by Roddy J Dryer

Created on: June 14, 2008

As someone who has done both, experienced both, and enjoyed both of these venues, as a child and as a parent, I would say...we need to consider the ages of the children, and then their personalities. I have numerous years of experience working in the Hospitality Industry, and I have worked in many of Central Florida's several theme parks. That may seem my vote would be for the resorts, but it isn't that easy. Because a child of six years is different from a child of sixteen years, we must recognize and acknowledge those differences when considering a vacation.

Let's explore it. If your daughter, the dainty ballerina sort, doesn't like to get her nails dirty, then why would anyone assume she'll be anything but miserable in a cottage somewhere in the Adirondack Mountains? Or, if your little girl is five years old and loves to collect bugs and other creepy-crawlies, then she is going to get tired quickly at an amusement park or theme park, where everything moves faster than her little legs. The thing many miss is that most adults are fascinated by the imaginative creations seen in amusement and theme parks, but there is no true way for a young child to appreciate the unique aspect of the park. Think about it: To little children, everything, whether built by the hand of man or God, is unique. So if it's a mountain with roaring waterfalls cleaved through granite over a course of centuries, or a mountain cleaved with the tracks of some kiddie coaster looking like a choo-choo, it won't make much of a difference to the kids.
Beyond that, your son of eleven years would be thrilled to experience the various rides in a park, especially one strewn with thrill rides, coasters, and ways to get wet without getting into trouble. So with that in mind, it makes sense he would get bored fast with sitting in a boat with Grampy, whose beer has taken up all the space in the small cooler, and watching a fish line disappear into the murky waters, hoping to catch a fish he doesn't know how to handle. The other side of that coin is the thought that your child of fifteen may quickly tire of the innumerable restrictions governing a populated park, whereas time and freedom on the lake with Dad or Gramps could very well be the time of year looked forward to since the calendar was avaiable for purchase, particularly if that child lives in town and doesn't get to ride horseback nearly as much as the country-dwelling cousins.
Have your children ever been near the animals outside of the petting

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