originally posted on 2/24/2023 4:04:00 PM
Love is in the air, and not just our love for roller coasters! Theme parks are a spectacular place for a fun, lighthearted date. Here’s a few tips on how to pull off the perfect theme park date - free of any emotional roller coasters.
The "sea-serpent roll" on Medusa at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, California - the shape resembles a heart.
Photo: J. Seifert. View full-sized image.
Wait Until After the First Date
Theme park trips are often all-day events, so a theme park might not be the best choice for your very first date with someone. If it turns out you don’t really vibe with this person, you’ll likely still have to spend a good portion of your day with them. Save this date for when you’re comfortable spending several hours at a time with your partner.
Dress for the Occasion
Not everyone likes the same rides at theme parks. If your partner isn’t interested in going on a certain ride, be respectful of their preferences. Pressuring your date into riding something they’re not comfortable with is never a good move, and shaming them for avoiding a certain ride is just downright disrespectful. Instead, find another attraction you can both enjoy together.
Play Some Midway Games
You might’ve seen this scenario play out on the carnival episodes in TV shows: A couple plays a midway game and wins a prize for their significant other. It might seem cheesy, but it’s a classic move for a reason! Your date will be thrilled that your dollars and effort were spent trying to do something nice for them. Keep in mind that they’ll have to carry the prize for the rest of the day, so consider bringing the prize to your car or playing games at the end of the night.
Split a Funnel Cake
Sharing dessert is a classic romantic moment, and a funnel cake is the perfect theme park treat to split with your significant other. Splitting one not only saves cash, but also creates a sweet moment - in more ways than one. Just be careful not to spill any powdered sugar, and remember to grab extra napkins!
Stop By a Photo Booth
If you see a photo booth on the midway or in an arcade, don’t hesitate to stop in! Photo booths are a fun way to let your goofy side out. Let loose and enjoy making silly faces and poses together. You’ll be able to capture the memories from your day and get a cool souvenir too!
Be Mindful of PDA
Have you ever seen a couple that can’t keep their hands off each other at a theme park? Let's face it, too many public displays of affection can be uncomfortable for your fellow theme park guests. While on your date, please be mindful and courteous to those around you. Keep PDA to a minimum, especially while in line. Stick to more subtle moves, like holding hands on a roller coaster or a kiss on the ferris wheel.
Stay Positive
Sometimes long lines, inclement weather, or closed rides can sour the mood of a theme park trip, but try not to let these issues ruin your date. Getting worked up over things outside of your control can create an uncomfortable tone during your date. Instead, try to focus on what you can enjoy, like creating memories with your partner. After all, theme parks are supposed to be fun!
Relationships Through Roller Coasters: Stories from ACE
We met in 1992 and married in 1994. We both enjoyed amusement parks and coasters before we met, but that was really notched up when we joined ACE together in 1996. Being coaster enthusiasts together does strengthen our relationship. We have the unique bond of enjoying amusement parks and coasters together. We have made wonderful memories over the years together visiting amusement parks, making friends, and attending several ACE events. We look forward to several more fun years.
Photo: Rick and Brenda Gardner. View full-sized image.
I met my boyfriend Dean Torres by chance at Eastcoaster 2020. Since then, we’ve bonded over our shared love for coasters and he soon grew to be one of my closest friends. And it was through this that we fell in love.
Photo: Alexandra Moseley. View full-sized image.
My husband and I both grew up riding roller coasters when the opportunity arose. When we were married we continued to visit amusement parks on occasion, and enjoyed the bigger and better coasters together. We took our children, starting with small coasters, and they took to it as well, soon riding the big ones with us.
In 2012, I had knee replacement surgery. Up until then, I had been an avid skier, and assumed I would continue. Although I know many people with replacement knees and hips that still ski, when I tried it several times I was not comfortable with it and decided to stop skiing. For Christmas 2014, my husband gave me (and himself) memberships in ACE as he knew how much I missed skiing. I don't think he realized what he was getting into. Almost immediately, the UK coaster trip came up the next July. We decided we should do something with ACE before the UK trip, so we went for a day at Knoebels in April, and to Coaster Con in June. We haven't stopped since. Many Coaster Cons, the Japan trip, all have been very much enjoyed. We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary this year, and will continue to ride with ACE.
Photo: Sheila and Chris Beall. View full-sized image.
Briefly, my wife, Nancy, and I grew up in Chicago and she was a blind date for my senior prom in 1966. On our either second or third date I took her to Riverview because I loved the 5 wooden coaster there. She road all of them with me many times (5 cents or 10 cents to ride again in the same seat! I had a bag full of dimes in my pocket!). Riverview closed in spring of 1967 without opening that year, which was a tragedy for me because she lived just down the street from Riverview and I planned to go often with her. We got married in 1969 and not till many years later she told me that our date was her first time ever on a coaster was afraid at first but did not want to disappoint me. She loved them. We moved to San Jose, California in 1979, and I found ACE about 1984(member #8502). For our 25th anniversary in 1994, we renewed our marriage vows at Coastercon XVII on Magic Mountain's Colossus and are pictured in RollerCoaster Magazine issue 52. Gerry Chleborad, a Catholic priest and ACE member attending the Con, recited the vows at our request.
Story: Peter and Nancy Dusza
Whether you’ve been on one or twenty dates at a theme park, we hope these tips will help your next date go smoothly.
— Ella Watylyk
#ACE360