Remember a few weeks ago when I wrote about the Polar Vortex and how I wanted to marry it how it was so “chilly” my kids were wearing jackets in July…in Texas? Well, WE LUCKED OUT. We planned a trip to Six Flags Over Texas and it just so happened to fall on one of the coolest July days in Texas history. With temperatures hovering in the comfortable 70’s, we got to enjoy Six Flags to fullest…and no one (including me, the World’s Biggest Weather Whiner) complained about the heat. I call that a WIN!
Because we had two little kids with us (Jack is five, and Claire was still two at the time), we were somewhat limited to what we could do (no upside-down roller coasters for us!). But even with the height restrictions, we still had a full day of rides and fun – and that’s what I am going to share with you. Here’s how to enjoy Six Flags with toddler and little kids.
Six Flags, although known for its crazy rollercoasters and thrill rides, is actually a super family-friendly location with enough rides that even the littlest of kids can get in on the fun.
The rides fall into several categories, from family-friendly (anyone can ride) to thrill rides, but most of them fall somewhere in between. You can visit the Six Flags website, find your park, and see the height restrictions on all rides – this is helpful if you want to know what to expect and how many rides your kids will be able to enjoy!
Tip #1 – Get there when the park opens, and head straight to the kid rides. The lines are shorter first thing in the morning, and we were able to walk right on to many of the rides…this was fantastic when you’ve got two excited little ones begging to ride everything!
It was a tight squeeze, but I made it happen!
Tip #2 – Get a free map as soon as you enter the park and pick your rides. The map will not only tell you where to go, but it will also give you the height restrictions for all of the rides, which is super helpful if you don’t want to get the kids excited about a ride only to find out they aren’t big enough to ride it (don’t ask me how I learned that lesson).
We started off our adventure in Boom Town, which is full of rides designed just for kids.
This ride gave us a fun view of Arlington!
Wheee!
Many of the kid rides at Six Flags Over Texas are concentrated in Boom Town, but there are also a bunch of other ones spread throughout the park – so be sure to branch out!
And apparently, some people *do* like scary rides. I’m not one of them, but Charles is. I hung out with the kids while he did some of the scarier rides. Thecrazy, way-too-high-for-me swings were his favorite (this ride is 400-feet tall and the swings go 35 MPH…NO THANK YOU!!).
The kids managed to talk us into playing a couple of games (the games have an additional cost associated with them), but we found one that had a winner every time. And who doesn’t like giving darts to two-year-olds and five-year-olds to see what happens, right?!
Tip #3 – Bring your own water and snacks. Food is expensive, and you’ll probably want to buy a meal at the park, but we brought in some light snacks and water for the kids and were so glad we did!
After spending the morning on rides, we took a lunch break and let the kids cool off – which is funny, because it was already cool and this resulted in them complaining about being chilly. Go figure. Also? Claire dressed herself, and when I gently (and then not-so-gently) suggested she match her socks, it quickly turned into a battle-not-worth-having…and so, mis-matched socks it was!
Tip #4 – Bring a stroller. Claire ended up sitting in the stroller quite a bit, and Jack would have if we’d let him. It was a lifesaver! Definitely bring a stroller, even if your child doesn’t regularly sit in one. It was great to have for all of our junk and helpful when Claire got tired or we wanted to get somewhere quickly. Because trust me – they’re going to get tired. Get ready for a car nap on the way home.
Tip #5 – Bring hand sanitizer or wipes to keep hands clean and fresh between rides and before eating. Six Flags Over Texas is very clean and well-kept, but I still get a little skeeved out about all the germs (I’m not even kind of a germphobe, but all those hands touching all those rides? Kinda icky!). I carried around a package of Wet Ones to wash the kids hands with every now and then, and especially before lunch.
Lunch break! We wash our hands with Wet Ones and Jack checks out the map to pick our next stop.
You can read another post I wrote about visiting amusement parks with kids here – be sure to check out the comments, there were some REALLY helpful and creative ideas for enjoying amusement parks with kids in the comment section!
i am wild about wet ones because i have messy kids and they are good to keep on hand to clean them up.
I’m wild for wet ones because they take care of all my sticky messes on little hands and faces….especially in the car. I love them.
I love the convenience of the Wet Ones packaging and I can get to them quickly for those unexpected messes.
Wet Ones are great to keep in your purse for everything – from mishaps to sanitation – simply a must have.
I love that they’re easy to pack, and help give little ones (and bigger ones) clean hands
I always carry wet wipes with me. Great for cleaning hands and other sticky messes.
I’ve never tried them, but they look very handy for traveling with children!
I’m wild for wet ones because they are multifunctioning from kids faces (or mine :)) to cleaning up a spill on the floor to getting bird droppings off my window! I use them on everything
What is not to love about Wet Ones. Kids and adults get messy. I keep them in my purse at all times. Even when the kids aren’t around they get pulled out. You can use them on tables, carts, etc… as well as on people.
I have a 4 year old and 10 month old, we always need Wet Ones. My kids are really messy
necer tried it
I am Wild for Wet Ones because they help you clean up and cool off anywhere and any time!
Honestly I’ve only started following for about 10 mins and im addicted to your blogs . I’m a mother of 5 girls but two are older and you have the great ideas. Thank you !!!
I’m wild about Wet Ones because they are portable and great for everything! Gentle to my kid’s skin and mine too! I am always on the go and these are part of out top items of our list every time we go on an adventure outdoors 🙂
Because they are great to clean from dirty curious hands to public places restrooms! They are always in my truck!
I’m wild about Wet Ones because they are super easy to caring around and work for everything!!! We always have one on each of ours cars and my husband love to use them when he is NTC or Deployed. They are perfect!! 😀
We have taken our son to Disney World several times but never to Six Flags. Planning on going to Six Flags soon.
Love this! Your family def sounds like mine (I would also have to hang with our daughter while he rode the crazy stuff, not a fan here) and I had no idea the maps had the height requirements! Man, that saves a lot of time I’m sure!!
wet ones get used for everything-we carry them in the cars and my purse. great for wiping down shopping carts, and after anyone touches things when we are out and about
Well, it was never wipes when I grew up. My mom would always call all wipes Wet Ones. She loved them and we always had them around. I’m 28 now so they have been around for a while. ( My mom used them a lot for my younger sister). They are convenient and have really stood up to the test of time for sure.