Want to make the most of a day at Quassy Amusement park in Middlebury, CT?

You want to do an amusement park outing with the kids, but you don’t want to go too far, pay too much or deal with big crowds. It’s hot, so there needs to be something wet. And your kids are toddlers, elementary age or tweens, young enough that they don’t yet need the fanciest, newest roller coasters.

Quassy Amusement Park (pronounce the “Q” like the one in “aqua”) in Middlebury, CT is your place. This is an old-time, family-run park on the rebound. Built on the shores of Lake Quassapaug, it began life in the early 1900s as a summer resort with a dance hall, paddleboats and a picnic area. After World War II, Quassy grew to include rides, becoming a true amusement park.

A decade ago, the third generation of the family to run Quassy, added a water play area, saving the park from likely demise. For 2013, they’ve doubled the size of that part of the park, making it a destination that older kids will find even more appealing.

The amusement park rides are still the homey kind. The fastest is the short, but speedy Wooden Warrior roller coaster. There are a half-dozen options for the preschool set, including jets, boats, and the Frog Hopper – a miniature version of the classic drop zone ride. For thrill-seekers there are classics like Free Fall’n and the Galleon Pirate Ship.

The park is small enough that I felt comfortable letting my 13-year-old wander off in charge of my 8-year-old for a bit while I took a tour. But it’s big enough that the crowds aren’t bad. Even on a hot Saturday in June – with 13 buses lined up in the parking lot -- my kids almost never needed to wait more than one round before getting a turn on a ride.

When your stomach needs a break from being tossed around on roller coasters or swings, there is a fully-stocked arcade with old and new games. One of the newest, a laser maze lets you peek in on players via a video monitor.

For my kiddos, Splash Away Bay, the expanded and re-branded water play area, was the biggest hit. The original water play area is Saturation Station, a fairly typical water play area with the bucket that dumps water from overhead and the sprinklers shooting off a giant playstructure-like contraption. The new additions include two huge slides – one an open drop and the other a curvy enclosed one you ride down on a raft alone or with a friend. Plus, there is also the Fish Pond, a smaller water play area for littler tykes.

The prices are more reasonable than the other alternatives – about $10 less per ticket than Lake Compounce and about $20 cheaper than Six Flags New England. Plus, you can bring your own picnic into the park if you prefer to get something healthier than hot dogs and hamburgers.

At the end of our day we wanted a cool treat, but not the typical amusement park fare, so I checked Yelp and it turned out we were just about 10 minutes from Rich Farm Ice Cream in Oxford. You can’t beat ice cream made from the milk of cows you can see grazing on the premises. It’s worth the extra drive. All in all, it was a practically perfect day.

The details:

Quassy Amusement Park: 2132 Middlebury Road, Middlebury, CT 06762

Quassy is about 45 minutes south of Hartford.

A 2014 all-day pass for the rides and Splash Away Bay: Adults (45 inches and taller) cost $24.50. Children (under 45 inches) are $20.50.

Hours for most of the summer: weekdays 11 am to 8 pm. Weekends 11 am to 10 pm.

More details available online at http://www.quassy.com.

© 2013, Christine Foster
Kidsoutandabout.com