Upstate’s recreation, water and amusement parks.
Bristol Mountain. 5589 South Hill Road, Canandaigua. (585) 374-1180 bristolmount
ainadventures.com. More than seven challenge courses placed throughout the forest canopy consist of 12 to 15 elements including tight rope walks, ziplines, ropes and bridges. The adventure areas are open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Fridays through Sundays, June 10 to 19; starting June 24, hours are daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., through Sept. 5. Tickets to the aerial adventure park are $49 for those over age 7, $25 for those ages 4 to 7; admission is $39 after 3:30. The zipline canopy tour costs $109 per person. Reservations are recommended.
Darien Lake Amusement Park. 9993 Allegheny Road, Darien Center. (585) 599-4641. darienlake.com. The amusement and water park, about two hours’ drive west of Syracuse, features rides of all sorts, including 11 thrill rides like the Ride of Steel—billed as the tallest and fastest roller coaster in New York state; 17 family rides graded by thrill as “mild,” “moderate” or “high”; 10 kids rides; and three wet rides. Hours in June vary, but generally the park is open Fridays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; June 24 through Sept. 4, it’s open daily 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. One-day admission prices range from $29.99 (for children under 48 inches tall and senior citizens age 62 and older) to $38.99 for adults. Parking for one day costs $9 per vehicle. Purchasing and printing tickets online saves $8 off the gate-price admission.
Enchanted Forest Water Safari. 3183 Route 28, Old Forge. (315) 369-6145. The park is about two hours’ drive northeast of Syracuse in the Adirondacks. It will celebrate its 61st season this year, and features more rides and attractions than most people can take advantage of in a day, including classic amusement rides, and water tubes and slides with varying levels of speed, surprise and steepness. Storybook Lane (where tales like The Three Bears come to life), a petting zoo, a wild west town and a family circus are among the park’s other features. Admission is $32.95 for age 12 and older, $29.95 for ages 3 to 11, and free for age 2 and under. The park opens June 15, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and expands its hours as the season progresses. From July 2 to Aug. 21, it’s open 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Its last day is Sept. 5.
Olcott Beach Carousel Park. 5979 Main St., Olcott. (716) 778-7066. olcottbeachcarouselpark.org. The nonprofit amusement park on the shore of Lake Ontario, northeast of Buffalo, is a delight for preschool-age children and their families; it features an old-fashioned two-row carousel, five vintage kiddie rides and a 1931 Wurlitzer band organ in a setting that evokes a 1940s-era attraction. Rides cost 25 cents each. Open weekends from Memorial Day, a Wednesday-through-Sunday schedule begins in July and continues through Labor Day.
Roseland Waterpark. 250 Eastern Blvd., Canandaigua. (585) 396-2000. roselandwaterpark.com. The giant wave pool is a 27,000-square-foot ocean simulator. A splash factory, for visitors under 48 inches tall, features six small water slides, water cannons, and a 1,000 gallon bucket of water that dumps every minute. There’s also a raft ride and thrill rides for those over 4 feet tall, including several steep and twisting water and tube slides. Admission is $27.95 per day; $22.95 for those under 48 inches tall. After 3 p.m., admission is $18.95. Season passes cost $79. The park opens for the season the last week in June; hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., extending to 7:30 p.m. in July. The season ends after Labor Day.
Santa’s Village. 324 Whiteface Mountain Memorial Highway, Wilmington. (518) 946-2211. northpoleny.com. Fans of Santa Claus know no season, and the Adirondacks park, 150 miles north of Albany, offers chances to get a flavor of the North Pole with such sights as the Reindeer Barn, Saint Nicholas’ Chapel and the post office, where postcards and envelopes can be postmarked North Pole, NY. Rides and attractions are mostly devoted to young children and include Santa’s Sleigh Coaster, the Christmas Carousel and the Peppermint Swing. Santa’s Village’s summer schedule is June 28 through Sept. 5, Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (The park is also open weekends in the fall and late November through Dec. 18.) Day passes cost $22.99 for ages 2 to 64, $20.99 for those age 65 and up.
Seabreeze Amusement Park. 4600 Culver Road, Rochester. (585) 323-1900. seabreeze.com. A few miles north of Rochester, on the shore of Lake Ontario, Seabreeze is a medium-sized park with six kiddie rides, seven “thrill rides” (one of these is bumper cars), seven family rides, four roller coasters, and a water park with a wave pool, a lazy river for tube riding and other methods of getting wet. Ride and slide day passes cost $31.99 for those 48 inches and taller ($3 less if bought online); $25.99 for under 48 inches ($24.99 online). Night rider passes are $22.99 ($20.99 online); spectator passes (no rides or slides; age 21 or older) are $12.99. Single-ride tickets cost $3.25. Park hours expand after school lets out, with regular summer hours starting June 23, with rides open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and the water park open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., daily, through Aug. 7, after which the water park begins closing at 7 p.m.
Sterling Renaissance Festival. 15385 Farden Road, Sterling. (800) 879-4446. sterlingfestival.com. Rides, games and attractions reflect the theme, with costumed entertainers and musicians filling the mock village of Warwick with all manner of street theater. One of the highlights is a recreation of a 16th-century tournament joust, with knights on horses. Stage shows are tremendously varied, with acrobats, jesters, knife artists and more on display. The festival is open Saturdays and Sundays, July 2 through Aug. 14, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets cost $27.95 for age 12 and up, $16.95 for ages 5-11, free for age 4 and under.
Sylvan Beach Amusement Park. 112 Bridge St., Sylvan Beach. sylvanbeachamusementpark.com. Sylvan Beach’s attractions are of the classic boardwalk and midway variety, including arcade, video and carnival games; miniature golf; bumper boats, a roller coaster, scrambler, tilt-a-whirl and super slide. There are 10 rides in Kiddieland. All-day wristbands cost $24.95 for adults, $14.95 for children. The park opens May 27 and extends its days and hours to its full schedule starting July 1, when it’s open noon to 10 p.m.; most Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays it’s open until 8 p.m. It’s closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The summer season ends Sept. 5.
Thunder Island. 21 Wilcox Road, Fulton. (315) 598-8016.
thunder-island.com. With entertainment and water park attractions of all sorts, Thunder Island tries to offer something for everyone, including two enclosed body flumes, an extreme body slide (for good swimmers only) on which riders achieve speeds up to 40 mph—but also two kiddie slides and a kiddie mini river as well as a tube river ride. There are three go-kart courses ($6 to $7) and a two-person zipline ride ($5). Water park admission costs $20.95 for those age 5 and older, including playing 17-hole miniature golf all day, and with a $23.95 extra value pass you also get a two-trip zipline ticket. Season passes cost $63.95. The park is set to open June 24, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with the water park closing at 5 p.m. The water park closes during cold and stormy weather.
