Adventureland in East Farmingdale, New York is Long Island’s only true amusement park.
This is among the smaller amusement parks out there in terms of acreage, but Adventureland
crams over two dozen rides for guests of all ages into just 12 acres of space.
And the park has a lot of charm and character as well.
So is it worth visiting?
Find out in this review of Long Island’s Adventureland!
I have to specify which Adventureland since there are two others out there- the most well-known
being in Altoona, Iowa and then there is also an indoor amusement park in Dubai with the
same name.
And New York’s Adventureland was the first of the three to open.
Adventureland opened in 1962 right off Route 110, which is why it was originally named
Adventureland 110 Playland.
The park originally opened with just a handful of amusement rides, but over the next decade,
the park rapidly increased its ride count to keep up with demand.
Adventureland opened at the right time, as two of the nearby parks in Steeplechase Park
and Freedomland USA closed after the 1964 seasons.
Adventureland continued to grow over the years, constantly removing and replacing attractions.
And this is out-of-necessity to remain relevant.
The park is 100% developed.
Adventureland is wedged on a very narrow plot of land between a Target and a business park.
And it really is incredible what Adventureland is able to do with such little land.
This park is comparable in size to most boardwalk parks.
And like those boardwalk parks, Adventureland crams rides in every possible location.
But what separates Adventureland from those boardwalk parks is the overall atmosphere
of the park.
The park has a charming, isolated feel to it, which is remarkable considering how boxed
in Adventureland is.
Adventureland did this by keeping your focus within the park.
The park has an abundance of trees, particularly on the perimeter of the park.
And the park looks fantastic.
All of the rides are in great shape, sporting fresh paint schemes.
The park has several floral displays along the midways.
And the park has these random photo ops with famous pop culture characters.
Unlike most parks, Adventureland not only has free parking, but it also has free admission.
You then have the option to pay-per-ride or purchase an unlimited rides wristband.
However, the free admission was paused for 2021 due to the covid-19 pandemic.
All guests age 2 or older are required to purchase a wristband to enter.
And what I find interesting is that adults costs less than kids.
This year, ages 2-24 cost $40 each while those 25 years and older cost $25.
I’m struggling to think of another amusement park where kids cost more than adults.
But I suspect the park will return to their standard pricing structure once the covid
safety precautions are lifted.
Adventureland’s midways can feel a bit cramped due to the park’s small size, but lines
are rarely an issue here.
The park’s signature coaster in Turbulence is rarely more than a 10-15 minute wait even
on weekends.
The longest wait I’ve encountered here was a half hour for the Adventure Falls log flume
on a piping hot summer day, but usually most rides are walk-ons or close to it.
Dispatches at Adventureland are usually quite fast, which is a common trait of a lot of
parks that have ticket options.
The faster lines move, the faster people will use up their tickets and possibly buy more.
This sometimes comes at the expense of friendliness, but I’ve never come across any mean employees
here.
Before delving into the ride lineup, I need to note that Adventureland is a bit unfriendly
to single riders.
Single riders can ride the coasters without any trouble, but you need at least two riders
to go on many of the park’s best non-coasters including the log flume, dark ride, and the
park’s observation rides.
The signature attraction at Adventureland is undeniably Turbulence.
This is Long Island’s first and only spinning coaster.
This Mack spinner opened in 2015, replacing the park’s former Hurricane roller coaster.
And despite this coaster’s modest stats- it’s just 55 feet or 17 meters tall and
1253 feet or 382 meters long- Turbulence is a deceptively thrilling ride.
If you get an off-balanced car, you will spin like a top start to finish.
This is one of my favorite spinning coasters because of its fast-paced layout and glass
smooth ride.
And it’s the main reason I visit Adventureland.
I have a separate review that goes into more detail, but Turbulence is the perfect signature
ride for Adventureland since it’s not too thrilling for younger guests but it has enough
action to entertain adults.
The park’s only other coaster is the Rattlesnake Coaster, a Zierer Tivoli coaster.
This ride is nestled beneath the trees and if you ride in the back row, you get some
good whip on the initial drop due to the very long train.
Moving onto the non-coasters, you have a few notable ones.
The park is home to a multi-story dark ride in Mystery Mansion.
Added in 2018 to replace the park’s former dark rides, Mystery Mansion has some unique
suspended ride vehicles.
The ride doesn’t utilize the riding position to its fullest potential, but it does have
some animatronics and 1-2 effective jump scares.
The back corner of the park is home to the Adventure Falls, a rare ABC Rides log flume.
Despite Adventureland’s size constraints, this is a custom layout flume.
It’s hidden among the trees and has two drops that each give tiny pops of airtime.
The ride also offers the perfect amount of wetness.
It won’t leave you drenched, but you’ll come off refreshed.
The park also has the Little Dipper log flume for kids.
And this ride is adorable.
It has the park’s mascot, the superhero Alfie, on the back of every boat.
It’s also nestled among the trees, but this one can be a soaker if your boat gets hit
by the splash from the ride’s lone drop.
The final water ride is the Rescue Boats, a very rare Zierer wild water rondell.
Usually this type of ride is only found at the Legoland parks.
This ride feels like a classic whip ride on water, but just know it can get your shoes
rather wet from the splashing.
Adventureland’s flat rides are balanced between adult thrill rides, family rides,
and kiddie rides.
The park only has a limited collection of thrill rides, with the most intense being
the Huss Frisbee.
But you also have some smaller pendulum rides and spinning rides.
None of them are standouts in my opinion, but they’re usually walk-ons and there’s
something for everyone.
The park also has a wide range of observation rides.
The balloon Ferris Wheel and new-for-2021 Sports Tower offer the best aerial views of
the park, but my favorite observation ride is the park’s train.
It circles the perimeter of the entire park, so you see almost every attraction in the
park.
Plus, Adventureland is a park that is very proud of its history.
So you pass both signs of former attractions and remnants of past rides.
Roughly half the park’s lineup is kiddie rides, which is understandable given the park’s
focus on families.
Most of these rides are in a cluster closest to the main road, so kids can easily bounce
from ride to ride.
How much time you will need at Adventureland depends upon your tastes.
If you’re taking a younger child, they could easily spend an entire day here because of
the sheer amount of kiddie and family rides.
Older guests probably only need a few hours and may even opt to purchase individual tickets.
Enthusiasts may be tempted to just grab the two credits and go, but I would recommend
the wristband.
Not only are there 3-4 non-coasters worth checking out, I think you’ll want to ride
Turbulence a few times.
Not only is it fun, but the ride experience will vary depending how its loaded.
It may take a few tries to experience Turbulence at its max potential with a completely unbalanced
car.
I usually pair a visit to Adventureland with a visit to Coney Island.
Long Island traffic can be horrific, so it’s important to time your drive.
I like to visit Adventureland early in the day.
This allows me to hit minimal traffic on the way and depart before the return traffic reaches
its peak.
I’ve heard horror stories on the Cross Island Parkway, so just keep that in mind if you’re
planning to arrive later in the day or have a compressed schedule.
So those are my thoughts on Adventureland, the only theme park on Long Island.
This park proves a park can still provide a complete experience- both in terms of rides
and charm- despite being pressed for space.
Have you been to this park?
What are your thoughts on Adventureland?
I would love to hear your thoughts on this park down below.
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