by Janine Bowen, HamletHub intern
Lake Compounce may be America’s oldest Amusement Park but new surprises are in store for those who plan to visit this summer season. Tucked away in the back of Connecticut’s largest water park is a brand new water ride that is racing to the top of everyone's list of favorite rides.
Riptide Racer is made up of four fast paced water slides that plunge visitors into darkness while they experience twists, turns, and drops as they race to the finish line. One of the unique elements of this ride is that, instead of lying on your back as on traditional water slides, riders lie on their stomachs on a mat. The racing experience begins as each rider stands at the start of one of the four colored slides with the mat between their feet, waiting for the countdown. When the lifeguard says go, riders jump onto the mats and race to see who can reach the bottom first. A little hint, the order in which riders finish seems to correlate to weight, with the lightest rider consistently coming in last, so riders may want to keep this in mind before they get competitive with friends!
When riders reach the bottom, they exit to the right and are greeted by another new addition to the Splash Harbor water park. The people of Lake Compounce have created a small beach area complete with sand and rows of colorful chairs, which just so happen to match the colored slides of Riptide Racer. This area is a wonderful place to take a break and relax while soaking up some sun. I’m sure this addition will get a lot of use from those who are unable or unwilling to ride Riptide Racer while they wait for the rest of their group. This may be a long wait too, as almost everybody I met got immediately back on line after finishing their ride, and didn't leave the attraction until they had tried all four slides to determine the differences between each and see if the slide they picked impacted the position in which they finished. Luckily, riders on Riptide Racer will definitely not have as long of a wait as their dry friends. I was able to get on and off the ride four times in less than twenty minutes. I imagine the fact that four slides are in operation at once help the line to move quickly but the fact that I chose to visit the park on a Tuesday was also a contributing factor. The wait time for all of the rides in the park was fifteen minutes or less. For those who want to truly enjoy the park, I would recommend cashing in one of those saved up vacation days and visiting the park in the middle of the week. This way you and your family will get to experience every ride in the park, and most likely, be able to do so more than once.