Small amusement parks are bargain
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The Associated Press - Published: June 28, 2009
If you can't afford to take the kids to one of the big theme parks this summer, find out if there are any smaller, family-owned parks nearby. You may be pleasantly surprised to find the ticket prices are lower than at the big parks, and lines may be shorter.
Some of these smaller parks still offer cheap general admission for a few bucks, with rides by the ticket. Adults who don't care to ride or who just want to go on one or two rides while shepherding the kids can dramatically cut their costs.
At Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury, Conn., for example, admission is free. Tickets for individual rides are $3 a pop, while a book of 12 tickets is $27 and an all-day pass is $21 for adults or $17 for kids shorter than 45 inches. Other deals include an after 5 p.m. pass for $9, and a "Saturday Carload" $20 pass.
Quassy has a lakefront beach and three free shows, Cirque Equinox, the Kent Family Magic Circus and the Kenya Safari Acrobats, in addition to various rides.
Lakemont Park, in Altoona, Pa., was founded in 1894 as a "trolley park," built by a streetcar line to attract disembarking riders. It has all-day passes for $10 or individual ride tickets. A season pass there for $40 costs less than the gate admission costs at some of the bigger parks. The park is famous for its roller coaster, Leap-the-Dips, which is reputedly the world's oldest roller coaster. It was built in 1902, restored and reopened in 1999, and named a National Historic Landmark in 1996.
Camden Park in Huntington, W.Va., founded as a trolley park in 1902, sells general admission tickets for $21 ($15 for kids less than 48 inches tall and seniors). The park opened a new mini-golf course this year; games are $5 with park admission.
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