With gas prices so high, who wants to drive to Six Flags
Great Adventure in New Jersey? Instead, take the kids to Adventureland, " Long Island's Amusement Park since 1962."
Sure, it's no Six Flags, but kids will still find plenty of thrills to fill a day here. While there aren't any new rides this year, there are additions to the arcade (think "Deal or No Deal"), new prizes (Guitar Hero, Xbox 360) and new food (homemade fudge).
We've compiled some tips for a day at the park.
What you need to know:
Pay-one-price wristbands are $19.99 for kids 4 feet tall and under and $24.99 for everyone taller. The park offers two pay-one-price sessions, from opening until 7 p.m. or from 4 p.m. to closing (park hours vary daily). Single ride tickets cost $1, the least-expensive ride is three tickets, or $3. Parking is free, adjacent to the park.
Best time to go:
"The best time to come to any amusement park is when you see clouds in the sky," says operations manager Bob Amoruso, because it's cool out and because there aren't as many visitors. "People are afraid of the threat of rain. Weathermen aren't always correct, as we know. If you come on the perfect day, you're going to experience crowds."
Ride most likely to make you nauseous:
The Frisbee. Picture yourself attached to one of the spinning discs, and you know what this ride entails. Fair warning: Don't go on it right after lunch. But, according to a group of middle-school kids from Brooklyn who recently spent the day at the park, the Frisbee is the most fun attraction of all. And, it's a good place to dry out after the water flume - the spinning action makes it feel like you're being blow-dried.
Skip this one:
Haunted House. The scariest part is, it's pitch black. Otherwise, the best part is getting out of the sun for a few minutes.
Best bet for the little ones:
The Little Dipper. The mini-sized water flume caters to those kids who want to follow Big Brother onto the big kids' flume but aren't tall enough.
Special teen night:
T.G.I.F. teen nights are 4 p.m. to midnight on select Fridays this summer for $24.99. Parents can drop off children ages 13 and over for teen night at Adventureland, which includes unlimited rides and, beginning at 6 p.m., a DJ/live entertainment. Tweens welcome, but are required to have a parent tag along.
New in the arcade:
Every week at our house, we watch "Deal or No Deal," so my 11-year-old son was psyched to see Adventureland has added an arcade version of the game show. It's one dollar per game, and players strive not for $1 million but for the suitcase with the most redeemable arcade tickets (up to 200). Whatever one you end up with (unless you make a deal with the banker first), that number of orange tickets spools out of the machine. The game is complete with models who pout or break into sparkling smiles, depending on what's in their suitcase. Thankfully, the cleavage factor that is oh-so-prevalent on the prime-time version of the show is absent here.
New snack:
Homemade fudge ($11 a pound). Butterfinger, Rocky Road, Snickers, Cookies and Cream, Cookie Dough, Reese's Pieces and more. Can you say "sugar high"?
New smoking policy:
The park became smoke-free this year. A small gazebo area outside of "City Hall" is the only designated area to light up.
Adventureland
2245 Route 110
Farmingdale
631-694-6868
adventureland.us
