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NEW JERSEY: Brunch with Bugs Bunny at Six Flags

BY MICHELE C. HOLLOW | Special to Newsday

July 2, 2006

When our 5-year-old first spotted Bugs Bunny, I could swear it was like my spotting one of The Beatles. For the 7-and-under set, having brunch with Bugs, Daffy, Sylvester, Tweety Bird and Foghorn Leghorn was sheer excitement.

The kids screamed out the names of their favorite cartoon characters and laughter filled the Great Character Cafe in the Bugs Bunny National Park that opened this spring at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J.

Thankfully, the noise level wasn't too high - just a lot of laughter coming from the kids and their amused parents. Two video screens played classic Warner Brothers cartoons, and the larger-than-life-size cartoon characters danced to music with all the kids.

Occasionally, our son and the other children would rejoin their parents for a quick bite of French toast or scrambled eggs and a sip of chocolate milk.

Brunch with Bugs Bunny and friends is served every day from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Brunch tickets can be purchased online at www.sixflags.com or at the door.

CAROUSELS AND TEACUPS

After brunch, most of the crowd headed to the brand new Bugs Bunny National Park a few yards from the cafe. Our first stop, however, was the carousel right across from the cafe. In addition to the traditional horses, there were colorful chickens we all wanted to ride.

Also, close to the cafe is a spinning teacup ride. Only two of the adults in our group ventured forth. This is not the best choice after brunch. I held the disk in the middle of the teacup so we didn't spin too fast. The kids loved it.

SKI BALL

On the day we went to the park, skies were overcast, and we had a bit of rain. The perfect solution was the indoor arcade. In addition to the many video games, there was ski ball. While children played video and other games with one adult looking on, all of the other adults in our group took to the ski ball game. (I used to play this at Rockaway Park.)

We won enough tickets to purchase cheesy gifts like a Slinky, a few temporary tattoos and a Matchbox car.

FAMILY PACKAGES

Pricing depends on the time you go, how often you go and which theme park you go to. At the gate, admission is $63.59 for adults and $31.79 for kids. Purchase your tickets online and adult tickets cost just $39.99. Discount tickets are available at some Pathmark, Wawa and McDonald's locations. (They have "buy one adult ticket, get the second adult ticket free" discounts.) Parking is extra. Admission covers full access to Great Adventure and Wild Safari. Admission to Hurricane Harbor (water park) is extra. If you are here for the day, it is impossible to do it all. One or two parks - Great Adventure and Wild Safari - are enough, especially if you are traveling with small children. Brunch with Bugs is $19.07 (tax included) for adults and $15.89 for kids less than 54 inches tall. Children ages 3 and younger are free. For more information, call 732-928-1821 or visit www.sixflags.com.

WHAT'S UP, DOC?

The "pay one admission" price is great, and while all of the rides are covered, not all of them are suitable for small children. Here, at Bugs Bunny National Park, everything is geared to the shorter-than-54-inches crowd.

A small Ferris wheel is just the right size for children. The best ride, according to my child, is the airplane that kids can control with a stick shift that raises the plane up to two stories high. Adults are too big for this ride. For the first time ever, I wished I could be smaller.

The crowd of children also liked the "We Got the Beat" 1980s musical show at the Bugs Bunny Wilderness Theater. Here, Bugs and friends danced to popular pop tunes. Kids were invited onstage to boogie with their favorite cartoon friends.

GETTING THERE

Take the New Jersey Turnpike south to exit 7A. Proceed on I-195 east to exit 16A, then one mile west on Route 537 to Six Flags.