Buffalo Area Amusement Parks...

Amusement park season is underway in Western New York and the northeast!

I've put together a list of what I consider to be the best parks to visit, what new rides they're getting this year, and all the info you'll need to get there.

This is not a definitive list of all amusement parks - just the bigger ones or the ones I feel are worth visiting. If you think I missed something, e-mail me and I’ll add it to the list.

Tomorrow I'll post the Pennsylvania parks. Then next week it'll be Ohio, eastern New York, and some others further off.

Click on the park name for the official website. And always check the park’s calendar before visiting, as each one starts and ends their daily schedules in a different way. All distances listed are from Buffalo...

DARIEN LAKE
Location: Darien Center, NY
Distance: 45 minutes
Opening date: May 3rd
New for 2008: Orange County Choppers MotoCoaster (the grand opening will officially be Friday, May 16th when the Teutul's of American Chopper visit the park - but the ride will really open with the park on May 3rd). There's also two new shows this year: Cirque Nouveau in the Galaxy Theatre (a new version of the Le Grande Cirque show) and Rhythmnicity (a dance show) in the Grande Theatre.


FANTASY ISLAND
Location: Grand Island, NY
Distance: 15 minutes
Opening date: May 10th
New for 2008: Flight, a 140-foot tall swing ride. Also, Grand Circus Menagerie, a kiddie carousel.


MARINELAND
Location: Niagara Falls, ON
Distance: 30 minutes
Opening date: May 17th


CANADA’S WONDERLAND
Location: Just north of Toronto, ON
Distance: 2 hours
Opening date: May 4th
New for 2008: Behemoth, Canada's biggest, fastest & tallest roller coaster! Take a virtual ride on it here.


MIDWAY PARK
Location: Bemus Point, NY
Distance: 90 minutes
Opening date: May 24th
Similar to: A smaller Fantasy Island with all kiddie rides.


ONTARIO PLACE
Location: Toronto, ON
Distance: 2 hours
Opening date: May 3rd
Similar to: A smaller Fantasy Island with mainly kiddie rides.


SEABREEZE
Location: Rochester, NY
Distance: 90 minutes
Opening date: May 17th
New for 2008: Music Express. Will be in the former Gyrosphere location.
Similar to: Fantasy Island