The Great Escape, my favorite theme park is located in Lake George, New York. It is the 2nd oldest theme park in the world (only after Knott's Berry Farm). And boy has this thing grown up and grown in since 1955, the park is beautiful, featuring classic storybook houses for kids, and fun rides for the teens and adults! Large shade trees are in abundence as well as friendly employees. A large creek rolls through the middle of the park, and that with the trees, landscaping, and theming makes this one of the most atmospheric parks I've ever been to! I go here at least once every year, but this is the park's first season being under Premier Parks management, and new for 1997 is Paul Bunyan's Bucket Brigade, a water tree house, Lumberjack Splash, a wave pool, and the Boomerang Coast-to-coaster, a Vekoma Boomerang. The only thing I have to dis about the new management is they turned my favorite show, Cinema 180, into an arcade. Too bad for me. The first roller coaster ride is the Steamin' Demon, located in the Ghost Town section. This is a nice, but very short, Arrow triple looper, originally built in 1980, but moved here in 1984. After a 80 ft. lift, yo turn 180 degrees, and go down a 70 ft. drop into a teardrop loop, around a downward curve, and into 2 corkscrews, and you're done already. Not a bad ride, and never a line, since they built the Comet and Boomerang on oposite ends of the park. They actually have to wait for people to come to fill the trains! The park often lets you go around repete rides because of lack of riders. My idea for the park owners, build an addition on this ride, I heard you were going to build a coaster in the Tornado ride. Please don't, it's such a fun ride! Work on the Demon! Also in Ghost Town is the Desperado Plunge Log Flume, the best flume in the world in my opinion. Very well themed. Then off to Boomerang, located in Fantasyland. This is a typical Vekoma Boomerang and there's noting special, 125 ft. forwards, 3 inversions, and do it again backwards. Still an exciting ride. Then off to the Comet! Comet is located in the very back of the park, all alone. The new owners should put some classic spinning rides back by the Comet and give the area a theme (County Fair, Luna Park, etc.). The coaster is 300+ feet from any other park ride, and you have to go over a big hill, so after having to go over the hill a few times, you get very tired. But now about the Comet. It was built in 1948 at Crystal Beach Park in Ontario, Canada, with the reamins of the original Crystal Beach Cyclone. Likewise this was named the Cyclone, and it was an exciting ride by the lake for 40+ years. Then the park went out of business, and in 1994, after being transported to another country and park, it was reopened as the Comet. It is 100 ft. figh, features a great drop, many small, airtime and lateral G filled hills. Also the turnarounds are wild, and the ride also has a double dip. The wildest part of the ride though is the brake at the end, because you're going so fast, and you go over a steep hill and hit it and you almost get thrown from the car! The restraints are ratcheting lap bars- but they don't hold much power and often park employees let you ride with very little or no restraint. You almost fly out! It rules! On a rating scale from 1-10 Demon gets a 4, Boomerang gets a 5 1/2, and Comet gets a 8. You just can't beat the Great Escape and Splashwater Kingdom!
The road back home- below
Click on this to go home!
Great Escape in a different view
Another person's POV of the Great Escape
Another view of my favorite theme park
