Ride the day away with your family and friends
By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Upstate New York features a number of theme parks, offering all sorts of fun activities for the family.
Here are some of them:
■ Seabreeze Amusement Park in Rochester includes both amusement rides and a water park. Its smaller size enables families to cover the whole park in a day without feeling rushed yet still have plenty to do. The park’s vintage charm adds to its appeal.
■ Seabreeze, Roseland Waterpark in Canandaigua is a smaller park that’s doable in a day. Roseland is all about water with a wave pool, large-sized kiddie water play area, raft rides, water balloon fight area and a variety of water slides.
■ Enchanted Forest Water Safari in Old Forge boasts more than 50 rides, plus go-karts, rock climbing, miniature golf, zipline, games and an arcade. It’s the state’s largest waterpark as well. Area places of lodging offer getaway package deals.
■ Six Flags operates theme parks in New York in Buffalo, Darien Center and Lake George. Designed for an overnight stay with on-site lodging, these parks include water rides, larger rides like full-sized coasters and an arcade. Plan a weekend getaway, as a day trip might not be long enough to do it all. Plus, the park hosts live evening entertainment.
■ Santa’s Workshop in North Pole is open year-round, operates small, carnival style rides. Some are size-restricted for smaller children. The park’s Christmas theme makes it a must-do for Yuletide fans.
■ Zoom Flume Water Park in East Durham has a variety of water features, including its namesake flume, a lazy or wild river ride, slides, water play area and a wave pool.
■ Cascades Waterpark in Cortland is indoors, so bad weather can’t spoil your plans. Splash around in the wave pool, two waterslides, two play areas (one is for small children) and basketball court in a pool. Cascades also operates an outdoor pool.
■ Rocking Horse Ranch Resort in Highland is a good choice for families who want getaway with a variety of things to do, including indoor activity pool and mountain tubing. There is also horseback riding, laser tag, arcade games, shooting gallery, archery and group activities.
Make Your Day in the Sun the Best Day of the Season
• Review the park’s website to understand its ticket policy. Some offer full or partial refunds or rain dates in case of bad weather. You could also spot discounts and coupons.
• Check out the park’s map to plan which attractions you want to do first or during lunchtime so you don’t have to wait as long in line.
• Bring along plenty of sunscreen. Reapply every two hours and also after toweling off. “Sport” style sunscreen helps resist perspiration.
• Eat light all day to minimize feeling sick on rides. Steer clear of greasy foods or rich foods, like onion rings or ice cream cones if you’re prone to feeling queasy. Take time to hydrate all day.
• Don’t force others to ride if they feel uncertain. It’s OK to skip a ride and do something else.