Family-Friendly Amusement Parks in the New York Area
Here are the coronavirus safety restrictions and reopening information for the amusement parks and theme parks in the New York area.
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Hours: Hours vary per attraction. Check the website for detailed information.
COVID Safety Guidelines: Face coverings required; maintain social distancing requirements
Morey’s Piers spans more than 18 acres along six beach blocks. It includes three piers and two beachfront water parks: the Adventure Pier, which features coasters, thrill rides, and a raceway; the Surfside Pier, with kiddie and family rides; the Mariner’s Landing Pier, where you can ride traditional rides such as the Ferris wheel and teacups, play in the arcade, and enjoy Boardwalk treats; the Raging Waters waterpark, with kiddie play areas, water slides, and activity pools; and the Oasis Waterpark + Beach Club, which features more water rides for kids and adults.
Playland Castaway Cove
Opening May 1
Cost: 2021 ticket prices to be announced.
Hours:Check the website for a calendar of hours.
COVID Safety Guidelines: Call for information.
On this boardwalk, there are thrill rides, pirate golf, go-karts, an arcade, and kids’ rides as well as food concession stands. Attractions include the Beach Buggies, Extreme Cyclone, Air Race, Happy Swing, Kite Flyer, Pirates Gold Rush, Spin Zone, Golden Galleon, and Tidal Wave.
Wild West City
Opening May 1
Cost: $29.50; $24.50 children ages 2-12; $22 seniors
Hours: May 1-June 20: Saturday-Sunday, 10:30am-5pm. June 21 to Labor Day: Monday-Thursday, 10:30am-4pm; Friday-Sunday, 10:30am-5pm. Check the website for updates.
COVID Safety Guidelines: Face coverings required Following all state mandates. Temperatures checks for staff and guests before entering the park. Social distancing. Face coverings required.
Watch the best of the Wild West come to life in a real Western town. Enjoy live actions shows all day long on outdoor Main Street. Get a bird's eye view of the town on the Stage Coach, hop aboard the train, deep into outlaw territory and for younger buckaroos ride a pony. Explore the town's shops and museums which replicates the historic 1880's town of Dodge City, Kansas. Visit the barnyard, and watch live demos and learn about the life of a blacksmith, mountain man and school marm from the American Frontier.
Amusement Parks in Connecticut
Open
Quassy Amusement Park
2132 Middlebury Road (Route 64), Middlebury
Cost: Prices vary; check the website for details.
Hours: Check the website for a calendar of hours for both the amusement park and water park.
COVID Safety Guidelines: Face masks required; social distancing of 6 feet required
Features a wooden roller coaster, The Wooden Warrior. Quassy also has the Free Fall 'N' Drop tower. Check out Splash Away Bay Water Park and Quassy Beach for summer water fun.
Ocean Beach Park
Price: Parking charge includes admission for up to 5 guests. Weekdays $18; Weekends $25; $10 after 6pm
Hours: Hours vary. Call for more information.
COVID Safety Guidelines: Maintain 6 feet of distance from all others; maintain 15 feet between beach blankets; 5 people maximum per group; wear face covering where close contact; closed until further notice - waterslides and rides
Features a carousel and old-time kiddie and adult rides as well as a half-mile boardwalk, arcade, 18-hole miniature golf course, playground, waterslide, and a beach on the Atlantic Ocean. There are also festivals and nightly entertainment throughout the summer; check the website for a full schedule of events. Ocean Beach Park has an Olympic-sized pool as well as banquet halls with catering abilities.
Amusement Parks in Pennsylvania
Open
Sesame Place
Cost: Most tickets are date-specific, but a single any-date ticket is $79.99 online for ages 2 and older. Children 23 months and younger are free.
Hours: Check the website for a calendar of hours.
COVID Safety Guidelines: Reservations required; temperature screening upon arrival; face coverings required for guests over age of 2
Sesame Place is the nation's only theme park based entirely on Sesame Street. The park has partnered with the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards to become the first theme park in the world designated as a Certified Autism Center.
Opening Soon
Hersheypark
Opens April 30
100 W. Hersheypark Drive, Hershey
Hours: See website for calendar.
Cost: Check the website for rates.
COVID Safety Guidelines: Reservations required; face coverings required; temperature screening prior to entering
The park features more than 65 rides and attractions, from 20 kiddie rides to 12 breathtaking roller coasters (including the new family coaster the Coco Cruiser) and everything in between. Also features more than 10 water rides on the Boardwalk. Hershey’s Chocolate World is located just outside the main gate to Hersheypark (hersheys.com/chocolateworld).
DelGrosso’s Park & Laguna Splash Water Park
Opening May 29.
4352 E. Pleasant Valley Blvd., Tipton
Hours: Ride park: May-August, daily, 12-8:30pm; September: daily, 12-8pm; Water park: May-August: daily, 11am-7pm; Last weekend of August and September, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Cost: All-day fun pass in May and September: $21.95. June-August, $31.95. Season passes and individual ride tickets available.
COVID Safety Guidelines: Masks required for everyone older than 2. Social distancing is enforced, and there is limited capacity.
The DelGrosso family is famous for its pasta sauces, but it’s also known for this family-friendly amusement park featuring miniature golf, go-karts, a waterpark with water works and rapids, and fresh takes on amusement park food. Enjoy the Lazy River and Wave Pool at the Laguna Splash Water Park.
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
Opening May 22
3830 Dorney Park Road, Allentown
GPS Address: 4000 Dorney Park Road, Allentown
Price: $35 General Admission Online
Hours: See the website for a calendar for open dates and hours.
What you need to know: Reservations required for single day ticket holders; face coverings required in all areas; health screenings prior to visit and temperature checks upon arrival. Guests must have the park’s app on their phones.
This park features rollercoasters and water rides including Steel Force, the longest steel roller coaster on the East Coast, and HYDRA, the first and only floorless coaster in Pennsylvania. Play in the waterpark, which features three levels of water games and the 70-foot-tall Lighting Falls water slide. This year, the park will debut Seaside Splashworks, a multi-level, beach-themed water play structure, this Memorial Day weekend. This new family attraction will be the largest structure in the water park and features more than 75 play elements to engage the entire family.
Dutch Wonderland
Opening May 15
2249 Lincoln Highway E., Lancaster
Hours: Check the website for an operational calendar with open days and hours.
Cost: $38.99 ages 3 and older
COVID Safety Guidelines: Must wear face coverings. Temperature checks upon arrival. Maintain six feet distance from others
Designed for families with young children, this park features 37 kiddie and family rides, including two kid-friendly coasters, bumper cars, a merry-go-round, and more. Duke’s Lagoon features water slides, splash zones, and lounge areas.
Idlewild and SoakZone
Opening some time in 2021. Check back for details.
Hours: Check the full calendar of hours on the website.
Price: $46.99; $36.99 seniors. Check the website for other packs and rates.
COVID Safety Guidelines: Wear face coverings; temperature checks upon arrival; Six-foot distance from others
At the oldest amusement park in Pennsylvania, you’ll find thrill rides and water park fun as well as attractions just for younger children, including the Story Book Forest, Bigfoot's Mudslide, and the one-and-only Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.
Kennywood Park
Opening at some point in 2021. Check back for details
4800 Kennywood Blvd., West Mifflin
Cost: General admission $44.99; $32.99 juniors; $19.99 seniors
Hours: Check the full calendar of hours on the website.
COVID Safety Guidelines: Wear face coverings and maintain 6-foot distance from others
Experience the Black Widow, a giant circle moving in a pendulum motion that swings riders 146 feet above the ground. The Sky Rocket roller coaster takes riders from zero to 50 miles per hour in less than three seconds and features a 95-foot vertical climb. The park also features other thrill rides, a Kiddieland for smaller children, and Olde Kennywood Railroad, where visitors can experience a tour of Kennywood history.
Knoebels Amusement Resort
Amusement parks opening May 1
Cost: Ride all day with coasters $38; $25 shorter than 48 inches; Sundown with coasters $25
Hours: Check the calendar on the website
COVID Safety Guidelines: Face coverings required; Maintain social distancing
Take a dip in the 900,000-gallon Crystal Pool that includes waterslides, diving boards, and a play area for young children. You can stay overnight at one of two campgrounds or one of our cottages. In addition to more than 60 rides, visitors can also play a round of golf at Knoebels Three Ponds Golf Club.
Waldameer Park & Water World
Opening May 15
3100 W. Lake Road/220 Peninsula Drive, Erie
Cost: $45; $35.40 shorter than 48 inches; $34.50 seniors
Hours: Check the website as there are periodic updates.
COVID Safety Guidelines: Masks required to enter Waldameer and Water World - masks may be removed while using Water World attractions
Features more than 75 rides, slides, and attractions, as well as Kiddieland, Imagination Station, and a game-filled midway. Enjoy the Music Express rock and roll ride and The Battle of Lake Erie, a family water complex featuring 103 water attractions, seven slides, and a 400-gallon tipping bucket.
What are amusement parks doing to keep my family safe?
Looking to our neighbors in New Jersey, Six Flags Great Adventure is opening with new safety guidelines, including reduced attendance levels and extensive new safety and hygiene protocols. Some New York parks are making similar plans, including The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom, with requirements like advance reservations, face masks, non-invasive temperature checks, and social distancing.
What can my family do to stay safe when visiting amusement parks?
Bring everything with you.
It’s better to bring items with you than to have to purchase them when you’re out and about, says Giuseppe Aragona, M.D., general practitioner and medical advisor at Prescription Doctor. This includes hand wipes and hand gels to clean your hands and other surfaces frequently, food and drinks, extra clothes, diapers, and anything your family tends to need when you’re away from home. Try to pack your items in disposable containers so you can throw everything away at the end of your visit and won’t bring home any potential contamination.
Check ahead of time
Before visiting any amusement park, be sure to check the website and social media pages for updated COVID-related policies. Be prepared to make timely reservations, pack masks, and talk to your kids about proper social distancing. Then try to verify if there is a restriction on the number of people permitted to enter the park on any given day, says Leann Poston M.D., M.B.A., M.Ed., of Invigor Medical. You’ll want to visit parks that are imposing restrictions on capacity, for everyone’s safety.
Prepare the kids.
This amusement park visit won’t be exactly like other park trips have been in the past, so you want to lay that out for your kids. Explain to them what they will and will not be allowed to do, chat about social distancing, and then make sure their masks fit well.
Keep to yourselves.
“As a virus that is presumed to spread through droplets (i.e. cough, sneeze, speaking) covering our mouth and nose continues to act as an important protective measure. In addition, standing 6 feet apart will help mitigate this risk further,” says Daniel Sinyor, MD, pediatrician at Crystal Run Healthcare. As much as possible, try to stay in your tight-knight family group to help keep cross-contamination percentages low, adds Aragona. Keep your hands to yourself and try to prevent little children from touching anything when you’re at an amusement park. When using the restrooms, try to wait a few minutes before entering if someone just left to allow any aerosolized fluids from the toilet flushing to settle on surfaces, Dr. Poston recommends. Wash your hands thoroughly as you leave the restroom and apply hand sanitizer if possible.
