You’d never know that Adventureland, the state-of-the-art amusement park in Farmingdale, was once a 6-acre chicken and vegetable farm.
Since Alvin Cohen and Herb Budin opened the park in 1962, Adventureland, which is still a family-run operation, has just about doubled in size and is currently undergoing a comprehensive redevelopment plan that will guarantee a unique, fun-filled experience for all.
Opening day for Adventureland this year is March 22, and the season runs until Oct. 26.
“We’re basically the opposite of the school schedule,” said manager Caitlin DiSclafani. “If the school is closed, we’re open. The EID holiday, spring break, the Jewish holidays, Juneteenth: all of those holidays, we’re open.”
LEGACY CORNER: A FIVE-YEAR PLAN
This spring, Adventureland opens a brand new ride called “Wave Twister.”
“It’s a family ride. So, an average 4-year-old will be able to ride on Wave Twister,” said DiSclafani. Other additions this year include a new restroom facility, two new outdoor games and three concession stands.
“Obviously Wave Twister is going to be really exciting,” DiSclafani said. “And then adding all the amenities just enhances the guest experience overall.”
All the new additions are part of the park’s Legacy Corner, the former site of the Log Flume and Pirate Ship rides, which were removed at the end of 2023 to make room for the “Moon Chaser” ride, which opened last year.
“That was phase one of this $15 million redevelopment plan that we have in that area of the park,” DiSclafani said. “The addition of Wave Twister, the games, and the concession are all part of phase 2. And this whole project with Legacy Corner will be in five phases, which we hope to wrap up by the end of 2028.”
Future phases include more rides for the area and making Legacy Corner a unified piece of the park.
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
The park offers rides for thrill seekers, like the upside-down spinning Moon Chaser and classic rides like the Carousel or the Train, which you can go on with grandparents or babies.
You’ll find custom rides, such as Turbulence and Fireball, that were designed and manufactured specifically for Adventureland.
“You’re not going to ride them anywhere else: They’re exclusive Adventureland rides,” DiSclafani said.
The park has a popular indoor area which features a restaurant, birthday party room and arcade.
“Our arcade is always changing,” DiSclafani said. “We’re always adding new games every season. We try to keep the prizes on top of pop culture: whatever the big movie is coming out and whatever prizes we can get, we refresh that every year.”
Adventureland has collectible prizes custom-designed just for them, including mini basketballs designed for their Fireball and Wave Twister rides and for the general park.
“Now we find that kids are looking to collect each one,” DiSclafani said. “If we have five different versions out there they want to get all five. That’s also been a fun thing, because it’s like a souvenir as well.”
The outdoor games — water shooting games, Whac-a-Mole, basketball and ring toss — are also a big hit with many.
FUN THAT’S ACCESSIBLE
In addition to all the rides and other attractions, Adventureland’s location and accessibility by car or train is a real selling point, notes DiSclafani.
“We’re easily accessible by Southern State, Northern State, L.I.E.,” she said. “We’re centrally located, which makes us really accessible to so many people.”
The park’s size, as compared to some of the humongous theme and amusement parks, is quite manageable.
“Your kids aren’t getting wiped out after walking around the park for a couple of hours,” DiSclafani said. “We maximize the space here so that families can enjoy the day together. You’re not walking miles and miles as you do at some of these other parks.”
Adventureland provides a safe and friendly atmosphere for families.
“There’s a lot of shade and benches,” DiSclafani said. “Our restaurant and arcade are airconditioned. Amenities like that make it a lot more comfortable for families.”
PACKAGES, RENTALS AND DEALS
Available for private rentals, Adventureland is a favorite spot for celebrations for many school class trips and fundraisers.
“That’s been really cool and really, really fun to see these schools embrace their sense of community, because they shut it down just for their school or just for their district,” DiSclafani said. “And it’s really nice to see all the families connect like that. And there’s not really a lot of places where they’re going to be able to do that. We have the capacity to hold a lot of people and we’re also really central.”
In recent years, Adventureland has been having more and more family fun days for companies, which either rent out the whole park or have a designated area with a tent within the park, which remains open to other customers.
The park is typically rented for a three-hour minimum for a minimum of 500 people. Companies and organizations can also do private events for an hour or more, with various packages available to choose from.
Available at the park or online, season passes generally pay for themselves in about three-and-a-half visits.
“Because our season is so long — it’s like a 33-week season — as soon as you hit that fourth visit, it pays for itself,” DiSclafani said.
This year, Adventureland is offering payment plans for daily or season tickets, and freezing all prices — daily admission, season passes, and group rates — to last year’s prices.
Folks who enter the park two hours before closing get the twilight package at a reduced rate and discounted tickets can be purchased through Nassau and Suffolk libraries during the park’s summer season: late June to late August.
As it has done for the past dozen years, Adventureland continues to award scholarships to deserving Long Island students through Adventureland’s Helping Hands Foundation.
Adventureland is located at 2245 Broadhollow Rd., Farmingdale. For more information call 631-694-6868 adventureland.us
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