So here in the “sunshine state”, we’ve had dreadful weather since what seems like 1901. Wearing our thermals until spring, going through countless numbers of broken brollies and suffering those dreaded winter coughs and snivels. While we’re feeling the chill, the little island of Carriacou is chillin’ in the summer sun.
Located just 20 miles north of the artistic island of Grenada, Carriacou has the culture, the music and the views. At just 13 square miles and with a population of roughly 5,000 people, it is the biggest island in the Grenadines – where some of the most exclusive and star studded island destinations in the world can be found.
Take a walk to Windward – an old Scottish fishing village where the reefs of Watering Bay still challenge the global yacht charter community, opening its harbour almost exclusively to West Indian cargo schooners and engineless fishing sloops plying their trade.
Two very different atmospheres engulf the gem that is Carriacou. A heads turn to the left, and you see broken down streets, shops being nothing more than charming wooden shacks, the laughing of children as they flow through the street, the smell of the freshly caught fish wafting through the air tempting the town to stop at the local market. While a heads turn to the right gives you million dollar views that we only see on television with the bright, crystal-clear, Caribbean waters lying on a bed of glowing, white sand, soaring palm trees over head swaying in balmy tropical breezes and not a cloud in the sky. It’s the intoxicating infusion of the two worlds that create this dizzying cocktail that is Carriacou.
To meet the colourful characters of the island, just settle down on a bar stool at any one of the innumerable rum shops or bars, gabber to a Rasta and sample the best flying fish in the West Indies, but beware of the legendary Carriacou jack iron, one sip and you’ll be sloshed.
Carriacou is the ultimate island get away, with next to no tourists that visit. It remains to be one of the only Caribbean islands to be undisturbed by the burnt British holiday-makers.
The Grenadines is a paradise for sailing fanatics, take a serene trip to The Tobago Quays, and snorkel in the Little Tobago Island reserve and see if you can catch a glimpse of the many sea turtles whirling through the true Pirates of the Caribbean waters. I’m not joking! (This is where Johnny Depp himself sailed the infamous Black Pearl)
Inland, all one can do is absorb the breathtaking views, listen to cultured calypso music and “Be Limin’” This is the activity that beats all, it is simply the Caribbean at its finest. When one gets fully engrossed in this activity you needn’t ask if we “be limin” all you need is a spectacular sunset, a hammock and an ice cold bottle of beer.

So a few days ago I was driving my Mercedes Benz A Class and it got me thinking on how much of a car it really is.

The A class is a nice car to own on a budget mine cost me £2250 for a car that is 10 years old and only had 46000 miles on the clock which is low for a car that age obviously I have had a few problems driving it which cost me £1000 to repair but enough of the wallet breaking repair.

The first thing first the car looks rather girly with the frog looking lights and curves and when your partner likes the colour pink things get a little weird if you understand me.

The interior and dashboard is simple but useful. it has Traction Control (ASR) which can be Turned off if needs be.
It also has a really good gearbox system (ACS) which means Auto Clutch System.. Basically it has a Five Speed Manual Gearbox but without the clutch. As a automatic driver I found that daunting when I was test driving the car but it came to me like a duck to water and I love every minute of driving the car the one I own is the A140 Elegance with the 1.4ltr petrol engine and 82bhp.

But the car has a little trick. the Backseats and front passenger seat can be removed to make more space in the boot so it goes from a hatchback to a minivan in 10minutes.

The Car is economical at 38mpg and when your 22 and driving a Mercedes people think you have money in your wallet but when you realise that second hand A Classes prices can vary from £1700 to £3000 which also includes the A160 AndA170 diesel which can do up to 62MPG.

Overall if you want to own a Mercedes Benz at a young age then the A Class is for you when people see the badge then thats all they need to know.

Like it or not the airline industry has been forced to change after the tragedy of 9-11. We cannot take security lightly and we can never lower our guard because people are trying to kill us. People have gone as far as putting explosives in their shoes and underware. What can we do better to improve security without flying naked? I suggest we create “Security Zones.”

Why do we all need to have access to airplanes and airports? We should change the process to increase security by limiting access to people who are actually flying. This simple act reduces the threat of car bombs and unnessary traffic in the airports. After limiting access, the next step would be to screen the flyers in stages. Provide a security level where passengers are screened for metal and explosives before being transported to the airport. A passenger bus could permit this to happen. Pre-screening before transporting the actual flyer to the airport is a great thing for security. No delays or security breeches in the airport.

With these small steps, the level of security in our airports would drastically increase. Everyone reaching the zone of security would be actually scheduled to fly and pre-screened for explosives and metal objects. In the airport, the passengers could have their carry-on luggage checked extensively. The airport would be safer whereas access is restricted to only the people actually doing business in the airport. Additional security could be built into the system, but just limiting access could speed the efficiency and effectiveness of the process.

In short, the design of our airports must change or eventually we will be forced to fly nude. Why should we waste one minute of time testing people with absolutely no business in the airport for security? They have no business being there. Is it more vital for us to be secure than to sell products or trinkets plane-side? Security should trump everything. Airports should be all about the business of security. A small step like “Zones of Security” could be vital to winning the war on terror. Doing this could save billions in technology alone and make the process more user friendly.

I’d been planning this trip for almost three years when I arrived at East Midland Airport on 9th July 2009. On my back was possibly the world’s largest rucksack – my plan to pack light hadn’t really worked out – and in my hand was my one way ticket to Barcelona, the starting point for my European Adventure.

My parents were, understandably, extremely worried. Their little girl was going away for her longest ever trip from home, and although I had traveled without them before, this was the first time there were no supervising adults. It was just me and Eva.

Eva has been my best friend ever since primary school and it was with her that I had spent nearly every weekend pouring over articles and maps deciding where our travels would take us. We had been planning for such a long time not only because the summer after our A-Level exams was the first vacation long enough to allow us to leave for a whole month and a half, but because saving up for such a huge adventure takes a considerable amount of time when working at a local supermarket. But none of the work, the overtime on bank holidays, or the tolerance of stuffy store managers mattered anymore because we were packed and ready to go! And as I waved goodbye to my slightly tearful parents and walked through the departure gates I could barely contain my excitement…

It almost hurts – looking at what this life has given me. I have seen so much beauty, I have cried tears of joy; tears of disbelief in how everything has been possible.

Yesterday I grew a year older. My life is not where I perhaps thought it would have been, but it’s my life of choice, freedom, and love. I’ve sat on the steps outside of an old Italian church looking down on Rome during sunset. I cried that day; it’s where I met her. Analisa, from how I remember it. She answered our questions, the questions we never spoke aloud. She gave us hope, and belief in our possibilities. I sat there watching her walk down the steps as tears rolled down my cheeks. We didn’t speak for some time after that; we sat there in reflection.

I’ve listened to stories of young men that have killed others for their country. I watched their eyes, the truth deep within their souls. They showed me what I couldn’t have ever imagined. They were boys and girls, too young to know anything different from the true love they shared for Israel- how beautiful these people are. They gave me love of a stranger.

I’ve been given life – I have traveled.

I love life for the beauty found in every stranger, in the many religions, and the possibility of opportunity.

- Annmarie

Okay, I was in Australia for a month last year, based in the posh part of Sydney – Balgowlah Heights, I suppose like Beverly Hills but with more barbecues and poisonous wildlife. Having limited funds I was forced to be thrifty (I love that word) with the dollars I had. Taking a reasonably priced train to Katoomba City in the Blue Mountains, I was perfectly situated for the mountain sports on offer in the area. There are a few good hostels in Katoomba, I stayed in the Flying Fox. And all I’m going to say about that is that it was a little offbeat.

I was with some mates for this particular trip, although none of us had any real mountaineering training. For myself I had some experience in climbing from an artificial wall my school installed years ago, although due to British health and safety regulations it was just under four foot high. Extreme.

We decided then to hire out a guide from the Blue Mountains Adventure Company. He had a set course which involved climbing and abseiling around the Boar’s Head area, followed by a trek through the bush back to the car. If you love hanging precariously from a cliff face trying to remember the safety checks: A for Anchor, through other stuff I forgot to F, then it’s for you.

The scenery is typically incredible for Australia, and even though it was the winter there it got quite hot by midday. The trip was immensely fun and well worth the money. My suggestions would be to find a different hostel, and keep in mind that there a precious few places to eat, unless you have a car and a good knowledge of the area. I’m back down under in a couple of months so maybe with some positive feedback this could be my travel blog? Comments?

As you may or may not know, planes in India generally don’t have a terminal inside where you can conveniently exit the plane directly into the airport. One gets off the plane outside, and takes a shuttle to the main airport building. So, we did just that, and let me tell you, I did not need to open my eyes to know we were in India – I could literally smell it. Mumbai smelled like a strange mixture of car exhaust fumes and fishes, and the quality of the air was thick and humid like a sauna. It certainly wasn’t the most pleasant smell I’ve ever encountered, but it was definitely…interesting to experience once more. On the shuttle itself, I yapped in English to my mother and a young man who was doing college somewhere in America actually turned around and asked if it was my first time in India, to which I promptly responded “No! It’s my 6th time!”

We walked through the fluorescent-lighted airport and found ourselves outside, and it was the strangest site I had ever seen. There was a row with hundreds of people crowding either side. They were all holding signs like “Chadda Sahib” or ” ‘Flana’ Hotel”, and they were totally quiet, and all looked at us as we walked by. They looked they protesters, but they were merely people waiting for travelers to arrive; some of them were family, some of them were transportation-types, like cab drivers.

In the crowd, we quickly spotted my mom’s cousin, Gurpreet Singh Bombay Waale (also commonly known as Rinku Mamaji) – he is actually a semi-famous raagi and has done kirtan at the Golden Temple. He was accompanied by his father, who I, as a child, called “Magic Masarji” because he used to amaze me with little magic tricks. A cab driver was there, helping us load our luggage, and for a full 20 minutes I had to stand there in the night, waiting, because Rinku Mamaji had a flight to South Africa for a kirtan programme, and my parents wanted to spend a bit of time with him before he left.

As soon as we were off on our way to my grandma’s sister’s house, I looked out the window, really intrigued by the sights around me. The night was thick with a haze, and because of the streetlights, the air was often a pink or a yellow, contrasting the shadows in the alleyways and through the trees. There was a vitality to Bombay, so much to take in, ranging from palm trees to industrial buildings to homeless people sleeping amongst litter next to dogs.

Speaking of dogs. Oh my. Bombay is DOG COUNTRY. On my way from the airport to my relatives’ house (about an hour or so), just looking at one side of the road – I counted 120 dogs. Literally. And they all looked exactly the same, all a bunch of mutts sleeping, some of them in groups, conspiring or holding meetings or who knows what. Wow.

I knew that my mom’s masarji owns an eggless bakery, so I excitedly asked him about it, to which he replied “It isn’t eggless anymore, we use eggs now” to which I was sorely disappointed. But later I found out he was only pulling my leg.

When we got to their house in a town neighboring Bombay, called Ulhasnagar, at 2am, we were greeted by my mom’s cousin’s wife, Preeti Mamiji, and her absolutely adorable 2 year old son, Gurdev, who apparently was so excited all day that “two Didis” were coming over, and took a liking to us immediately. The family was used to going to the Gurdwara at 3 or 4am, so after eating delicious pastries made by Magic Masarji (he owns a bakery), we headed off there, where my grandma’s sister (and my grandma, was already in India at the time) was already attending the divan. It was very tranquil there, a faint pink light glowing against the windows from the streetlamps outside, the kirtan hall mostly empty. I think this is the most beautiful time for meditation – early morning. I was rather tired, so I stole a corner of the hall and tried to rest my eyes.

But pesky, blood-drawing creatures interrupted me. Yes. Mosquitos. Before I knew it, my arms and face were puffy, itchy, and red from bites. A kind old woman there helped me, rubbing my kara against my arm exactly 7 times. When she was doing so, I was sort of confused, but actually worked, it really calmed the rashes!

By the time we emerged from the Gurdwara, morning had broken and I observed a couple of cats slinking outside the Gurdwara. We returned home in the calmest of spirits.

Liked what you read? Read the whole trip account in several chapters at this link, and if you like what you read there as well, stay tuned for more chapters on the blog!

http://hunjancousins.blogspot.com/2009/10/spring-in-india-chapter-7.html

This evening I found myself at Downtown Disney’s West Side for a concert at House of Blues. At the end of the night I decided to take a walk down memory lane. When I was 17-18 years old I worked for Pleasure Island Outdoor Foods. It’s been sometime since I’ve returned to the island where I spent so much time as a youth making a small living, learning about alcohol and trying to sneak into Mannequins, so I thought a stroll through the (now closed) island would be fun.

Pleasure Island in it’s heyday consisted of 7 Nightclubs on a massive island. You would pay an admission price (often near $20) and gain access to all of the clubs, the party atmosphere of the island itself and an “every night is New Years Eve” show on the West End Stage.

When you approached Pleasure Island from the Marketplace side of Downtown Disney you would purchase a ticket at one of the two train car ticket booths (renovated from the former Fort Wilderness railroad) and proceed across the bridge to the turnstiles where you would find yourself in the shadow of the behemoth Mannequins Dance Palace.

Mannequins was a gigantic state of the art nightclub complete with a round spinning dance floor and multiple levels of tables, sofas, and various places to congregate with friends, or look for love on a night out. The building now sits empty with it’s marquee still towering over the street.

Walk straight ahead and you would pass the P.I. Live “radio station” where Deejays hosted a nightly street party in front of the Hub Stage. Several times a night the Pleasure Island dancers would hit the stage and perform to High energy dance and Pop music. The radio station still has it’s “P.I. LIVE” neon signs, the windows however have been blacked out. The stage is now a gaping hole complete with boat dock. The dock lies at the end of a sidewalk that separates the new Paradiso 37 restaurant, and the former Rock n’ Roll Beach Club.

Rock n’ Roll Beach Club was a favorite among locals, you could catch a live band playing covers practically every night and goofy DJ’s playing rock n’ roll hits in between sets. Right next ramp up to the beach club you would come to Motion (only its final of many identities), a club that catered to a younger crowd and played primarily Top 40 hits. Now completely inaccessible thanks to a “wall” of bushes placed in front of the entrance.

Walking up the crowded street you would begin to hear songs that you remembered from the 70′s and 80′s pumping out the painted double doors that lead to 8Trax. Like an escape into an Austin Powers movie, this club did the disco era right all the way down to the mirror balls, fog machines, and lighted block flooring. The building is still painted in bright disco hues but the trademark “8Trax” sign is now painted over, and the club sits vacant.

Across the street is a curious looking building that almost dared you to come in and check it out. The Adventurers Club was themed to resemble a 1930′s style British explorers club complete with talking artifacts on the walls, and a cast of improv actors portraying a wild group of characters that seemed to get more hilarious every night. The building is still standing with it’s Adventurers Club flag flying high. The arched stone sign still marks the entrance of another one-of a-kind Disney experience reduced to a festering empty building.

On a busy night you would often find yourself at The West End Stage (topped by a giant neon Jessica Rabbit) at midnight for the New Years Eve countdown show and fireworks, or catching Frankie and the West End Boys blasting some of your favorite songs in full concert sound. However, the West End Stage is no more, instead all that remains is a pedestrian bridge to Downtown Disney’s Westside.

After that you might be off for a night of dancing to the hottest in Hip-Hop and R&B at the BET Soundstage Club. Originally the Neon Armadillo (1989-1998) catering to a country crowd the BET Soundstage Club became a staple in the local Hip-Hop community. The building still says “Soundstage Club” but obvious scars remain from where BET removed their logos from the signs. No doubt in hopes that their name would not sit on the outside of a dilapidated building for years to come.

I’ve saved my personal favorite club for last because it was often my last stop after a night of partying with friends at Pleasure Island. Comedy Warehouse was the best improv comedy club in Orlando. A troupe of very talented improv comedians hosted the show several times nightly and you never got the same show twice. It was the Orlando equivalent of having “Whose line is it anyway?” every night at Pleasure Island, and the 12:05am show was always (in my opinion) the most entertaining. The building now sits empty with cafe tables and another “wall” of bushes completely obstructing the view of the door to one of the coolest places on Disney property.

Several of the cast of the Comedy Warehouse are still working at Walt Disney World. The pianist from the show is working at the Rose & Crown at Epcot’s UK pavilion, and several of the actors and actresses perform daily in Epcot’s Innoventions West at SlapStick Studios, or as one cast member refers to it, “The Velcro Show.”

The Walt Disney Company announced in June of 2008, that it would close the doors of the beloved nightspots for the last time on September 27, 2008, to make room for more “family friendly experiences” in the form of more shops and restaurants.

As a child I remember Disney being the masters of closing an attraction and making it completely disappear so that it all looked like a purposeful “part of the show.” In tonight’s walk through Pleasure Island, I saw a place that has become nothing more than a waste of acreage, and a very visible example of a poor decision to close an iconic part of Walt Disney World.

Pleasure Island was one of, if not THE most popular nightspot in Central Florida from 1989 to 2008. It showed that Disney had a side that didn’t take itself too seriously to have a good time.
It’s almost haunting to remember the complex that is now a hollow shell of its former glory. The nights of dancing until 2am with friends and family, “cast member night” on Thursdays and knowing that you could go to Pleasure Island any night of the year, wipe the slate clean, and countdown to a new year all over again.

As I exited a nearly empty Pleasure Island at 11:30pm I saw a sign that proclaimed, “It just gets better!” I found myself thinking, “Really? When?” The closure of Pleasure Island to make room for more “family friendly” money making opportunities marked the end of an era at Walt Disney World; an era where the adults were part of the “family” too.

By Ron Gustafson

MIDDLEBURY, Conn. “The electrified rail line that once weaved its way through the wooded hills of this quiet borough in northwestern Connecticut has been gone for more than 70 years.
Even though 1930 spelled the end of the line for the Connecticut Trolley Company, its most popular summer stop, one that filled the rail cars to capacity, lives on.
Quassy Amusement Park is nothing short of a New England – if not a national – treasure. It has beaten the odds on many an occasion to proudly proclaim the title of “survivor” in an industry that has seen hundreds of similar facilities fade away.
Quassy is one of only 11 remaining “trolley parks” in the United States today, according to the National Amusement Park Historical Association. There were more than 1,000 such properties “parks owned and operated by electrified rail lines – prior to The Great Depression of 1929. Most of those parks fell victim to the depression and the lean years of World War II that followed.
The 20-acre lakeside facility marked a monumental milestone in 2008 by celebrating its centennial. Not only has the park been in operation for 101 years, but for the past 72 seasons it has been owned by members of the same family.

About The Name
Like many other parks of the era, Quassy’s luring features when it opened in 1908 included a picnic grove offering bathing in sparkling Lake Quassapaug, boating and dancing. For years the facility was known as Lake Quassapaug “Quassapaug a Native American term meaning “big pond” or “rock pond.”
The locals started calling the park simply “Quassy” decades ago and the nickname stuck, though you will hear an occasional old-timer strolling through the property still referring to it as “Lake Quassapaug.” Even park letterhead dated as recent as 1983 carried the title Lake Quassapaug Amusement Park while the former arched gate leading into facility at the time said “Quassy” on its façade.
Trolley rides from nearby Waterbury, a city once known for the manufacture of brassware, watches and clocks, were 15 cents during those startup years, scrapbook newspaper ads reveal. A carousel was soon added at the park as was a dance pavilion in 1910.
A much larger open-air dance hall was built in 1915 on the lower level of the sloping property, and by the 1920s the park hosted bands in the building seven nights a week during the height of the summer.
Today the gigantic pavilion “the oldest building at the facility “houses a redemption arcade with its unique architecture intact.

End Of The Trolley
In the late 1920s major improvements were made to the road (Route 64) leading to the lake and park-goers soon found buses making the trip to and from Quassy much faster than riding the rails. By 1930 the trolley line had ceased operation, according to newspaper accounts.
A new carousel roundhouse was constructed in 1927 near the dance hall and the E. Joy Morris menagerie carousel at the park was moved into the structure it would call home for the next 60 years.
The park limped along during The Great Depression while many similar businesses in the nation were shuttered for good.
A significant change in ownership occurred in 1937 when three of the park’s concessionaires, John Frantzis, George Terezakis and Mike Leon, purchased the property.
It was during the sale that the classic Morris carousel nearly went up in flames.
“So the story goes, there was a dispute over the carousel being part of the purchase and the previous owner had the animals stacked up and ready to torch them when a deal was finally struck,” George Frantzis II, a current co-owner for the park, said of the negotiations involving his late grandfather.
The carousel and the park survived more turbulent years during World War II. Quassy did not open on Memorial Day in 1943 due to a ban on pleasure travel during the height of the war, but did operate during summer months.

Into A New Era
World War II drew to a close in 1945 and Quassy promoted new rides for the 1946 season. A new clambake pavilion and more rides were added in ’48 as the property was being transformed into a traditional family amusement venue.
In the years to come, the Frantzis family gradually acquired more interest in the park as the other partners started to relinquish their shares.
What was said to be the first complete kiddyland purchased from the Allan Herschell Co. of North Tonawanda, N.Y. was installed at Quassy in 1952. The four-ride package consisted of a “Little Dipper” roller coaster, “Sky Fighter” jets, boats and pony carts.
All of the rides except the pony carts continue to entertain youngsters after more than 50 years of service at Quassy. Other Herschell rides in the park include the helicopters and one of the few remaining “Monster” (a.k.a. “Mad Mouse”) steel roller coasters in the world. The Herschell company was also known worldwide for the manufacture of carousels and at one time produced 100 annually.
The Morris carousel operated until 1989, when the owners decided it was time to retire the aging machine. An October auction was scheduled and brought national attention to the park as the classic ride was sold piece by piece.
Selected menagerie figures fetched more than $40,000 each and when the gavel struck for the final time the carousel auction had raised more than $630,000. The proceeds allowed the park to order a new 50-foot grand carousel for the coming year from Chance Rides of Wichita, Kan. At the time Chance also owned the former Allan Herschell Co. and was building carousels based on the original Herschell blueprints.
The new ride was installed in March of 1999 and the inner three rows of resin-molded horses are replicas from the Allan Herschell line.
Today a plaque in the roundhouse honors the late George J. Frantzis (1927-1997) for his more than 50 years of commitment to the park and the community.

Quassy Sweethearts
Through the years thousands of local and area teenagers have found summer employment as well as lifelong sweethearts at Quassy Amusement Park. Many couples who met at Quassy have returned to the park with their children and grandchildren, reflecting on and reliving some cherished memories.
It’s commonplace to hear adults reminiscing about their childhood years at Quassy as they stroll park “many thankful that the property is still functioning as a place where happy memories are carved out.

Mixing The Old And The New
The face of Quassy Amusement Park has relatively remained the same over the years, still offering the laid back atmosphere of the traditional facility that was the cornerstone of its foundation.
With the advent of large theme parks over the past few decades “numerous ones within driving distance from western Connecticut “Quassy has managed to maintain its identity as the alternative to the mega facilities.
Rarely are there long lines for any of the rides, nor a crush of humanity streaming down the walkways at this quaint lakeside venue.
Pricing has also been an ally to Quassy as it does not charge a general admission to the property, allowing parents and grandparents alike to be spectators while the children ride classics like the Sellner “Tilt-A-Whirl” and Chance “Trabant.”
And over the years Friday nights have become a “non-advertised” family event as Quassy’s rides are only 25 cents each.
“Everyone knows Fridays are quarter nights at Quassy,” noted John Frantzis, now the patriarch of the business his father purchased more than 70 years ago. Cotton candy and small sodas are also 25 cents during the Friday special with hot dogs sold for 50 cents. Up to 4,000 hot dogs will be served on a busy Fright night in July and August.
Yet Quassy, while preserving its treasured past, has kept up with the times by mixing the old with the new.
A portion of the lower parking lot near the lake has been transformed into a new development for the venue in recent years with the addition of larger rides like the Chance “Music Fest,” Hrubetz “Paratrooper,” “Bumper Cars,” and the classic Herschell “Monster” roller coaster.

Time To Take The Plunge
While other large parks in the region started adding water attractions a number of years ago, Quassy quietly trudged along the path it had forged for itself as an “iron” (ride) park.
But the customer base it had drawn upon for decades was starting to shift to facilities offering the latest in water attractions, leaving Quassy pretty much high and dry on hot summer days.
“Our beach used to be packed, and it got to the point where fewer and fewer people were coming to the lake to swim,” John Frantzis noted.
With younger members of the family stepping into key management positions, the owners decided in 2003 that it was time to take a plunge by building a new water attraction.
That spring Quassy introduced “Saturation Station,” the first interactive family water play area of its type in the world. With cascading fountains, water cannons, waterslides and a huge tipping bucket as a centerpiece, the multi-tiered attraction was an overnight success.
“I believe it saved the park,” John Frantzis said. He attributes the project’s inception and success to his son-in-law, Eric Anderson, who also heads up the park’s operations.
Use of the state-of-the-art family waterpark is included in the price of an all-day park wristband and season passes. Building off the success of “Saturation Station,” Quassy added two gigantic “Tunnel Twister” waterslides to the attraction in 2006.
Now as the temperatures soar in July and August, so does the attendance at Quassy’s re-born lakefront attractions, proving that the largest gamble and investment in the park’s history has paid dividends.

In The Community
The park continues to be aggressively active in the communities it serves by hosting special events and activities for civic groups as well as free “Town Days” for local residents.
One of the longest running community service campaigns at Quassy are Campership Fund Weekends to help send underprivileged children to summer camp. The fundraiser has been going on “well “longer than anyone at the park can remember.
And in 2003 the International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions (IAAPA) honored the park with the Best Promotion of the Year award for an outdoor laser light show Quassy staged to benefit the Connecticut Food Bank. Quassy also received “The Spirit of Connecticut” award for its community efforts that year, including a “3-D” Fireworks presentation with Prevent Blindness Tri-State as the beneficiary.
Schools have also benefited from the park’s array of new educational programs that include guided tours, structured workshops, an annual school music festival and a number of art contests.
Having survived the first 100 years was certainly challenging at times, but Quassy Amusement Park seems poised to charge into its second century on the tide of its recent successes.

So living in Michigan near Ann Arbor I was looking for a new affordable vacation spot for my family which includes three kids. I wanted it to be diverse, new and fun with many opportunities to do a wide variety of activities. I did not want more of the same boring pre-planned thing if you know what I mean! We happened upon a strip in the town of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin that gave us exactly what we were looking for and more. All I can say is that the Dells is like Vegas and Cedar Point mixed! Amusement park attractions, bungee jumping, roller coasters, haunted houses which include an upside down White House called “Top Secret” where everything is nailed to the ceiling, and great places to eat everywhere for all budgets!

The main attraction however is the hotels with the water slides. Now when I say water slides I mean 7 story high water slides indoors! The kind where it takes literally only seconds to fly down a slide! They are also outside for the summer months as well, the largest being Noah’s Ark which is an incredibly 70 acres big! You drive around with hands pressed up against the glass of your car windows oohing and ahhing at all the possibilities. You scream for the driver to stop, to pull over and you cannot decide what to do first. It is literally that fun. I am seldom reduced to an ecstatic begging child but this place induced such a reaction.

We stayed at the Dells a few years ago at an indoor water park for younger kids and paid to go to an outdoor park with the very high slides. This week we are heading to the largest hotel/water parks at the Dells; the Kalahari. We are so excited! I will blog more after this visit..all I can say is that if you want an affordable weekend or even a week with family or friends or even as a couple..go to Wisconsin and check out the Dells! Also take a ride in a Wisconsin Duck and see the natural beauty of the area in summer or winter! This is the party for the water park enthusiast and for those who need a break from a long monotonous drive from Michigan to Minnesota!