Funtown Splashtown USA (commonly referred to as just "Funtown") is a family-owned
amusement park
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...
located in
Saco, Maine
Saco is a city in York County, Maine, York County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,381 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is home to Ferry Beach State Park, Funtown Splashtown USA, Thornton Academy, as well as General ...
, in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
History
In 1960, Ken (October 8, 1932 - January 8, 2013) and Violet Cormier opened Marvel Drive-In, a
drive-in
A drive-in is a facility (such as a restaurant or movie theater) where one can drive in with an automobile for service. At a drive-in restaurant, for example, customers park their vehicles and are usually served by staff who walk or rollerskat ...
restaurant. Ken’s brother-in-law, Andre Dellaire opened a
mini-golf
Miniature golf, also known as minigolf, mini-putt, crazy golf, or putt-putt, is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest number of points. It is played ...
course that previous year next to Marvel Drive-In. In 1963, Andre opened a
go-kart
A go-kart, also written as go-cart (often referred to as simply a kart), is a type of sports car, close wheeled car, open-wheel car or quadracycle. Go-karts come in all shapes and forms, from non-motorised models to high-performance Kart rac ...
track behind his mini golf course, and in 1964 Ken added
batting cage
A batting cage (or tunnel) is an enclosed area for baseball or softball players to practice the skill of batting.
The optimal material for batting cages is netting, and they are typically rectangular in shape. Chain-link fence is not required but ...
s and an
archery
Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...
range in 1967 behind Marvel Drive In. Over the course of the next few years, Cormier and Dellaire added several kiddie and
carnival
Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
-style rides including SkySlides and Swinging Gyms. A
gift shop
A gift shop or souvenir shop is a store primarily selling souvenirs, memorabilia, and other items relating to a particular topic or theme. The items sold often include coffee mugs, stuffed animals, toys, t-shirts, postcards, handmade collect ...
was also opened.
In 1967, Cormier and Dellaire formed a
partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties, known as business partners, agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments o ...
and Funtown U.S.A. was born. Over the next few years, Funtown added a
Zipper
A zipper, zip, fly, or zip fastener, formerly known as a clasp locker, is a commonly used device for binding together two edges of textile, fabric or other flexible material. Used in clothing (e.g. jackets and jeans), luggage and other Bag, ba ...
, outdoor
bumper cars
Bumper cars or dodgems are the generic names for a type of flat amusement ride consisting of multiple small electrically powered cars which draw power from the floor and/or ceiling, and which are turned on and off remotely by an operator. Bumpe ...
, and a
Bayern Kurve
The Bayern Kurve is roller coaster like amusement ride that moves a train around a banked circular track, gaining speed as the ride progresses. It is made in both a portable and park model and originally debuted in 1965. It was invented by German ...
named “Luv Machine”.
In 1996, Cormier bought out the remaining Dellaire interest at the park and renamed it to Funtown Splashtown U.S.A. with the addition of the
waterpark
A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...
.
Featured attractions
The park features Northern New England’s tallest and longest
wooden roller coaster
A wooden roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its wooden track, which consists of running rails made of flat steel strips mounted on laminated wood. The support structure is also typically made of wood, but may also b ...
, ''
Excalibur
Excalibur () is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. It was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. Excalibur and the Sword in th ...
'', as well as New England's longest and tallest
log flume
A log flume is a watertight flume constructed to transport lumber and logs down mountainous terrain using flowing water. Flumes replaced horse- or oxen-drawn carriages on dangerous mountain trails in the late 19th century. Logging operations pre ...
, ''Thunder Falls''. It also has a
Drop Tower
A drop tower or big drop is a type of amusement ride incorporating a central structure or tower. Drop towers vary in height, passenger capacity, lift type, and brake type. Many are custom-made, although there are some mass-produced designs. Th ...
called ''Dragon's Descent''.
One of the park's most popular rides is the ''Astrosphere'', which is an indoor
Scrambler
In telecommunications, a scrambler is a device that transposes or inverts signals or otherwise encodes a message at the sender's side to make the message unintelligible at a receiver not equipped with an appropriately set descrambling device. Wher ...
which features a state-of-the-art laser and light show while playing
ELO
Elo or ELO may refer to:
Music
* Electric Light Orchestra, a British rock music group
** ''The Electric Light Orchestra'' (album), the group's debut album
** ''ELO 2'', the group's second album
* ELO Part II, an offshoot band of Electric Light ...
's "
Fire on High."
The Splashtown segment features ''Pirate's Paradise'', a large interactive waterpark playground which dumps hundreds of gallons of water onto its guests every few minutes. For the 2007 season, an expansion was built that doubled the size of the waterpark and added two new
thrill slides, Tornado and Mammoth. An additional expansion in 2012 added another 6 thrill slides to Splashtown.
Current attractions
Funtown USA Rides
Splashtown USA Water Slides and Pools
Former Attractions
See also
*
List of amusement parks in New England
The following is a list of amusement parks in the Americas sorted by region.
North America
Canada
Alberta
*Calaway Park, Calgary
*Galaxyland, Edmonton
British Columbia
*Aerial Adventure Park, Revelstoke
*Castle Fun Park, Abbotsford
*Cultu ...
*
Amusement ride
Amusement rides, sometimes called carnival rides, are mechanical devices or structures that move people especially kids to create fun and enjoyment.
Rides are often perceived by many as being scary or more dangerous than they actually are. This ...
*
Palace Playland
Palace Playland is a seasonal amusement park located in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. It has operated on the same site since 1902.
History
In the 1900s, Palace Playland's startup decade, the then-small amusement park centered on a roller skating ri ...
References
External links
Funtown Splashtown USA web site*{{RCDB, 4654
Amusement parks in Maine
1960 establishments in Maine
Buildings and structures in Saco, Maine
Tourist attractions in York County, Maine
Amusement parks opened in 1960