Amusement Parks in New Hampshire
Funspot
Funspot is the largest arcade in the world! The main building has three levels which include classic video and pinball games, a 20 lane ten-pin and candlepin bowling center, 9 hole retro mini-golf (inside!) and a full swing golf simulator, a kiddie room with miniature bumper cars (my 4 year old LOVES them!) and other pint-sized games, a tavern for mom or dad to relax, skee ball, 3 air hockey tables, and a family restaurant. Additionally there is a Bingo Hall, and an outdoor 18 hole mini-golf course. I've been visiting Funspot for almost 30 years and I still enjoy it! The ticket-prize games pay out fewer tickets than you might find at Chuck-E-Cheese, but the prizes are proportionally less expensive, so it works out well. The token machines (but not the humans) provide substantial discounts for $20 bills--it works out to 16 cents per token--so make sure you have larger bills to spend in order to get the most tokens possible. When I was last there I noted that they now have token machines that take credit cards, as well. The games take as many tokens as you would usually see in an arcade that takes quarters--1 token for the old-fashioned video games and many other things, 2 tokens for air hockey, 4+ tokens for the high-end team-racing type games. The website says they now offer free wi-fi.
Address:
Route 3 South, Weirs Beach, NH (directions)
Phone:
603-366-4377
Season:
Year round for indoor attractions, seasonal for outdoor.
Admission:
No admission to get in, pay only for what you play.
Website:
www.funspotnh.com
Canobie Lake Park
Canobie Lake is the amusement park in New Hampshire--And, true to the NH spirit, its 85 rides are rated like ski slopes--green circles to black diamonds. There is a traditional midway where you can Fool the Guesser, play skee ball, take the Pitcher's Challenge, and visit 3 different arcades. Rides include a wooden roller coaster, Xtreme Frisbee, a corkscrew coaster, the Turkish Twist (I loved this one as a kid... they've ramped it down since then, though!), an antique carousel, a house of mirrors, kiddie canoes, mini-scooters, a flume ride, and more--including a swimming pool!
Address:
85 N. Policy Street, Salem, NH
Phone:
(603) 893-3506
Season:
Weekends late April - late May, Daily through Labor day, Weekends through September
Admission:
$29 General, $20 Under 48" tall or over 60 years, $19 everyone after 5pm
Website:
www.canobielake.com