. Not just my card. Not sure how this was voted the best child's amusement park, run down and needs a lot of updates. read more

Pros: great for younger kids, and if they like Daniel Tiger and classic nursery rhymes and stories, it can be so fun for them! Plus if they like water, they'll be content the whole day. The storybook forest was pretty cool! It was fun to walk through different themes and see different houses and set ups. At the end in the castle, you get to meet Princess Lily also. There's a few rides for small kids, but a lot were 56" and up or required an adult. Cons: it's pricey for how run down it is....and it's run down. The gravel parking is annoying (if I can be picky lol...plus the cars coming and going took up the only paved parts so we had to push the stroller in the gravel to get to the park). There's also no security, which is nice that doesn't take added time but it's also kind of unsettling in this day and age. Once your car is through, you're good to go. The food is expensive and not good. ($54 for 1 drink, a gross personal pizza, a chicken sandwich, side of fries, and a Philly sandwich. All were yucky lol) The Ferris wheel was super slow moving in line- they only filled every other cart. So it took a long time. We went on Labor Day and the park was decently busy but not running on a full schedule. Lots of rides and food stands were closed, as well as certain water rides and stores and food stands. I think being Labor Day and a holiday, they should have opened everything OR given a discount rate. It was disappointing especially because some of the rides that were still going broke down (the train and the trolley in Daniel tigers neighborhood) I also wish more rides were for 36" and up. Because our children couldn't ride much. All in all, we are glad we experienced it, but I think it was overpriced for limited operations. If your kids like Daniel tiger, seeing the live show and getting your picture with Daniel and Katerina after is worth it in our book. Our kids were SO excited, so it made it worth it to us. read more

The water park side was really nice. My friend and I had almost the entire thing to ourselves (it was 72 degrees and cloudy). It was a blast. Everything on that side looked new and was pretty fun. The wave pool had big waves and looked nice. The life guards were pretty cool. The lazy river is new this year and was where most of the people hangout (besides the wave pool). The theme park side was out dated and seemed more like a fair grounds rides. It did have Mr. Rogers trolley ride that was creepy and old. It got 4 stars because I came to play in the water park side. read more

See all

As someone who's been coming here since a baby, I have increasingly become disappointed and frustrated with the quality of the service, food, and attractions. When we came here as kids, everything was open and of good quality. Excuse me while I reminisce...Bacon cheese fries had real bacon. Every game booth was open. The Wild Mouse (the park's only thrill roller coaster) was open. The Rollo Coaster (the park's classic coaster known for its hillside architecture) was open with screaming riders. These are just a few of my observations and complaints. Since new management has taken over, this park has gone downhill. It's actually quite a shame. The Soak Zone is probably what is keeping this park open. Even the water park had two of the raft water slides and one of the individual water slides closed. The lockers are no longer rented out by a human but instead an ATM-looking machine which takes a long time to use. Small lockers are $10 to rent so get all the use you can out of them; the water park closes at 6pm. Venture here at your own expense. read more

Idlewild & SoakZone - Ride Closures: a usual for this park - Amusement Parks Near Me - Ligonier, Pennsylvania

This is an aging park, but a great place for kids. The park is not very entertaining between rides, there isn't much to look at. Daniel Tiger's neighborhood is a hit with kids and they get to meet Daniel Tiger. They displays on Daniel Tiger's train and in story book forest are a bit mediocre and run down. They have some of every kind of food, but only one of each, so you have to walk to the right one. The parking is excellent as it is feet from the park. Not to mention parking is included in admission. They also have lots of pavilions for events. You can get season tickets for less than the price of two days admission, so that was a no brainer. It's no Disney World, but its worth taking the kid to a few times a year to get out of the house if you have the season pass. read more

See all

I wish they had half stars and I'd rate it a 3.5. The amusement park side is nice and the water park overall was a fun experience for my daughter and her friend, but there are some definite upgrades needed in some areas. I love the shade and low key feel of the amusement park. It's not for the big roller coaster fan, but it has fun ride for kids under say, 10 or 11. The lines weren't too long and there was a good variety of rides. The water park has several fun areas but when it's crowded there are issues. For example, there were not enough inter tubes for the lazy river and there was a big wait. People were practically arguing over who got the next inter tube and the lifeguards weren't great about keeping an orderly line going. There was a similar situation of lack of organization on the area near the sides, There was no direction about which line to wait in and we waited forever for a slide because the line was merged with the line for another, more popular slide. It was chaotic. Oh, and while waiting in this long line, ginormous buckets of water were dumped on you. It's overwhelming for a lot of people, especially the kids. The wave pool is fun, but you have to watch the kids VERY carefully around the bigger people moving around the pool, especially when those waves start. So, overall, I'd probably go back again, but I'd adjust my expectations a bit. I'd also spend more time on the dry side of the park. But my daughter says she like the Soak Zone best, so she's still a fan. read more

We visited yesterday, and I have a few things to mention... the hours are awful. Let's drive an hour with 2 small kids that you have to wake up early to go and then rush all day to things with. It is expensive there and you don't even get to go to half of what is offered. OMG the bees!!! There were bees and yellow jackets everywhere you turned! I know it is a park and it is outside but they really need to do something about that it is dangerous. They don't carry extended sizes in the Mr. Rogers T-shirt's... just not what it used to be. read more

I haven't been here in 25 years and it's apparent that large parts of the park haven't been painted or repaired in that time as well. This park is a scam at $42/adult. The jumping jungle area is full of mosquitoes, rotted wooden structures and they only have 5 or 6 burlap sacks for the slide. All the major rides, wild mouse, log flume, etc., were closed. The rides in Daniel Tiger's neighborhood were under staffed. A number of theses were closed entirely while others were only running at half capacity due to the under staffing. The "landmark" carousel was seriously dilapidated and featured plenty of three legged horses. I would estimate that more than 50% of the restaurants were closed as well limiting your food choices to french fries and cheese steak sandwiches. The "World's Best Children's Park"? According to who? read more

Frankly, 2 stars is generous. Visited this park with my husband, 3yo and 6yo on a non-holiday Monday last week and can't seem to wrap my head around a few items. Storybook forest: why is there a disgusting unkept SWAMP in the middle of it? At some point it was a pond. What happened? Needs some TLC and lots of it...while building a castle adds some value, leaving the rest of it in shambles makes it uninviting. Soak zone: rafters run in particular...I was delighted to see that the line was short for this attraction, as it was always a favorite (with a long line) as a child. However, the line moved ridiculously slowly. Only 1 lane was in operation. When I asked the employee why, he said that the other lane hadn't been in operation ALL LAST SEASON! what? There's more... The whip and tilt a whirl were 2 faves from my childhood and I couldn't wait to share them with my 6yo. But not today...no, because today, you will find the whip and tilt a whirl in a sad pile (unassembled). They look like they haven't worked for a long time. Here's an idea...either get the parts to fix them, or get rid of them! They are sadly cluttering up the once beautiful Park that we all remember. (Along with the mini golf... that is also in a sad pile in plain sight) Overall, RUN DOWN. what happened to this beautiful Park? Best in the world? I'd love to know what year that was achieved because it could not have been in recent years. Today, my family and I visited Delgrosso's Amusement Park in Tipton, PA. It was an amazing experience in whole (rides, atmosphere, FOOD, bathrooms, ACCESSIBILTY, everything! They recently invested over $12,000,000 in their Park and water attractions and IT SHOWS. The PRIDE that the staff takes in this place is abundantly clear as soon as you enter the parking area. CLEAN. WELL KEPT. And FUN. (And AFORDABLE...online tickets were only $26.95 each) Idlewild overcharges and then they don't invest the money in maintaining and/or fixing the rides/attractions that they have. the park is very hard to navigate and inaccessible when trying to find certain attractions. But the more important point is the lack of PRIDE in the once beautiful Park. Never thought that I'd be leaving this type of review for one of my childhood favorite places to visit. read more

I am from GA and I always enjoyed going this place when I was visiting my grandparents while growing up. My grandmother, parents, wife, and I took my one year old son here last month during our visit. We got there at opening. We first rode the merry-go-round, which was great. It started to rain a little, so we went and rode the Mr. Rodgers' ride. This ride is begging to be refurbished, but was still fun. After finishing our ride, we heard a BS announcement that the park was closing in 30 minutes due to the weather. It was only raining, and there wasn't even any thunder or lightning! I went to guest services to see what our options were since we had been in the park for less than an hour, and since we live so far away. I was offered a raincheck and nothing else. I explained my situation and was rudely shot down by a peeon claiming to be a manager. I understand that a voucher is there policy, but at least some empathy would have been nice. Not only did the decision to close the park contradict the weather policy stated on their website (says will reopen rides after rain passes, not close the park), but the rain stopped an hour after we were kicked out of the park and the rest of the day was beautiful! Would have been a great park day! I still like the park, but current management sucks and clearly does not care about it or their customers. I am unsure if I will attempt a return in the future or not at this point. Bottom line, if there is even the slightest chance of a shower, don't bother going, as the park will close when the employees tire of the rain. read more

This is not the Idlewild of my childhood. I can't describe how disappointed I was with my trip here today. I'm not sure if you can blame it being the end of the season or just being understaffed for the day, but I've never seen so many things closed or half open before. (and the few stores that were open didn't open until 2:30?) Only running THREE Wild Mouse carts during the afternoon or only SIX bumper cars set up at once? I had never noticed so many closed games either through out the day. The worst part though, which there is no excuse for, is the general rundown-ness of the entire park. The bathrooms looked in need of overhauls and the entire Story Book Forest was just sad. Empty animal sections, missing attractions, worn paint and just general feeling like the park owners don't care anymore to keep the area quaint. The fact the entire Mineshaft Kitchen was closed down except for the potato patch seems a sign of hard times on the "World's Best Kids Park." Or my childhood favorite Confusion Hill which looks like it hasn't had an ounce of upkeep since I was a child 15 years ago. (Half patched up walls, worn from use and certain attractions not in complete working order) The updated Mr. Rodger's Neighborhood wasn't bad, but it did feel like a cheep downgrade of the original. No more animatronics of the characters and what was previously Lady Elaine Fairchilde's Museum-Go-Round doesn't even spin open as the trolly arrives toward it. I'm not sure if its the change of ownership to the Madrid based company since 2008 or just general lack of customers coming to the park these days.... But I feel really cheated from the $40 I spent on this crap. Unless I hear of a major overhaul, I won't be back. Unless you are under 10 years old, you'll face disappointment in just about everything. One thing I will give credit to is the water park, Soak Zone. I walked past and it seemed fine and busy from my perspective. read more

This is NOT a good park for single parents. I spent over $100 for me and my two daughters to go. The first ride my kids see is the ferris wheel. We get in line. When it's our turn to get into the seat, the lady there measures my youngest daughter and oldest daughter, they are 8 and 5. I was told that my 5 yr old was between the 36"-48" height, and that I have to ride with her. That's understandable. Then she tells me that my 8yr old is over 48", and that the 3 of us can't ride together. There are many rides that have this odd requirement. Talk about a huge disappointment. Nothing like spending a lot of money to not even be able to go on many rides. I would not recommend this park to anyone. read more

I have loved this park in years past. We are going on our 6th year as season pass holders and sadly, it will be our last. Even my 2 year old thought it was dull and boring. The entire atmosphere is tainted by disgruntled workers who do not want to be there. They swear, they are rude, they complain of their job (about co-workers and bosses), and they are miserable. Even Good Ship Lolly boy in Story Book Forest was awful. He and Goldilocks were so busy chatting/flirting, they could not take a moment to acknowledge my kids. Mother Goose and The Old Lady in the Shoe were fantastic, as always! So was whoever was wearing Duke. However, the overall sadness was contagious. My children were in terrible moods as they were feeding off the misery of the staff. Guest services and even the management were not much better - dismissive and rude sums up their stellar personalities. Half the attractions were closed, but this is the norm there. But not just rides ... food stands, gift shops, games, etc. I wish I could get my money back for our season passes this year because we will not be going back. I wrote to the owners first but they have ignored my email without even a simple response/apology so here is my Yelp review, as promised. The park itself is gorgeous. Too bad the negative vibes, high costs for not much open and lonnnnggg drive just don't outweigh the good. Next year: Kennywood passes it is :) read more

And I have gone two more times to make my passes "worth it". I'll give it a 2.5. I get the Idlewild has to hire students because they are only open seasonally and don't pay fantastically well, but (ready for the old lady speech?) I seriously wish kids these days had more pride in themselves and their work. Upon my last visit, a young man working a game booth didn't stop eating a cupcake as he took our money and we played the game. Literally he didn't set it down while we were there. He spoke with his mouth full of food. It was really uncomfortable -- as he clearly just did NOT care or maybe didn't understand?! Another game booth operator had no idea how to make change. Like, if I pay for 4 kids to play a $1 game, and give you a 20, he gave me $13.00 back... I get 16.00. Accidents happen... BUT He had to count on his fingers. He was super apologetic but, lol wut?! On 8/16 the entire park ran out of lids for cups they put their $4 soda in. Good luck not spilling that or keeping bugs out. Speaking of bugs -- what is up with all the bees? My mom is allergic and this place made her nervous -- they pretty much swarm the central food with the fountain. There is an unacceptable about of mess and trash at this location - which is likely the explanation. It's obvious the tables are never cleaned by staff during the day --- I have also see trash cans overflowing. I would give this place 1 star except Raccoon Lagoon (kiddie land) and carousel are nice. As is the Thomas show. All and all, I don't think we'll get season passes again unless my daughter specifically asks. Or maybe begs. I would rate higher, maybe a 3 or 4, if the staff was better trained and the park was overall cleaner and easier to navigate. read more

If I could give it zero stars I would most awful experience ever all the rides were closed due to lack of employees and they lied and told everybody it's because of weather. as of right now I am taking a photo of the sky. management sucks they close ride to force you to spend money on games an food. I will never bring or recommend this place to anyone read more

Idlewild & SoakZone - Beautiful summer sky and rides are closed due to weather you know what they're doing there forcing you to spend money on games an food - Amusement Parks Near Me - Ligonier, Pennsylvania

Is a really nice place with really nice employee's. Has the theme park to which is nice after soak zone. The only problem I see is the food is really overpriced otherwise it is a great place read more

Family with two preschoolers and a 3rd grader had a fantastic time. First time. Many rides up front are for bigger kids (48" and taller), but our preschoolers LOOOOOVED Raccoon Lagoon area where there are tons of similar rides for the little ones. They were tired at the end of the day, but wouldn't stop hopping from ride to ride with big smiles. Riding through Daniel Tiger's neighborhood on the trolley was a highlight for one of them. Water park was a huge hit for all of us. The little ones couldn't go on the big slides, but there are a two awesome areas JUST for the little ones that are way fun. The lifeguards are all over the place: even though our older one is a very good swimmer (they don't know this), they were cautious with him in the wave pool and suggested where we could stand safely. I really appreciated that they took charge. We will be back. read more

The website said that today was the last day for Soak Zone, but when we got there, it was closed for the season and we still had to pay full price-almost $200 for 3 adults and a child. They did give us a $15 off coupon for next year, but it was still a total rip off. A lot of the staff were miserable and complaining about the heat. The person in the Good Ship Lollipop was so unfriendly that I was trying to remember if she was evil in the nursery rhyme. The guy operating the bumper cars was a buzz kill too. The map advertised fried Oreos and turns out they don't have them. Storybook Forest needs some updates. Sadly, it started to rain and the rides were stopped. :( read more

Myself and my 2 kids caught the end of the Daniel Tiger show performance and they refused to let us meet the characters!! They cut the line off right where we were standing (no one was behind us) and said they were done and turned away!!! Really????? They were heartbroken!! I could see if there were a lot of people behind us and understand they need to cut it off sometime but there wasn't anyone. You mean.. you couldn't let 2 more kids see the characters. Just horrible and I'm truly devastated from this experience. Idlewild really needs to interview and hire the right people for these jobs. Make sure they like kids and aren't just there for the paychecks. Just a horrible experience to see my kids hearts broken. read more

We didn't know anything about Idlewild and just went for our first time with our little girl on the way to Ohio. We couldn't have had a better experience. For us, in comparison to other major parks, this park was a very refreshing change to the overly-commercialized, over-priced, dirty and over-crowded bigger parks. *We took our daughter to Disneyland two years ago and she asked to leave and go to the beach instead. We had SO much fun exploring the nearly-empty park (weekday and overcast/rainy). We couldn't believe how friendly and nice the ride operators (one even offered to take a picture of us while we were on the rollercoaster??!). It felt like we had stepped back in time to the 50's. The grounds are beautiful with bridges over a river which connect the younger kids rides to the big park, the rides are fantastic and tons of options for a 6 year old kiddo! As a family we rode the log ride, flying aces, and roller coaster and had a blast...my husband and I felt like kids again! Bonus that you can bring food/coolers to picnic at the tables near the parking lot and don't have to buy the food there if you don't want to! So much to see and do here, we can't wait to go back! read more

I honestly had no idea what to expect out of Idlewild, and honestly I didn't really care all that much. I was there for one thing, and one thing only - Daniel Tiger. My two year old is obsessed and when I heard that a ride was opening themed with him I knew I had to get there. Idlewild feels like a small, historic family run operation. That has positives and negatives built in. First of all, there is free parking, but you pay at the vehicle gate for entry. Small children 2 and under are free. We purchased discount tickets at Giant Eagle for $9 off the entry price. We were there later in the season on a weekend and they gave us free tickets to return the next year. We thought that was odd until we got inside. We estimated that about a third of the attractions were closed. This was due to 'staffing challenges' which having worked at an amusement park myself is an absurd excuse. Wake up Idlewild, these challenges are not unique to you. Deal with it and overcome. In addition the gates opened at 1030, but nothing was operating until 1130, including the very popular Daniel Tiger ride which was posted to open at 11. Made for many a toddler meltdown. What was open was nice. A lot of old fashioned and carnival style rides. Tons of kiddie rides so bringing a toddler to your school aged child here is ideal. The park is pretty flat, shaded and very stroller friendly, making it pleasant even on the hot day that we were there. Safety is not a concern here. They offer lockers, but you don't need them. The Storybook Forest really harkened back to yesteryear but was a bit worse for wear. A few animal pens were empty, and much of it was already decorated for Halloween - in August. The decoration was really poor and honestly detracted from the experience. Daniel Tiger did not disappoint. The adorable ride puts you on trolley where you visit all the stops in the Land of Make Believe. There is also a Daniel Tiger show followed by a meet and greet that my toddler loved. The water area was decent. A wave pool, splash area for little ones, a water works area and some slides (many of which again closed). Food was fairly priced, not gauging like one would expect from an amusement park. The award winning pork bbq sandwich was amazing. That said it is easy to bring food into the park and picnicking is encouraged. There are many many picnic pavilions, and people brought huge coolers, covered them with a blanket and left them. They were totally safe. In all we had a full day (we left at 6) and felt we got a good value for $30ish a person, but there is room for improvement. read more

Five stars just to counteract some 1 stars but honestly probably just short of four stars. Very Nice old picnic park style amusement park catered to toddler aged kids theme. The grounds have potential and mad props for how clean and picked up it was - Not a gum wrapper or cigarette butt. Although nothing in complete disrepair it is sorely in need more more more fresh paint. Not so sure about the storybook village... probably allot of memories there for returning adults with kids - but its allot of real estate to maintain and staff for something that is behind the times imo. I think you could probably incorporate some of the props into the park and mothball the rest as long as the idea was it freed operating funds to maintain the core amusement park. The hard sell for a season pass at the gate is rough and a little off-putting - We repeated that were out of state and not coming back this year but the pitch would not let up. They probably need the funds to make the numbers work better and understand but wholly cow be prepared to repeatedly say no. The 36" hight rule on so many toddler rides - not sure if its a liability insurance thing but was rough on our two year old. Some of the rides marked 36" I think could have just had a operators discretion/kid walks then can ride kind of rule. This honestly needs attention cause so many families have several kids and if this park appeals to them then likely one kid is under 36" as were talking such a narrow band between kids that are 36" and kids that are to old to enjoy the park at all. The Daniel tiger outdoor stage show was good and again I can see why so many people love this park - I do too. re-reading my post I guess everyone is a critic ;-) read more

October has rolled around and you know what that means. Halloween! And of course the usual Halloween festivals at the area amusement parks. What's that you say? "Idlewild's a kids park". "HallowBoo is a kiddie party". "You don't have kids Susan. Why are you coming here"? Get real, people. Idlewild and HallowBoo are not just for kids. There's plenty here for adults to enjoy! Or maybe getting real is what you shouldn't be doing here. Use your imagination--become a kid again for a few hours and have good clean fun. And that's what I, my husband Rick, my cousin Cindy, & her husband Bob did. We had a beautiful 65 degree day for it. Like I've said before, if however you are an adult (or at least that's what your birth certificate says) and you're here without kids, you'll probably want to stick to the Old Idlewild section. Here you'll find most of the classic rides like the Balloon Race, the Flying Aces, the Caterpillar, and of course the Rollo Coaster. Unfortunately, the Wild Mouse remains closed--it hasn't operated all season--and rumors have been swirling about it. Hey! I like the Wild Mouse. Idlewild and HallowBoo are a lot of fun, whether or not you have little ones. Come on out and enjoy. read more

I went here for Italian Day, so this review is solely based on that experience, and I have to admit that I do not think there is a better venue for such a classic celebration like Italian Day. The atmosphere was great, they had food vendors like Pittsburgh local favorite, Del's. Did I mention the awesome fireworks at the end of the night? Too bad Italian Day is only once a year, because that night was a perfect time had by all. In fact, I think Idlewild's Italian Day was even better than Kennywood's. Check it out next year! read more

I've been going to Idlewild since I was a kid. I started getting season passes for my son and me which helps a lot with the cost. It's about the price of two admissions for the whole year including Halloween which is my son's favorite. This year I've seen an improvement in the staff attitude, number of food, rides, and attractions open, and general upkeep of the park. Great park for kiddie rides and shade. read more

I thought it was pretty fun, other than the fact that I almost drowned in the Wave Pool, though that is probably my own fault. Would not reccomend the Wave Pool for people who do not know how to swim. But it was an over all great day out in the sun, I did get sumburnt so bad I got blisters, again, my own fault. I would reccomend to anyone ages 8 and up read more

Poor Idlewild. It has seen better days. This year was the ultimate disappointment. Most of the rides have been removed. The rides that remain need attention, 4 were closed. The Soak Zone is also looking bad. Waterslides closed ,the kids waterpark was shut down and the chairs and picnic tables around the pool and grass area were filthy; caked with dirt and grime. The place that sold fruit and salads was closed, can't even get a healthy food option. The mini golf is a disgrace. I almost cried when I saw it. I can't believe this place is still open. I have visited Idlewild almost every year of my life and I won't be going back. The price of admission is too high for nothing to do. read more

We come here once every one or two years. I have to say that this time was slightly disappointing. I am 7 months pregnant. I have been to other theme parks pregnant before, and I can at least have a chance to go on things that are mild. I was made to pay the full admission price to this park, and was not able to do anything with my family. I really should not have had to pay the full admission rate if they were not going to let me go on anything. We also had a lot of issues with the soak zone. They have a part that has water slides for children under 58" and their families. My son just met the height limit of 40" for the slides. When the lifeguard put him up to it he was obviously tall enough, but she tried to tell us that she wasn't. So because of this we pulled the other two children off of the water slides since they would not allow me anywhere on it, even though they expected kids to be accompanied by parents. We decided to head to the wave pool. As soon as we started to get everyone in the wave pool, they made everyone get out. We had to take our kids to the dirty baby pool. I was not thrilled. I actually am considering sending a complaint to the company. I also have to say that the restaurants and places to dine have very sub par food. We spent $45 on horrible hard pasta and drinks that you can't get refills on. Save your money and take your kids to Disney. read more