I love amusement parks. I was that kid who rode almost everything, leaving my less adventurous friends holding my stuff at the foot of the roller coaster. So it comes as no surprise that I get immense pleasure from taking my kids to the amusement park, satisfying my own kid-at-heart desires to see them have the same kind of fun I had at their age.
Considering their ages (almost four and five-and-a-half), local Canobie Lake Park in Salem, NH is a great spot. They're not quite ready for the big kid rides and are shy around characters so Canobie Lake is perfect. In under an hour, we can pull in to the free parking lot and be having fun without heavy duty lines or the steep ticket prices commanded at other nearby parks. And although the park does have tons of attractions for little kids, my seven and ten-year old niece and nephew had a blast as well, riding everything from the bumper cars to the featured Boston Tea Party log ride. Too small to ride, my own kids stood by and loved getting soaked by the wall of water that hit them every time the ride dropped. That was an experience in itself!
If you have young kids, Canobie Lake Park offers a kiddie area that has about 15 or so rides. Many are parent-friendly while others are kids-only (thankfully!). Family favorites include the Alpine Swing (a scaled down version of the scary adult swings) and Flower Power. For a full list of kids rides, visit here. There are also plenty of family rides that are kid-friendly.
While we'd been to the park before, this was our first visit to the water park (included in admission). Castaway Island "is the largest water play complex of its type in New England, with over 180 ways to get wet! Bring your bathing suit and splash away the day... and it's all included in your general one-price admission to the Park! The ride features water cannons, 9 water slides, waterfalls, and dozens of other ways of getting wet on a hot summer's day." Don't forget to bring bathing suits and towels! My kids LOVED this part of the day, which we saved for last.
Food is puh-lentiful at CLP. Seriously, everywhere you turn are vendors and lunch stands. While the food is relatively reasonably priced, similar to other amusement parks, quality is average at best. I did see a grill over at Castaway Island with hamburgers and hot dogs and I would probably check out this option first next time.
2011 ticket prices are:
General Admission Price: $32
Under 48" or Over 60 Years: $23
After 5pm: $22
Ages 3 & under: FREE!
For more info, visit www.canobie.com.
"I received complimentary park tickets to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own."
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