Amusement Parks

I grew up in a family that loved amusement parks.  We were lucky, the company my father worked for closed down every summer for two weeks (paid)....the week of July 4th and the following week.  My mother was always able to get the same two weeks off and we were able to go on vacation every summer for those two weeks.

Since we all loved amusement parks, the decision on where to go camping every summer revolved around which amusement park we were going to go to that summer.  For the first few years that I remember (probably 4 or 5), we always camped with my uncle and his family at a campground where he was a member.  There was an amusement park about an hour away from the campground.  That's where the love of amusement parks started.  That amusement park was known as Riverside Park and was in Agawam MA (Near Springfield).  It is now owned by Six Flags and is Six Flags New England. 

One year (1986?) we went down to Virginia to see Virginia Beach, Old Williamsburg and also went to Busch Gardens.  While we were walking around the park, I had seen a vendor that was selling hand-painted parasols.  I wanted one in the worst way, and was told we'd get one before the park closed, because we'd have had to carry it around all day if I got it then.  So, we continued our day, and shortly before closing, I reminded my dad what he had said, and he had forgotten.  He grabbed my hand and we ran to where we had seen the vendor and they were still open!  I picked out the one I wanted (white with purple ruffles on the edges, and pink flowers painted on it), and we had the person paint my name on it.  We had to leave it opened up for a certain amount of time for it to dry.  I was so happy walking around with my parasol!!

Another year (1987?) Hershey Park in Hershey, PA was our destination.  We also saw Lancaster and the Amish, and the surrounding area.  When I was younger, I hated roller coasters.  Hated them so much!  I was made to go on them as long as my mom would go on.  In retrospect, I realize no one wanted to sit out with me and not ride, lol.  It was never a forceful kind of thing....it was more that I just knew not to complain about going on them.  I would always sit with my mom, and we would always sit in the middle of the coaster (the tamest part of the train).  The year we went to Hershey Park, the Super Dooper Looper Coaster was pretty new.  I'd say it was no more than two or three years old, so still pretty new.  I spent the entire coaster ride with my eyes clamped shut (nothing new) and my head buried under my mom's arm, completely terrified of the ride.  I'm guessing it was because of the corkscrews, as I had never been on them before.  I was sooooo glad when the ride was over.  It didn't ruin the trip or the day for me, I still had a fantastic time and was excited to be there.

We also went up to Darien Lake Campground and Amusement Park around 1990 or so.  The coolest part is that the amusement park is connected to the campground and you can just walk right to the park!  This trip was also a monumentous turning point in my roller coaster hating life, lol.  It was during this trip that I went from hating rolling coasters (and tollerating them) to loving them!!  (amazing, I know!).  The coaster that did it was the Viper.  We went on as a family, my mom and I sitting in the middle and my dad and brother sitting up front (they loved the front seat).  We rode the coaster and when we got off I asked if we could go again.  I'm pretty sure I shocked the three of them, as I had never asked that about a coaster before!  They quickly said yes and we got back in line (probably before I could change my mind, lol).  We got up to the platform and I asked my mom if we could sit in the back and she said sure.  We sat in the last seats on the coaster, and I actually had fun!  We got off and I asked if we could ride again.  My parents said they were done.  My brother said he'd go with me, but we had to sit in the front seat.  I said okay, and we got in line.  I LOVED it!!  From that point on, my dad and brother sat in the front seats, and my mom and I sat right behind them.  I don't know what happened, but it was a turning point, lol.  I even went on the Sky Coaster at the same park many years later with a friend's daughter (but that's another post, lol).

Since the amusement park days of my youth, a good friend and I have been going to Six Flags New England multiple times for the past twelve years or so.  We get season passes every year, and always wait in line for the first seat in every coaster that allows it.  We have a ritual when we go, lol.  Superman is always our first ride of every trip (unless we're going specifically for the water park, then it's the first one we ride after the water park.  We always wait and sit in the front seats, and always go down the first hill (and the rest of the ride) with our arms up in the air, screaming for all we're worth.  It's awesome, and very disappointing when the ride is closed for maintenance.  The first time we rode it (the year it opened) we waited almost two hours in line to ride it.

We are heading up to Cedar Point Amusement Park the beginning of August and can't wait to ride all the coasters!  There are 17 (yes 17!) coasters at the park.  Though we are not camping (she's not a camper), I will still report here how the trip went!  We will be driving from Hartford CT out to Sandusky OH.  It's about a 10.5hr drive, and we'll be doing the drive in one day.  We're planning on spending two days at the park, and then driving home the next day.

All of the newer type coasters and such are awesome, but we sometimes find ourselves missing some of the old rides (Spider, Musik Express, Rotor).  Supposedly these rides are at Cedar Point, so we may try to ride them while we are there. 


Do you like amusement parks?  What's your favorite ride?