Lake Compounce
Opened 1846 And The Oldest Continuously Operating Amusement Park In The United States; A Combined Amusement Park And Water Park On A Lake At The Foot Of Southington Mountain, With The 1927 Wooden Coaster Wildcat Still Running · Bristol, Connecticut
Lake Compounce has been operating since 1846, which makes it the oldest continuously running amusement park in the United States by a wide margin - it began as a picnic ground on the lake where a local man let a scientist stage an electrical demonstration and then kept selling tickets. What survives from the early era is the 1911 carousel and the Wildcat, a wooden coaster built in 1927 and still running, along with a lake and a trolley that carries people around it. Around them the park has grown a modern collection including Boulder Dash, a wooden coaster built down the side of Southington Mountain that regularly appears near the top of enthusiast rankings, and a full water park included in the ticket. It is seasonal, closing for most of the winter, which is the thing to check before driving - it runs weekend-only at either end of the season and shuts for most of the winter and spring. The water park is included in general admission, which a surprising number of visitors pay for a day of rides without ever discovering.
186 Enterprise Drive, Bristol, Bristol, Connecticut, 06010, United States
SEASONAL. The park operates roughly from May to early September on a daily summer schedule, with weekend-only operation at either end of the season, a Halloween season through October and a holiday lights season in some years. It is closed for most of the winter and spring. The water park has its own shorter season within that and opens later and closes earlier than the rides. Hours and operating days change week to week - check before travelling.