Rye Playland

While Rye Playland is definitely a place to bring your children, sometimes you just want to ride the rides yourself, maaaaaan.  Alan and I scheduled a vacation day from work in the middle of the week where we'd drop Sally off at daycare, jump in the car, and head for an epic Six Flags Great Adventure trip.  For weeks ahead of time I had fantasies of twisty-turny rollercoasters, the log flume, and the animal safari.  Unfortunately, the day came and it was chilly and raining.  We didn't want to make the haul to Six Flags, so we opted for a closer amusement park, Rye Playland.  

I've seen the signs for Rye Playland off of I-95 for years, but had never gone.  While the weather wasn't the best that day, Alan and I were completely charmed by this place!  It was opened in 1928 and you can feel how glorious it must have been then on the shores of the Long Island Sound.  There are still a number of original rides (which I think is amazing) including the 80-year-old Dragon Coaster, the Derby Racer, and The Whip, and a few new coasters as well.  For you 1980s kids out there, they shot the opening to the movie Big here!  This place is not that big (no pun intended), but it's packed with fun... unless you're my husband, Alan, who after riding Starship 2000 vowed to never go on an amusement park ride again (turns out spinning rides, middle age, and several pints of beer don't mix).  We spent the remainder of the day running around taking selfies before the rain got too bad and we needed to go back to our parental responsibilities.  All in all, it was an incredibly fun break to spend the day as a couple again (no offense to Sally)!