Family Fun Time!

If you are like me you hear “Lakeside Amusement Park” and think of times you’ve been there, times you wanted to go there or times your parents wouldn’t allow you to go there. I grew up in Denver but I have only been to Lakeside 4 times. Many times when I was 12-18 I was told not to go there because it was in a bad part of town and the people there were questionable.

Whether or not you grew up in Denver many don’t know the history of Lakeside. Lakeside is over 100 years old! If you’ve lived in Denver long enough you know it for the roller coaster just along I-70. It opened in 1908 under the name White City. It has undergone both good and bad changes over the years but has always been a historic place that offers family fun.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to visit Lakeside Amusement Park. The last time I had been there I was a teenager. I wanted to share my experience with you because it actually turned out to be a wonderful time for my family and the best part was it was affordable! This is a great alternative to the other over-priced amusement park in Denver.

Checking out the website it does state that parking is free. But there is an admission price just to get into the park. We paid around twelve dollars for five of us to enter. The parking was not crowded and was not far to walk to the park.

As you walk in there is one pavilion where you can set up camp for the day or simply enjoy a meal. Once inside the park there are several other pavilions which you can take advantage of.

In order to ride the rides you have two options. You can purchase individual coupons for each ride or you can purchase an unlimited ride pass. I think the best bang for your buck is the unlimited pass. Monday-Friday unlimited rides are $14 per person. Saturday and Sunday they are $22 per person.

Inside the park they have a great deal of rides for younger children. In my opinion Lakeside has always had some of the most fun rides. I found after my visit that this is still true! As I walked in I felt as though I had stepped onto the set of the movie Grease! The Zoom is a ride that takes you up high and all of a sudden you fall! This ride is 100% thrill! The next thrill ride was the Wild Chipmunk. This ride is a small roller coaster. It shoots you around corners leaving you to feel as though you will surely go over the edge! The rides range from bumper cars to motor boats. I always enjoyed Lakeside when I was younger because they offer upside down rides. There are the airplanes that flip over, the Rock Oh Plane and the famous Round Up. My favorite ride was the historically Cyclone roller coaster. As you stand in line you can read the history of the ride and all honors it has received. As you ride on the Cyclone you feel as though you are taking a ride in history! The one ride I truly missed was the train that takes you around the lake. It is no longer in working condition and has been moved to a museum in South Carolina.

All employees are kept under strict guidelines and wear the same uniform. There are security guards all over the park. The ride operators make sure all belts are fastened and all safety precautions are taken. I never got on a ride or put my kids on a ride and felt unsafe. The best part the longest line we waited in was for the roller coaster and it was a whopping ten minutes or so.

We had two issues that could be improved upon. The snack shacks do not take credit cards. You can leave to get snacks or bring things in with you. But they don’t take credit cards. There were no signs explaining this. There is also little shade and no water rides. The day we went was very hot and we were almost miserable. Thankfully we had brought water bottles with us. These seem to be small issues compared to the amount of fun we had. The décor and buildings are outdated but if you can overlook that you will have great fun!

Overall I highly suggest taking your family to Lakeside Amusement Park. Lakeside is affordable and family friendly. I encourage you to step into some Denver history and take your family out for a day of fun!

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