Convinced my kids that Paul Bunyan Land is basically the same as Disneyland
Visited Paul Bunyan Land near Brainerd for the first time a few weeks ago with a six year old and a three year old for their first outdoor amusement park experience.
Pros: not crowded, so no lines. The only wait time was for staff to walk over and start the ride. The six year old rode the tilt a whirl like six times in a row, they didn’t even make her get off in between.
Meeting Paul was both a little scary (for the little one) and magical (for the older kid). Not only did Paul know their names when they first walked in, but addressed them by name a couple other times when we were walking by. Pretty cool.
The rides were all fairly tame, but that was definitely the pace that the kids are in the age-range for. The little one really liked the train, the big kid liked the zip line, the tilt a whirl, and the roller coaster.
Con: Tickets and food felt a little overpriced, but hey, that’s a mild complaint compared to Disneyland prices. And the genuine plastic miniature replicas of Paul’s axe in the gift shop were reasonable (the kids each got one).
In conclusion, if you’re looking to stay local, have kids between the ages of 2 and 10, and want to give them a magical experience without all the expense and hassle of Disney parks, Paul Bunyan land is a pretty good replacement.