Nine Tips for Visiting Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury, CT

We recently kicked off summer 2024 by spending the day with our daughter and a few of her friends at Quassy Amusement Park and Waterpark, located in Middlebury Connecticut.

Named after Lake Quassapaug, the property where the park sits now was originally a hotel and summer resort in the late 1800s. In the mid 1910s, local businessmen bought the property and added several attractions, growing the property into an amusement park by the 1950s. Each decade, the park expanded with new rides and the addition of the waterpark in the early 2000s. Today, Quassy offers close to two dozen rides in the amusement park, and almost a dozen water slides in the waterpark. 

Quassy is the perfect spot for families and a great size for preschool through middle school aged children, although our teens had a lot of fun and were  still thrilled by many of the rides. The park is very clean (well maintained trash cans are located seemingly within a few feet) and we hardly noticed a single piece of trash or discarded food on the ground, nor any bugs or bees (that are usually attracted to discarded food). The staff was friendly and attentive and helpful with any concerns.  Plus, how many amusement parks sit right next to a lake, with its own private beach?! This may have been our first visit to Quassy, but we don’t think it will be our last visit this summer!

Nine Tips for Visiting Quassy

1. Hours and admissions: The amusement park is open on weekends in late April, May, and September, and full time, along with the waterpark, from late May through the end of August; check here for up to date information on hours. Check for up to date information on admission fees here and here for special discounts, like an early season discount and discounts for military, seniors, and kids under 45”.  If you’re local, the season pass is incredibly reasonable (it pays for itself by the third visit!). All guests will receive wristbands upon arrival at the park and wristbands are checked when guests board each ride. 
2. Bonuses: Ahead of time, consider adding some bonuses to your visit: Quassy offers pedal boats and kayaks for half hour rentals, Lake Quassapaug boat rides aboard the Quassy Queen at designated times each day (kids are required to wear provided life vests), and cabana rentals in the water park. The cabanas are a good value if you’re planning on spending the day at the  water park and want a home base, shade, and reserved lounge chairs, a table, and chairs  (plus the fridge is great for keeping drinks and food cold, and there’s food delivery service from the café). 
3. Special events and programs: Quassy offers weekly programs and events like comedy shows, magic shows, local dance company performances, and music festivals featuring local area students and bands. Many of the performances are held on the Carousel Theater stage. Check here for the full calendar. 

4. Parking: Parking costs $10 per day and is super close to the park entrance. Even the rows of spaces that are farest from the entrance are closer than many of the amusement parks and athletic stadiums we have visited.  A nice bonus: Guests can retrieve items from their car and re-enter the park (just make sure you’re wearing your wristband), which is super convenient if you want to leave waterpark supplies for later in the day or go back to retrieve water bottles etc.
5. What to bring: Definitely wear sneakers, and bring slides or flip flops for the waterpark. Sunscreen is a must, although the park does a great job of offering a lot of shaded spaces to relax, including picnic areas for meals, and shaded viewing stations to watch guests on the rides. Strollers are welcome and probably a good idea for the preschool crowd. Guests can bring in bags and small coolers and are allowed to bring in their own food and non-alcoholic drinks, but no glass containers. 
6. What to eat: The amusement park offers the Restaurant, Sweet Sensations for ice cream, cotton candy, and popcorn; and Bella and Bessie’s Pizzeria for personal size The Splash Away Bay Café in the waterpark offers sandwiches, salads, snacks, and drinks.  Quassy has several spots to enjoy a meal, including banks of picnic tables throughout the property and tables and chairs near the lake, under pavilion, and indoors. 

7. Rides the preschool (and under 48” crowd) will love: Bouncing Buggies, Frog Hopper, Reverse Time, Crazy Cups, Carousel, Quassy Train Station, Junior Bumper Cars, LIttle Dipper, and Kiddie Land. A good park map is here. 
8. Rides with longer wait times: We noticed that some of the more popular rides, including Frantic, Tidal Wave, Bumper Cars, Wooden Warrior Roller Coaster, and Paratroopers, have longer wait times, usually because there is a limited amount of riders per session and because the safety checks take a little longer than other rides. We recommend going on these rides as soon as the park opens. 
9. Tips for Splashaway Bay Water Park: Lockers and changing rooms are available at the entrance to the waterpark and there is a separate restroom facility building in between the water slides. The café has a QR code that allows guests to order food online and have it delivered to the second floor dining area, or to their cabana. Several water slides have single and two rider options. There are also water slides and a splash pad geared towards the preschool crowd. The private sandy beach has a designated swimming area and lifeguard supervision.  

Looking for other summer fun in Connecticut? Check out our Summer in CT Bucket List, our Coastal CT Guide, our city guides to New Haven, Hartford, and Mystic, and our index of ALL of our CT posts. 

Disclosure: We were given a media pass to explore the park; all opinions expressed are my own.