Before school started, the kids and I went to the local German amusement park, farm, and petting zoo – because why wouldn’t you put all those things together? The rides were soooo much smaller than anything you’d find in the US – no Incredible Hulk, Beast, or Space Mountain kinds of things here – BUT there is no liability here, which means no one can be sued for accidents, which really adds to the fun and excitement of the rides! For instance, the drop tower, where you can see Rowan hauling himself and Cara up to the top (this was after they’d buckled themselves in, but before they pressed the button at the top to drop themselves):

Or this one, where Cara and I put ourselves on a yellow banana coaster, locked our own bars, while Rowan closed the door to the ride and pressed a button to make us go.

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This one might be my favorite – basically a giant hamster wheel – and again, the kids go in by themselves, lock safety bars in place, while I close the doors and press a button:

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If you don’t believe me, here’s the button (they make it so easy, putting it on the clown’s face!) and some ground rules:

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And here’s how it works out in practice – the miner’s version of the pirate ship ride:

This green coaster is the ‘big’ one – about the size of a Snoopy coaster – but again, the ride is completely self-operated, so it’s up to the kids to know how to stay safe!

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And in between all the rides, there’s awesome playground equipment that’s long been outlawed in the US (I didn’t get great pics of all of it, but there were the rider-operated merry-go-rounds, a trampoline park, and ziplines as well!):

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In short, we had a blast! I never would have guessed that a place geared towards slightly younger kids (probably 4-10 years of age, although there were plenty of adults on the rides, too) would hold my kids’ attention for an ENTIRE DAY. It probably helped that there were no lines, and they got to do so much of it on their own, without being herded from one ride to another. And even the food was good – I had a Bavarian Farmer’s Sandwich – an open-faced delight with sprinkles of cheese, onion, and bacon on wheat bread. They’re already asking to go back – despite the lack of true coasters!