Old Orchard Beach Trip Report: Day 4, Fun in the Sun

[darthmacho]

On Wednesday we got our first and only complete day of sun, and we planned to go to Funtown/Splashtown amusement park in nearby Saco, though we decided to go just to the Funtown area which was larger, so that we didn't have to lug extra clothes and towels.

It was warm, sunny and crowded, with many groups there for the day. Luckily much of the crowd was in Splashtown, so the lines were fairly short in Funtown. Later the line would fill up, but many of the groups departed early, so by late afternoon the crowd was back to moderate levels.

People aside, we were patient, and got on most of the rides without too much of a wait. Bella was restricted to kiddie rides and rides that she could go on with an adult, but Olivia, being tall, had no restrictions, and could go on any ride.

Some of the highlights were a flume/log ride in which we got on early and bought a souvenier photo, several rides on various slow moving car rides, and Olivia and I went on the Galaxi rollercoaster, identical to the one at Palace Playland at OOB.

Rides we didn't go on included the pendulous Pirate Ship and the Dragon Descent (think Tower of Terror) because no one would go on with me. No big deal, as my brains were scrambled after a day of spinning anyway.

I did, however, want to go on the giant wooden rollercoaster, Excaliber. It was a monster, the largest in Northern New England, and looked like a lot of fun. It took me all day to get DD1 to go with me, and after gentle nudging, she finally agreed. She seemed to be scared, but she said she enjoyed it. Heck, to be honest with you, I had reservations of my own, and when the coaster hit the big drop, I admit I closed my eyes!

I told DD! she was very brave and that I was proud of her for facing her fear and overcoming it. As an aside, I always tell my kids that it is not shameful to be afraid, and that bravery is not the same as being fearless. Being fearless is reckless and stupid and not recognizing danger. Bravery, on the other hand, is when you are afraid, but still stand against the challenge and face your fear.

I asked DD1 if she would go on a ride like that again and she said yes. I could tell by her response that she wasn't afraid anymore (at least less so) and was more confident and proud of herself. In any case, it was late and we didn't go on again that day. I bought her an Excaliber magnet for her bravery, just a little badge of honor for her.

Another cute part of the day was DD2 finally getting to go on a yo-yo ride. There were two of these rides, one at each park, but she was too small to go on with DD1. We stumbled upon a kiddie version, and she was beaming as she rode it.

Not much else to report on this day. No lobster rolls in the park, butI got some great tacos at a mexican grill, and a nice tropical smoothie later. They would have gone great together.

Funtown, I was glad to see, had an old time photo place, and though we didn't go because we got ours earlier in the week, I made a mental note of it for the future in case we ever came back.

We spent the entire day at Funtown and it was just getting dark when we left. It was, indeed, fun.

[Disdude]

It's been a fun read. Thanks. I grew up going to Palace Playland, Funtown, and Auqaboggen a couple of times each summer. I haven't been since my wife and I flew back when we got married 9 years ago.