Happy August! This last real leg of summer always makes me go into panic mode – did I do everything I needed to do?! Clam bake, check. Sailing, check. Hiking, bonfires, Zweigles, creek time? All checks.
But wait! One thing that I haven’t been able to cross off my summer checklist this year is one of my favorites: Seabreeze Amusement Park! Seabreeze takes rides and rollercoasters, carnival games, water park attractions, and live entertainment shows and plops them right in Rochester’s backyard. Pretty awesome playground, right? And the lines aren’t nearly as bad as some of the larger parks in the state.
Once a summer, my grandfather’s union bought out tickets and rented lodges for reunion purposes. He’d always take his family with him and then eat ice cream cups with his buddies all day while we sprinted around the park.
Growing up I’ve had a wide variety of companionship for my Seabreeze adventures. Sometimes I was with younger cousins and we didn’t stray much from the kiddie rides or the water park. Sometimes I’d be with one of my friends (whom I adored) that absolutely detested the rides and just wanted to play games and float around the lazy river.
Usually, I would strategically pick a friend that loved roller coasters as much as I do. We’d start with the Jack Rabbit – it’s a classic and right by the front gate. The Tilt-a-Whirl across the way used to be fair game right after, but as I got a little older the tight-circle spinning got harder to recover from. In this respect, the poor Teacups also lost their charm.
However, the Screamin’ Eagle was a “Pass Go” sort of deal for my friends and I – we had to ride it every time we were passing by. As it’s a rather centrally located ride, this venture can put visits in the double digits. My personal record for riding the Screamin’ Eagle in a day is 17 times.
That was the day that we went to see the trampoline show twice, and the stage was right next to the ride. On a side note, I’ve never wanted a trampoline more in my life than after watching those feats of gymnastics.
Another Seabreeze tradition is the transition from coasters to water slides: the Log Flume.
While terrifying to all small children and nervous nellies, it’s the best way to first get wet. No dipping of the toes to test the water, no changing of minds about not really being that hot – once you’ve tricked yourself into getting onto the seemingly innocent ride, you’re going to get wet.
Personally, I always needed this unavoidable incentive.
Plus, it was double bragging points at the end of the day if you saw turtles in the pond on the way around the bend. Dead tired and usually sunburned by that point, Seabreeze will always be one of my favorite days of the summer. Someday, I’ll look into a season pass.
By Halie Solea
