westchester family ultimate guide to summerwordscapesny.com/wp-content/uploads/westchesterfamily...4...
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Super Splash!
Backyard Trampolines
SummerAre They Safe?
The Best Water Parks
ULTIMATE GUIDE TO
+Rainy Day OutingsMake Jam, It’s Easy!Free Activities for All Ages
Camps, Programs and More ...
2013
Online at WestchesterFamily.com
Visit Our All-NewKids’ Camps
4 Ultimate Guide to Summer | 2013
contents
hot tips 24 Ridge Hill: Tons of Fun 26 Get in for Free 27 Westchester Park Pass
health 28 Is the Backyard
Trampoline Safe? 30 Sunscreen Labels 32 A Jam to Get Into
stuff to do 34 Rainy Day Fun 36 Geocatching
departments
features
on the cover 30 Trampolines 6 Super Splash 34 Rainy Day Outings 32 Make Jam, It’s Easy! 26 Free Activities for All Ages
advertising 16 Camp Guide
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6
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Make a Splash This Summer! Summer is synonymous with water and when you add the wet and wild attractions a water park can offer you have the makings of a super summer outing.
Let’s Ride…Family Biking in Westchester Cycling offers a chance to spend time outdoors and it’s great exercise. Families with children of different ages can all bike together, which makes this sport especially family-friendly.
A Day on the FarmThe idea that the food in your refrigerator does not originate wrapped in plastic may still come as a shock to some families. So give the pool or museum or playground a rest and take your kids to the farm!
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Westchester Family (ISSN 1043-6774) is published monthly by Hibert Publishing LLC. Please note that the advertisements in this magazine are paid for by the advertisers, which allows this magazine to be free to the consumer. Limit of one free copy per reader. Additional copies may be purchased for $5.00 per issue. Call 914-381-7474 to request additional copies. Unless specifi cally noted, no advertisers, products or services are endorsed by the Publisher. All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertising are available on an equal opportunity basis. Editorial submissions are welcome. Westchester Family copyright 2013 Hibert Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.
6 Ultimate Guide to Summer | 2013
By Traci L. Suppa
Regional Water Parks Offer Refreshing Fun
If you ask my kids what their favorite summertime activity is, their instantaneous response is, “going
to a water park.” Despite their 7-year age gap – he’s 12, she’s 5 – they both love the range of wet and wild att ractions a water park can off er, which our local pool can’t.
Lucky for us, there are several within a two-hour drive, perfect for a day trip. Some are stand-alone destinations. Others are part of larger amusement park complexes, off ering a place to cool off aft er enjoying the midway. While we haven’t committ ed to buying season passes at any of these, several families I know have. With ticket prices equaling the costs of single-day admission for two or three visits, the passes soon pay for themselves.
Note that the admission prices refl ected in the article are for a single day ticket. Special off ers or online discounts can oft en be found on the parks’ websites, and season passes off er the best value for repeated visits.
Six Flags Hurricane HarborIf thrill rides are what you’re aft er, make your
fi rst stop Six Flags Hurricane Harbor in Jackson, N.J. Th ere are more than 25 “thrill” att ractions here, including eight slide complexes. King Cobra, a dual-racing tube slide, was introduced just last year, and “Big Wave Racer” opens this season. Th is aero-dynamically-designed water toboggan sends riders barreling headfi rst down multiple lanes. Th e
Splash Harbor at Lake Compounce offers high-caliber amusement
park rides plus a sprawling water park that local parents
say is especially clean and well-maintained.
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This Summer!
Make aSplashSplash
2013 | WestchesterFamily.com 7
45-acre park also features a million-gallon wave pool, a half-mile lazy river and a large children’s water playground.
Admission: General (over 48 inches), $41.99; junior (48 inches and under), $31.99; ages 2 and under, free. Rte. 537, Jackson, N.J. 732-928-1821; www.sixfl ags.com/hurricaneharbornj.
Splash Harbor at Lake Compounce
Its location in nearby Bristol, Conn. makes Splash Harbor, part of the Lake Compounce amusement park, a real draw. “Th ere’s no bett er option close to lower Westchester for both land and water parks,” says David Wiener, a Harrison father of four. A day trip to Lake Compounce has become an annual family tradition. His kids love a morning spent on the “high caliber” amusement park rides, followed by an aft ernoon at the sprawling water park. As a parent, he appreciates the location, cleanliness and the att ractions suited to all ages. “Also,” he adds, “it’s relatively inexpensive for the experience.”
Th is season’s new att raction is an oversized wave pool, “Bayou Bay.” Other favorites include “Mammoth Falls” family raft adventure, “Lights Out” dark water slide, and the pirate ship play area. “Clipper Cove” off ers a quick cool down, as the giant 300-gallon bucket spills over the crowd below every few minutes.
Admission: Regular (52 inches and taller), $38.99; junior (under 52 inches), $28.99; ages 3 and under, free. 822 Lake Ave., Bristol, Conn. 860-583-3300; www.lakecompounce.com.
SplashDown BeachSplashDown Beach in Fishkill, N.Y. off ers enough
fun to fi ll a full day, yet its manageable size means you won’t be walking miles between att ractions. Th ere’s a lot here for preschoolers, especially the shallow “Shipwreck Lagoon” and the new “Bob the Builder
Splash Works,” with more than 50 interactive features including slides, dumping buckets and geysers. For bigger, braver kids, “Cowabunga Falls” and “Pirate’s Plunge” are breath-catching water slides. Th rill-seekers should try the four-story “Humunga Half Pipe,” New York’s only zero-gravity half pipe ride.
Admission: Adults (over 42 inches), $29.99; children (42 inches and under), $24.99. 16 Old Rte. 9 West, Fishkill, N.Y. 845-897-9600; www.splashdownbeach.com.
Zoom Flume Water ParkSince 1981, Zoom Flume Water Park has off ered
family fun in the Catskills. Th e newest att raction is the “Riptide Cove” wave pool, which, along with the “Lagoon Activity Pool” and the “Lazy River,” off ers tamer levels of family-friendly entertainment. Teens and tweens looking for speed should try twisting and turning down the “Vortex” water slide in complete darkness, or raft ing down the 600-foot “Wild River Ride” chute. Plans are in place to introduce a new att raction, a 700-foot zipline, crossing the entire water park at heights of up to 80 feet. Hopefully completed this year, it would be the fi rst zipline at any water park in New York State.
Checklist: What to Take to the Water Park ■ Cash: small bills for snacks; quarters for lockers ■ Extra set of dry clothes ■ First aid items (bandages, pain reliever) ■ Goggles / nose plugs / ear plugs
■ Snacks and drinks in insulated cooler (if permitted) ■ Sunglasses and hats ■ Sunscreen and lip balm ■ Swim diapers ■ Towels
■ Water shoes / fl ip fl ops ■ Waterproof ID for lost kids, such as “SafetyTats” (www.safetytat.com) ■ Waterproof pouch for money, ID, cell phone, etc.
There’s a lot at SplashDown Beach for preschoolers, including “Shipwreck Lagoon” and the new “Bob the Builder Splash Works,” with more than 50 interactive features including slides, dumping buckets and geysers.
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8 Ultimate Guide to Summer | 2013
Admission: Ages 8 through adult, $26.99; ages 3-7, $19.95. 20 Shady Glen Rd., East Durham, N.Y. 800-888-3586; www.zoomfl ume.com.
Other AlternativesA smaller water park, Splash Away Bay, is part of
the Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury, Conn. Th e “Saturation Station” is a multi-level climbing apparatus with a 300-gallon tipping bucket. Th ere are also several “Tunnel Twister” waterslides, the “BulletBOWL” and “FreeFALL” extreme body slides and the “Fish Pond” splash pad for the younger set. Th e park is adjacent to the sandy Quassy Beach on Lake Quassapaug.
Admission: Adults (45 inches and taller), $24.50; children (under 45 inches), $20.50. 2132 Middlebury Rd., Middlebury, Conn. 800-FOR-PARK (367-7275) or 203-758-2913; www.quassy.com.
If you’re willing to drive further, head to Lake George, N.Y. Splashwater Kingdom is part of the Six Flags Great Escape theme park complex. Th rill rides range from “mild,” like the 500,000 gallon “Lumberjack Splash Wave Pool,” to “max,” like the
“Tornado,” a 132-foot long water funnel. “Noah’s Sprayground,” an ark with several animal slides, is ideal for toddlers.
Admission: Adults, $52.99; junior (under 48 inches), $42.99; ages 2 and under, free. Rte. 9, Lake George, N.Y. 518-792-3500; www.sixfl ags.com/GreatEscape. ■
Traci L. Suppa blogs about her family’s travels at www.GoBIGorGoHomeBlog.com.
Rainy Day? Head Indoors!Consider these indoor water parks within the
tri-state area for weatherproof, year-round fun. ■ Big Splash at Rocking Horse Ranch – 600 State Rte. 44/55, Highland, N.Y. 800-647-2624; www.rockinghorseranch.com. ■ CoCo Key – 3580 E. Main St., Waterbury, Conn.800-446-1449 or 203-706-1000; www.cocokeywaterbury.com. ■ Great Wolf Lodge – 1 Great Wolf Dr., Scotrun, P.A. 800-768-9653 or 570-688-9899; www.greatwolf.com/poconos.