Planning a Sesame Street vacation for your little fan? I’m sharing 3 different ways you can travel to meet your favourite furry characters all from our personal experience
Everyone loves Sesame Street!
Sure, sure, maybe only your toddler or preschooler in the house will admit they love the furry friends but truth of the matter is, when you grow up with Sesame Street, those characters kind of stick with you forever. Meeting up with The Count, Big Bird and Super Grover has been the highlight of some of favourite vacations and I’m not just talking about the kids! Hubs and I were all smiles too and couldn’t resist jumping in beside them for photo opps!
Be sure to take ALL. THE. PHOTOS! And don’t just let them stay in your phone, make their adventures stand out with a tailor-made photobook just for your family!
So where do you take your Elmo obsessed tikes? Here’s the low down on three different, but all fantastic vacation spots where you can get face time with the Sesame Street crew.
Busch Gardens – Florida
You are probably already familiar with Busch Gardens for checking out awesome animals and riding the coolest roller coasters around but Busch Gardens has a whole Sesame component too! The Sesame Street Safari of Fun is Busch Gardens newest land filled with kid sized rides and shows at the Sunny Day Theatre. My kids could have stayed here for hours if we didn’t want to see the rest of the park! We caught one show which was pretty good and kids were invited up to meet the characters afterwards if they wanted to.
You can also pay extra to get photos taken at Big Birds 123- Smile with Me and on select days you can Dine with Elmo and Friends at a buffet lunch. The cost is pretty high at $22 per adult and $15, plus tax per Child (Ages 3-9), it also includes a 6×8 family photo. If you are celebrating a birthday you can arrange something special for that as well.
A Final Word – a fair number of Sesame themed rides, one show but not a lot of character interaction unless you pay extra. You’ll be able to spend an hour or two here and still fit in the rest of the park.
Beaches Resorts – Jamaica, Turks and Caicos
Beaches has been partnering with Sesame Street for 10 years now and have an extensive list of activities with the characters. Story time with Elmo, Science with Grover, Baking with Cookie Monster, From Trash to Treasure crafting with Oscar and the list goes on. There is a chance to see one or more of the 10 available characters each and every day of your vacation!
Don’t miss the lively Sesame Street Carnival Celebration Parade that happens once a week, it’s a ton of fun and afterwards each character is introduced to the crowd! You can also catch the furry monsters at a Celebrating Friendship Stage Show for some evening entertainment, this happens every night (except the parade night) and it’s a different show every night of the week!
When adults are enjoying a little alone time, kids will have a blast at Camp Sesame! All of these are included in the price of your all inclusive vacation. For extra cash you can request a character visit your room for a “Night Night Sleep Tight” bedtime story. You’ll receive 15 minutes for a special tuck in, a photo and a plush toy, prices start at $85 for the session.
More of a morning person? No worries, you can also purchase passes to the Character Breakfast. The breakfast is a lot of fun with Sesame Street music and all the characters dancing and stopping by your table for a visit. You’ll be able to snap pics with your own camera as you meet all your favourites from Abby Cadabby to Bert and Ernie. The cost for the breakfast is $12 per adult and $16 per child, each child receives a balloon, plush finger puppet and plastic cup, my son was crazy in love with his puppet, he got Cookie Monster!
Special Birthday Parties are also available for a fee. Just check the daily schedule that arrives in your room or one of the boards near Camp Sesame for the weekly festivities. One day we even saw Elmo out on a catamaran!
A Final Word- Beaches Resorts is a perfect family vacation and Sesame fans will be able to enjoy seeing the characters at more of a relaxed pace. If you have a child that is slow to warm up or a little intimidated by the characters, this is a great way to ease them into the fun without the pressure of a one day visit to a park. The character breakfast is a great way to ensure you meet each and every character in person.
Sesame Place – Pennsylvania
Welcome to Sesame Street, don’t be surprised if you start singing that old familiar tune “can you tell me how to get, can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street” before you even walk through the gate. This is All Sesame, All The Time! Main Street looks exactly like a real life replica of the show, there are both wet and dry rides that even small kiddos can go on, and there are Sesame Characters at every turn.
Three different shows run throughout the day, and all of them are fantastic! Plus, you can catch the Neighbourhood Street Party Parade twice a day, once in the afternoon and again in the evening. You don’t really need to see it twice, but it’s so much fun you might want to!
There is no set schedule to meet the characters but you’ll see plenty of them as you make your way around the park. We visited 2 and a half days and got to meet all of them in person. The staff allow you to take photos with the characters with your own camera and will even take a photo for you to get the whole family in, but you can also visit 123-Smile with me for some professional shots. Again Character Dining is available for all meals of the day, expect to pay $19-$25 per adult and $10-$15 per child. The park hosts special events over some holidays such as the Halloween Spooktacular.
A Final Word – If you have Sesame fans this is probably the biggest bang for your buck. All of the rides are Sesame themed, the shows and parades are not to be missed and even if your little one is still scared of characters there is plenty of opportunities to see them from near or afar. You’ll be able to see and do everything in one action packed day, but if you can swing it, two is best.
There is indeed a Sesame Street vacation for every level and size of Sesame fan! We have been lucky enough to see each one first hand and I’m happy to answer any questions you may have while you plan your vacation. Be sure to check out my travel page for other posts related to Busch Gardens, Sesame Place or Beaches Resorts, I have a number of them that will help you decide the best holiday spot for you!
this is way to cute!!! My kids aren’t to interested but this mama is!! I would love to go.
You would have a BLAST Tiffany! It was such a fun experience to see all the characters we grew up with and we got to know some of the newer ones too!
ah I didn’t know about these! and Pennsylvania is not too far.. definitely an option for us. Thanks!
awesome, we made a road trip out of both Florida and PA from Ontario
I’ve never heard of Sesame Place before. It looks super fun! I don’t know if we’d ever be able to make it that far though since we’re on the west coast of BC:)
Beaches Resorts are always a great option!
Love this information as my kids adore elmo and would love to vacation with him and his friends!
My kids were never into Sesame Street, and now that they’re way older, I don’t think they’d like this. lol.. Looks like fun though!
My kids have not heard of Sesame Place or we would be talking at least daily about going there :).
Sounds like fun!
They are everywhere! Good to know though it might be a while before we visit any of those destinations. Would love to do the Beaches Resort thing.
I would love to take my family to Beaches. They get Sesame Street, and I get the sand 🙂
It’s a total win-win!
Such great family destinations! I bet my youngest would love to visit any of them. Me too 🙂
all of them are great adults too! Even Sesame Place if you can believe it!
Wow! My kids would love to go! Looks like you had a lot of fun!
Thanks for sharing! Now i have yet another excuse to want to visit a beaches resort
lol as if you needed another one right?
Oh my!!! I am a Sesame Street fan!!! Not so much with my boys but I would love to go to Sesame Place and drag my boys with me, lol!
oh they would love it, they are all fun places to be even if Big Bird isn’t your thing
On Sesame Street, do they still tell you what number show it is? I remember watching as a kid and the number was under 50. Can you imagine? I love this themed post. Very cool!
They all look like fun family vacation spots!!
yup, you really can’t go wrong with any of them!
OMG this looks like such good family fun! We we were closer!
wish my kids were little and we did something like that.
I have a little stuffed Elmo that I take everywhere with me for photos. You know, it’s like a “where’s Elmo?” thing. This would be closest I would get to an adventure like yours.
OMG I love that! so cute!
I don’t have little kids at home, but my niece has four of them. I’ll pass this info on to her.
Wow, they all seem so neat!! My son would LOVE to visit any one of these!
I am a grown woman but I think I love Sesame Street more then the kids lol, all three of these places sound wonderful, thanks for sharing!!
What fun wish I could take my little ones there
These places all look amazing and sure to please any Sesame Street fan! Thanks for sharing them with us!
Thanks for all the great ideas! These are amazing places for the kids!
Looks like fun!
really cute, thanks for the share
looks a wonderful vacation spot! Would bring out the kid in me for sure! Kids loved elmo but were not to into Sesame street much.
Oh my gosh, that looks like so much fun for children.
Looks like great spots for kids.My son isn’t into Sesame street but I think it is fun for all kids.
with our without Sesame Street they are all super fun destinations!
I never knew that these existed, I will have to let my daughter know
I never knew about any of these places before. Very cute.
Sesame Streeet Stands the test of time! I remember getting a record with all sorts of songs that I still hear today! Will check this out with my nephew when we next travel to the US
Love Sesame Street and Busch Gardens! Wish there was one closer in Canada.
Hello,I’m reading it as a Team member of Sesame Place and I love it here.this is my 6th season here and it’s probably one of the best jobs I ever had!I’m glad you loved it here at Sesame Place! Lots have changed here,new rides and Some of the rides revamped! “1-2-3 Smile with me” was redone and now has a green screen for that extra add to your family photos!
Thanks Ty, nice to hear from you! Glad you love it there, it’s such a fun place!
Wow sure looks like good family fun!
Thanks for the info, I will pass it along