One of my last summertime activities this year was a day trip to a local amusement park! These are not the best places for vegan dining! While the Disney parks offer vegan food these days, many other popular amusement parks do not. Even Knott’s Berry Farm in California does not offer vegan selections at its onsite cafes. What is even more frustrating for the vegan traveler, is that most of the amusement parks do not allow visitors to bring their own, special diet foods into the park. Vegans are left to eat before arriving or keeping some non-perishable food in their cars, hoping that the summer heat will not destroy it.
As for smaller parks across the globe, it is best to go there with an open mind and hope for the best. I decided to pay a visit recently, to the local amusement park where I enjoyed spending a good deal of my childhood. It is “Canobie Lake Park” in Salem, New Hampshire. The park contains several cafes and restaurants, and even a few food and snack stands. I glanced at many of the menus. I found three items offered which would suit a vegan: salad, french fries(cooked in their own oil), and a baked potato with broccoli topping.
While I typically would have chosen the healthy and more nutritious baked potato, it was summer time and I was anxious to eat the quickest meal so I could enjoy the rides! That said, I opted for the french fries. They were large and filling! I was thrilled that they were not cooked in oil that was also used to fry chicken wings. That is something that vegans frequently must check. I had to wash down my meal with lemonade; a summertime favorite! I order it without sugar. It was refreshing in the soaring heat and sun! I also found a fried dough stand. Now, you gotta have this tasty treat in the summer! It is an amusement park “staple”! Fortunately, it was cooked in vegetable oil at a fryer that was only used to make fried dough. It was not made with butter either, the cook informed me. I topped it off with strawberry jam and powered sugar!
On to the rides we went! As a child, I wasn’t the bravest person. I decided to conquer my fears, as an adult! First up was a ride on a little, electric car. My friends and I had our own car and put the petal to the metal. It was enjoyable.
Every ride after that was testing our limits of fear! We decided to try the water log ride. What a steep upwards and downward turn on that one! Up, up, up, we went until we reached the top of the tubular structure and then we plummeted quickly down the sharp incline,as we got completely drenched in an onpouring of water! What a refreshing activity on a warm summer day!
Next, we headed to a ride referred to as “Zero Gravity”. It resembled a giant hamster wheel. We strapped ourselves tightly and stood upright in the wheel. It then turned to a diagonal direction and whipped around at a fast pace in mid-air! What fun! I forgot to take a photo of it. However, I did get a photo of this similiar-looking ride.
Another water ride caught our attention! This ride also found us in a log-like seat, as it crept slowly up an incline then descended down a long, plastic tube, drenching us with water! I enjoyed this too.
My friends were eyeing the most intricate rollercoaster I had ever seen! The upward incline and downward drops were quite steep! The tracks curved around in a circular spiral, which meant guests were sideways and upside down at times! I did not muster up enough courage for this one, but I watched as my friends bravely made this feat.
The next ride was great for thrill-seekers also! We were strapped into cushioned seats. Then the “elevator shaft-like” contraption moved us slowly up to the top and then quickly zapped us down to ground level, as we grasped on the handle bars for dear life! Exciting!
After several fast paced rides, we decided on something more gentle. Our choice was the “haunted house”. A train creeped its way into a dark building, while displaying scary characters that glowed in the dark and made spooky noises! The train would often whip around corners, only to encounter more freaky characters making scary sounds for us! As a kid, I loved this! As an adult, I still enjoyed it immensely, though not as frightened!
As we walked through the park, we stopped for a few minutes to listen to the musicians performing. The “wild west” section of the park included an old, ragtime band!
Just like every good amusement park, we stumbled upon arcades with video games and other gaming areas where visitors could win stuffed animal prizes for various feats. We did not stop to play, but had done so many a time in the past.
Our final ride was the Pirate Ship, which resembled a gondola. It felt exhilarating, as it swung us back and forth, high in the air, above the trees!
The afternoon of thrills and fun had come to an end. I really enjoyed the rides, conquering my fear of heights and fast speeds! While the vegan food offerings weren’t plentiful, they did exist and were satisfactory for a short afternoon of adventure! I invite every vegan traveler to do some exploration of their own and visit local amusement parks to enjoy the rides and to seek out the vegan food offerings. Though not plentiful by any means, vegan options at small town parks are better now than in the past!
