Boston Area Amusement Parks

Boston as well as all New England once had amusement parks at almost all the cities that had a shoreline. However most of these were sadly closed during the great depression. A few still exist and give you a glimpse of the golden era of New England amusement parks though there are no Coney Islands here. The older parks are much tamer then the modern amusement parks. In recent years an insurgence of small independently operated amusement parks and centers have sprung up in the greater Boston area as well as large more modern amusement parks such as Six Flags New England.

The largest of the amusement parks in the commonwealth of Massachusetts is Six Flags New England. Six Flags New England first opened in 1840 in Agawam Massachusetts as Riverside Park. In 1997 the Six Flags company bought the park and they changed the name in 2000. Some older rides still exist but the oldest ride only from 1940. Six Flags New England has 9 areas as well as a water park that is included in the price of admission. The first area of the park is Main Street Plaza but unlike other boring amusement park entrances this includes some rides including the Thunderbolt roller coaster from 1941, which is a must for any roller coaster aficionado. DC Superhero Adventure features one of the best rides in the park Superman: Ride of Steel. Superman has received numerous awards including the best steel roller coaster from Amusements Today for three years. Crackaxle Canyon is a typical ghost town themed area. The North End has a large number of roller coaster including three roller coasters. Rockville USA is a smaller area with a few rides themed to the 50's era. The South End has a good number of rides including Batman- The Ride (why it is not in DC Superhero Adventure is not known). The final three areas are all kids areas including Thomas Town featuring the Thomas the Tank Engine family, and Looney Tunes Movie Town. In these last three areas some rides are for the families and some are kids only.