I had the privilege of taking my family to Quassy Amusement Park a couple of weeks ago and boy, did we have a great time. I can’t believe it had taken me this long to visit! The park is set on beautiful Lake Quassapaug and offers something for adults and kids of all ages from amusement park rides to carnival games and an arcade to paddle boats, a beach and splash water park. Do not forget your camera, as there are a number of picturesque spots to pause and capture some great family memories.
The first thing I noticed when we walked up to the gate was that you don’t need to pay admission to get into the Quassy. You just need bracelets (or individual tickets) to ride the rides. This is convenient if you want to bring grandparents who would love to just walk around and watch the kids have fun on the rides. However, you do need to pay admission for the beach/water park area.
With two small children, we knew we had to make the most of the time we had planned to be there. Our strategy was to go on some dry rides first, from about 11-12, then have and early lunch (before the crowd). Then back for more dry rides for about an hour or so and then change into bathing suits (they have changing rooms and lockers) and head over to the beach and splash area to finish off the day. Tire the kids out and have them nap on the drive home. As it turned out, our 11-month old tired out before we got to the splash park and napped in the stroller while my husband and I took turns splashing around with our 4-year old. But overall, this strategy worked well for us.
Rides
Quassy offers little kiddies and big kids/adults more than 20 rides including: the Grand Carousel, Wooden Warrior, Tilt-a-Whirl, Fun Slide, Bumper Cars, Helicopters, Flying Dragon and more! Click here for photos and a complete list.
I was especially impressed with how many rides there were for my 4-year old to go on alone and there were even a decent number that she could go on with my husband or me, too. Don’t miss the Little Dipper (kiddie roller coaster which you can ride on together). It’s a bit loud and squeaky so kids with sensitive ears may not like it, but the initial drop and rolling track toward the end will send giggles through your little one AND you, so be prepared for an “I want to go on again!” before the ride comes to a complete stop. Another favorite of ours was the Frog Hopper (think “Free-fall” for kids with mini-drops). Kids can go on alone, but there is a seat in the middle for an adult to ride along, too. Just don’t let your baby see you on it though; at least in my case my 11-month old cried some hard tears in her daddy’s arms when she saw her mommy go flying up in the air away from her. Poor thing. The baby loved the Grand Carousel (we went on at least a half a dozen times!) and even enjoyed the Quassy Express Train (except for the part where we very briefly through a dark tunnel).
Family Redemption Arcade
Choose from more than 100 games, including old-time favorites like Skee-Ball, Pinball, Pac-Man and Galaga, plus more than 50 redemption games where you can win tickets and choose from more than 1,000 different prizes.
Quassy Beach
Take a break from all the fun and excitement by taking a dip in cool, refreshing, Lake Quassapaug. Refreshments and beach supplies are available at the Beach Shack and mom and dad can relax in the lounge chairs while the kids splash in the water.
Splash Away Bay Water Park
Get ready to get wet! The park's interactive water play area, Saturation Station is a recently expanded, gigantic Jungle Gym with over 30 ways to get drenched, from cascading waterfalls to a huge tipping bucket that sends more than 300 gallons of water onto the guests below. There are also the "Tunnel Twister" water slides, with over 400 feet of twisting, turning water action and more!
There are changing/dressing rooms as well as lockers as soon as you walk through the beach park entrance. No bathrooms right there though, so if you anticipate the kids having to pee, then be sure to visit the restrooms at the main entrance before you head over to the splash park. There is another bathroom in the splash park area, but it’s a bit of a walk and getting your kids to walk past all the fun to go to the bathroom first will be a battle. Be sure to eat lunch before you go to the beach/water park (unless you bring a picnic) as there aren’t any concessions there. There is a little cabana that offers candy and snacks as well as sunscreen and beach towels (I happen to know that the towels are $20 a piece so, don’t forget one like I did!). There are four areas in the beach/water park area. There’s the beach on the lake (which was very crowded by the time we got there – so if you plan to do the beach, you may want to do that first before the rides), the Fish Pond (toddler splash area), the water slides and Saturation Station. With a 4-year old that doesn’t like to get water splashed on her face, we spent the majority of our time at The Fish Pond which worked out well. We did spend a brief time over at Saturation Station, but there were a lot of big kids and adults there so the splashing was a bit much for us. The water slides looked awesome – I look forward to enjoying those when the kids are bigger.
Special Events:
Click here for special events and promotions happening all summer long.
Hours:
Quassy is open Monday - Thursday from 11AM-8PM and Friday/Saturday from 11AM-10PM. Waterpark and Beach close at 7PM. Park hours are subject to change click here for full calendar or call 1-800-FOR-PARK.
Tickets/ Passes:
Tickets range from $3.50 for individual rides to up to $24.50 for an adult All-day Ride and Splash Away Bay Pass. You can also pay separate admission ($15) just for Quassy Beach and "Saturation Station." On Saturdays, take a carload from 5PM-10PM for $35 (up to 10 people in one vehicle). Click here for a complete breakdown of ticket pricing and options.
Macaroni Kid Danbury-Bethel-Ridgefield has a family 4-pack of Summer Nights Passes* to giveaway to one lucky email subscriber per week through August 14!
To enter this week's giveaway:
Send an email to meghanf@macaronikid.com with "Quassy" in the subject line by Tuesday, August 14th at 10PM. Gain an extra entry by "Liking" us on Facebook (and emailing us letting us know that you did) or getting a friend to subscribe to our newsletter (just have your friend include your name/email address in the "how did you hear about us" field). By entering you agree to subscribe to the Macaroni Kid Danbury-Bethel-Ridgefield weekly email newsletter. See Official Rules here.
*Passes only valid after 5PM, Monday-Thursday. Waterpark operates until 7PM. Rides operate until 8PM..Parking fee of $6 not included.
For more information on Quassy Amusement Park, visit www.quassy.com. Quassy is located at Lake Quassapug, Rt. 64 (2132 Middlebury Road), Middlebury, CT 06762. Phone: 1-800-FOR-PARK or 203-758-2913 E-mail: info@quassy.com.
As the Editor, I received complimentary admission in order to write this review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
