by Annabelle Volk

This summer amusement parks offer thrills for teens of all levels.

“For summer, I have a few amusement parks lined up,” sophomore Gavin Shipley said. “I already went to King’s Dominion back in April. I’m planning to go down to Gordie Park in Allentown later this month.”

 Roller coaster enthusiasts like Shipley spend their summers searching for new thrills but also returning to re-experience old ones.

“I’m also planning to go back to Cedar Point and hopefully hit Kings Island this year, which is also in Ohio,” Shipley said. “I’ll probably also hit a couple of parks I went to last year.

Daily passes are typically just as expensive as season passes for many amusement parks.

“I have a universal park pass,” he said. “It gets me into every park in the chain for free, so I’m hoping to take advantage of that.”

Theme parks have experienced various upgrades and renovations recently.

“I want to revisit some parks I haven’t been to in a while,” he said. “I know some of them have opened new coasters, like Iron Menace. I went to Six Flags Road Adventure back in 2019, and I’m hoping to go back there at some point because a lot has changed in the park.”

While other parks have more exciting rides, local parks still remain entertaining.

“I still go to some local parks from time to time,” he said. “I don’t get a season pass to Kennywood anymore, but I still go maybe once or twice a year.”

Kennywood and Idlewild are immensely popular among GS students.

“I go to both every summer,” sophomore Janna Miller said. “I prefer Kennywood. I like that they have more extreme rides because the Idlewild rides are too babyish for me.”

Compared to Idlewild, Kennywood offers a larger variety of thrills.

“My favorite ride is either the Black Widow or the Steel Curtain,” Miller said. “I normally go with my friends, but I also go with my family.”

Other parks outside of PA offer entertainment and fun.

“I’ve been to Disney 50 times,” Math teacher Ms. Christina Burkart said. “My favorite ride is probably Avatar’s Flight of Passage in Animal Kingdom.”

Unlike Cedar Point, Disney is designed to accommodate all ages.

“The reason I like it is because it’s nostalgia,” Ms. Burkart said. “I’ve been going since my children were in preschool. We always went as a family and did things, and it was always such a great time.”

The Disney experience has proven memorable for many families.

“I think the most important part is not to stress,” Ms. Burkart said. “Don’t stress about how much things cost and everything else. Just enjoy and take in the whole entire atmosphere because the whole thing is just incredible.”

Photo By: Annabelle Volk