Adults need theme parks too

🙃 Go out and play!

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.” ~ George Bernard Shaw

I bet you can guess the most frequently asked question I get. Yep: Why theme parks?

Many adults associate theme parks with crowds, meltdowns, and bubble gum. My guess is this has more to do with traveling with kids than the true nature of a Disney park.

Here’s what I think of when I imagine myself at a theme park: Laughing and screaming my head off on Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout. Feeling like Han Solo inside the Galaxy’s Edge cantina. Flying on a broomstick over Hogwarts. Taking a culinary trip through 11 countries in one day.

What I don’t think of: The news, my inbox, the dripping faucet that needs to be fixed, or what’s going on at City Hall.

This is why adults need theme parks.

Do you need to get away? If you live in the USA, chances are you’re only a few hours from an incredibly adventurous escape. Even just a weekend can be exhilaratingly exhausting and will truly hit the reset button on your psyche.

Here are some top reasons to plan your adults-only theme park vaca.

8 Great Things about a Grown-Up Theme Park Trip

1. Leave the real world behind for a minute

Entering Diagon Alley through the brick wall

Do you need more escape than Hulu can provide? Immersive lands like the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge really do take your brain on vacation.

At a theme park, you can soar over Africa and smell the dust kicked up by roaming elephants. You can enter a Mexican pyramid and order a margarita. You can escape a cursed temple with Indiana Jones, and help the rebels defeat Kylo Ren.

These adventures aren’t actually a world away. Take a weekend and give yourself a break.

2. Get outside

Walking through Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland

They’re called theme parks for a reason. While you may picture concrete and plaster, Disney and Universal parks incorporate exotic landscaping to let nature inspire your escape. In fact, Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise has become a real self-sustaining jungle!

If you’re in need of a long walk through highly diverting scenery, the parks offer miles of exquisitely detailed trails. Explore our world at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom; a galaxy far, far away at Disneyland and at Orlando’s Hollywood Studios; or the fantasy of the Wizarding World at the West and East Coast Universal Parks.

3. It’s easier with no kids!

I’m not sure what is easier with kids, but it sure isn’t a Disney vacation.

Go at the pace that matches your age - yes, you can still have nap time. Plus when you go with other adults, you can split the cost of the hotel, saving money or upgrading your accommodations.

When you work around your own vacation time, instead of the same schedule as everyone else, you can visit with low crowds and lower prices too. When’s the best time to visit Disney World? Early March and late April, when Spring Break’s gone and the weather is perfect. And the kids are all in school.

4. Focus on food and drinks

The Rose & Crown Pub in Epcot’s UK Pavilion. Of course they have Guinness on tap!

Yep, you can do a theme park foodie tour. Especially at Disney, interesting dining experiences are a big part of the theming. This includes adult beverages.

While every park features at least one signature restaurant, Epcot is a gastronome’s delight. World Showcase is a grand tour of 11 different countries, representing authentic food, drinks, merchandise, and scenery. And yes, “drinking around the world” is a thing.

Disneyland has it’s share of fun food and drink spots too, here’s my post about the bars in California:

🍹 Where to get a drink at Disneyland

5. Be playful

Me after riding Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure 3 times in a row

In the parks, it’s totally OK to geek out over a Mandalorian sighting, even if you are 50 years old. And yes, you can get a wand and do magic just like the kids in the Wizarding World.

This is a safe space. Go laugh like crazy trying to shoot the aliens in the Buzz Lightyear ride. Scream your head off on the Tower of Terror. Let it out, it feels so good!

6. Experience an over-the-top holiday

Yes, there is someone inside that Gingerbread house! This is in the lobby of Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort.

Has Christmas become sort of a chore? Has it been decades since you went to a Halloween party?

The holiday spirit is alive and well at Disney and Universal. From super-scary haunted houses to a gingerbread house so big it’s a store, nobody does Halloween or Christmas like the American theme parks.

Plan a trip this fall and rediscover what makes these holidays so magical.

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More posts to inspire you:

• All about Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights

• Disney World Christmas Quick Guide

• Christmas at Universal Orlando

• Disneyland Christmas album

7. Go for a festival

Both Disney and Universal host special events throughout the year. And guess what? Most of them are really for adults. Even Disneyland’s Pixar Fest features fancy foods and special cocktails.

Here’s a past post about festivals at the parks:

8. There’s no phones on roller coasters

Want to truly be in-the-moment? Get on a roller coaster.

Even better, get on it with someone you love and survive the experience together. And let that call go to voice mail. You can text them your ride photo later. 👍

Here is a wonderfully deep description of what makes roller coasters so special, from the Happy Hauntology newsletter.

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Check out the archives for tips to skip the stress

I’ve written a ton of advice to help you have the best/easiest theme park vacation. Check out the archives of this newsletter here.

And be sure to subscribe to get the next edition directly in your inbox.