Rating amusement parks near New York City
Photo credit: Viorel Florescu, Newsday staff | "Miss Columbia" marching in the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island
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Amusement parks might seem masochistic, but they can also be intensely fun, supported by the fact that more than 300 million people visit them each year.
Within a short drive, New Yorkers in particular have their fair share of amusement destinations -- Six Flags Great Adventure, Rye Playland and Coney Island all featuring exhilarating thrill rides, games and family entertainment. Here's a glimpse of what nearby parks have to offer:
SIX FLAGS GREAT ADVENTURE Location: Jackson, N.J. Distance from Manhattan: 74 miles Ticket prices: $49.99 single day* Adult rides: 4 stars Kid rides: 4 stars Games: 4 stars Waiting lines: 1 star Food: 2 stars Entertainment: 4 stars * Discount offers available
Great Adventure includes something for everyone, from small children to hard-core thrill seekers. In particular, Great Adventure's selection of 13 roller coasters blows away its competition.
Kingda Ka is the world's tallest and fastest coaster, sending passengers racing from 0 to 125 mph in 3½ seconds and up and down a 45-story tower.
El Toro is an uncharacteristically smooth wooden coaster with nine "air times," meaning it lifts you slightly out of your seat. (Don't worry, thanks to the restraint bar, you'll hardly notice it.)
Nitro buzzes around a mile-long track at 80 mph and features seven steep climbs and dips. It is consistently ranked among the top 10 steel coasters by the Web site Amusement Today.
For pint-sized thrill seekers, Great Adventure's kids park offers more than 30 rides. Among Six Flags' other draws are games, aquatic mammal shows and live concerts Raven Symone, Natasha Bedingfield, Foreigner and, yes, Menudo are on the summer schedule.
About the only drawbacks at Six Flags are its infamous long lines and its size; it's virtually impossible to tackle the enormous park in a single day.
RYE PLAYLAND Location: Rye Distance from Manhattan: 30 miles Ticket prices: $3-$4 per ride* Adult rides: 3 stars Kid rides: 4 stars Games: 4 stars Waiting lines: 4 stars Food: 2 stars Entertainment: 3 stars * Discount offers available
Eighty-year-old Rye Playland doesn't match up to Great Adventure's size and selection of quality thrill rides. However, the nation's first planned amusement park has more reasonable waiting lines and still packs plenty of excitement for children and adults.
Among the park's 25 adult rides is Super Flight, a roller coaster with an overhead track, which flings riders through the air at 32 mph and features several sharp turns and three 360-degree flips.
The historic Dragon Coaster, built in 1929, journeys around a lengthy 3,600-foot wooden track, includes some nice-size dips the largest being 128 feet and takes passengers through the pitch black belly of a fire-breathing dragon.
The Kiddyland section includes two dozen rides, mostly for children 3 feet or taller. Because Playland charges by the ride and not a gate admission it's more financially friendly for parents who just want to watch from the sidelines.
Like Great Adventure, the Westchester County-owned park offers plenty of games and free concerts, highlighted by Natasha Bedingfield on Aug. 14.
CONEY ISLAND Location: Brooklyn Distance from Manhattan: 14 miles Ticket prices: $2.50-$8 per ride* Adult rides: 2 stars Kid rides: 4 stars Games: 4 stars Waiting lines: 4 stars Food: 2 stars Entertainment: 3 stars * Discount offers available
Coney Island's amusement parks are often described as seedy, outdated and carnival-like. However, there are plenty of New Yorkers who believe those characteristics are what give "America's Playground" its charm.
The crowned jewel of the historic peninsula remains Astroland's Cyclone. The rickety wooden roller coaster takes passengers on 12 rough rises and falls its biggest plunge is 85 feet at 60 degrees. After 81 years, the city landmark still holds its own when compared to modern coasters.
Astroland's Top Spin and Break Dancer are also dizzying adventures for adults, but all in all Coney Island could use more adult thrill rides.
For the kids, Astroland and Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement, as well as other separately owned rides, offer more than enough options. Like Playland, the waterfront parks charge by the ride.
Coney Island has many great carnival games, none better than the beloved "Shoot the Freak" on the boardwalk, in which contestants shoot paint balls at a live person.
And Coney has the advantage of allowing visitors to divide their day between the amusement parks, the beach and a minor-league baseball game.
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