First Sesame Street Theme Park in San Diego Will Be Sensory Friendly

San Diego is getting ready to open the first Sesame Street theme park on the West Coast, more than 40 years after a similar facility was established near Philadelphia in the east.

This new Sesame Street theme park, dubbed the Sesame Place San Diego, is located in Chula Vista and spans more than 6.5 hectares in size. It is expected to welcome kids and adults on its grand opening day on Saturday, March 26.

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment will run and manage Sesame Place San Diego with the permission of the Sesame Workshop, the non-profit organization that created the popular children's series and educational program, "Sesame Street."

This will be the company's first theme park opening since 2013. According to reports, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment wants to move away from theme parks with live animals as entertainment, following criticisms of animal abuse, thus the shift to more established brands.

Read Also: 'Sesame Street' Makes History By Adding New Asian American Muppet

A Certified Autism Center

According to Disability Scoop, Sesame Place San Diego will be an all-inclusive and sensory-friendly theme park with its own Certified Autism Center. As such, the theme park will include quiet spaces for children with autism.

Workers at the Sesame Street theme park are also going to complete autism sensitivity and awareness training before they are assigned on the ground. The official website, on the other hand, provides sensory guides that kids and parents could put a pin on so that they could fully enjoy their visits to the theme park.

Also included in the new theme park is an exact replication of the actual neighborhood on "Sesame Street" for guests to explore and visit. The rides, on the other hand, will feature 18 exciting machines, including an inner-tube ride through the massive pool called Big Bird's Rambling River and a roller coaster dubbed the Super Grover's Box Car Derby.

Aside from the rides, Sesame Place San Diego will feature parades, live shows and other exciting entertainment for the young and young at heart. Guests who want to experience the fun may already book a ticket or a season pass. Ticket prices start at $50 for date-specific visits. Children under two years old will not have entrance fee charges.

Families may also buy group tickets or membership packages if they are planning on visiting the San Diego facility more often. Season passes or memberships include offers like free parking, two free visits and other perks.

A Wonderful Timing

The Sesame Street theme park comes as Americans are emerging from two years of pandemic lockdown and boredom, and they are raring to enjoy the new normal. Dennis Speigel, a theme park consultant, expects that families will be visiting theme parks in droves following the resumption of some park operations in mid-2021 amid the country's COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

CEO Marc Swanson of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment said they are "thrilled to debut" Sesame Place San Diego, which will become another family and tourist spot on the West Coast. The new theme park was actually built on the former Aquatica San Diego water park that shut down in 2020.

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