Would you date/marry someone who doesn't like parks/roller coasters?

Wasn't sure if this had been posted or not but here goes.

Would/could you ever date/marry someone who doesn't like parks/roller coasters? I have thought about this a lot and I don't know how it would ever work out lol. Parks are my favorite thing to do in the spring/summer/fall and if my partner didn't enjoy them I feel they would be spending a lot of time without me lol. Then again, if I ever met the right person and they didn't enjoy them maybe it would work. They would have to be out of this world amazing though! Couples who really love each can enjoy there time together no matter what. However, parks and coasters are such a huge part of me and make me happy beyond belief, and unless something major changes, I feel they will be a huge part of me for many years to come and I don't know if I could let them go.

So how do you all feel about this. Could you or would you ever date/marry someone who doesn't like roller coasters/parks?

Remember Cath, my girlfriend form the earlier podcast days? Terrified of coasters. Cried the whole way on Mine Ride. But she was charming and lovely, so whatever.

Oh, and today she'll ride anything.

The last girl I was seriously dating, a couple of years ago, had zero interest in coasters/amusement parks. What made that interesting is that she was the great-grand niece of William F. Mangels, inventor/patenter of the now ubiquitous wave making machines found at water parks. He also designed the Tickler coaster and invented the Whip, among other innovations.

There's a coupla women I don't date, but love coasters as much as me and I ride with them pretty often. I've dated both types. It's not a deal breaker for me if we're compatible in most other ways. Same with something like smoking. I don't and never have smoked (cigarettes, anyway) but I'm not going to let that stop me from dating a woman who does if other things make it a good relationship.

If something as trivial as enjoying coasters/parks is the deciding factor, then she's probably not the right girl anyway.

I'm afraid I already did. NOW what do I do?...

Lord Gonchar said:

If something as trivial as enjoying coasters/parks is the deciding factor, then she's probably not the right girl anyway.

Depends how much of your spare time revolves around parks/coasters.

I'm fortunate in that my girlfriend is as much into this hobby as I am.

"I'm sorry. You're perfect in every way, but you don't enjoy amusement parks. This will never work."

Suddenly I understand why enthusiast events are sausagefests.

Lord Gonchar said:

"I'm sorry. You're perfect in every way, but you don't enjoy amusement parks. This will never work."

How about this, though: what if I have a hard time imagining someone being perfect in every way except enjoying parks?

Maybe I'm just playing devil's advocate here, but I think it would be reasonable to think that not liking parks could be symptomatic of other, more significant personality differences.

I mean, I'm a dude married to a dude and we both love roller coastering so in some ways the sausage-fest notion still applies. But here's the thing - we both like travel and road trips, we like activities that have a certain "adventure" aspect to them, we both share a very strong child-like sense of wonder, we both like other "thrilling" activities etc etc.

So I'm just putting that out there. I think I could seriously date someone with no interest in parks, but I think it would strongly depend on why. Because if he isn't in parks, there's a good chance he's not into other stuff I like, too.

The OP simply asked if a dislike of parks/coasters was enough to be a dealbreaker.

You essentially saying what I initially said - there's probably a lot more there if the differing opinions on rides/parks is the breaking point.

Yes. My wife would probably be kinda pissed about it, though.

One of the best things about a happy marriage is the ability to retain your identity while still being part of something bigger than yourself.

To answer your question, no.

That said, my wife just happens to love riding coasters and visiting parks as much as I do; it's a wonderful thing to have in common, but there is plenty we enjoy alone.

Because if he isn't in parks, there's a good chance he's not into other stuff I like, too.

I'm not sure I'm following you here.

The fact that the enthusiast scene is already heavily leaning toward male is reason enough that dating an enthusiast wasn't likely for me. It never even entered on the radar of things to consider after my divorce.

Some people search all their lives for the perfect soul mate only to find that they are old and alone, and then they realize that all this time they should not have been so picky. True story. lol

This is a very interesting topic. I dated a girl towards the end of last year who was very much uninterested in the notion of visiting amusement parks. We made it three dates as I wanted to see if there was enough there to outweigh it, but a general lack of common interests led us to leave it at friendship.

Interestingly enough, and I'd like to think I'm a reasonable person, I don't know if I could date someone who didn't enjoy them. I in no way expect her to be as passionate about them as I am, but I would like her to at least enjoy visiting them.

I think a lot of it stems from the fact that I have often felt a sort of emptiness on my many trips because no one is there to share the experience with me, and I want to have that opportunity in the future. In this case, while not being the center of my life, the amusement industry is still a big part of who I am, and I just feel like it would put a strain on our relationship if we didn't enjoy them. I think alone time is important, but I'd feel awful if I went on a vacation to a park and didn't take my wife with me, but it isn't something I want to give up. I don't rule out the possibility that love could conquer my passion for coasters, but I would be surprised if it ever got that far.

I want to clarify, however, that I don't say this with a tone of defiance like I'm trying to be in-your-face about it. I say this more as someone who just hopes that I don't wind up in a situation where I have to choose.

My better half is not an amusement park fan at all. She shows that she loves me by:

1) Not minding when I go solo

2) Going with me without complaining too much.

To be fair, I have sat through and supported some things that she enjoys and I don't.

Love isn't always doing the same thing that your spouse / partner likes. Love is making sacrifices for your wife / partner so that they can enjoy their passions.

Whatever they may be.

Jeff said:

The fact that the enthusiast scene is already heavily leaning toward male is reason enough that dating an enthusiast wasn't likely for me. It never even entered on the radar of things to consider after my divorce.

I've wondered more than once what it is about coasters and parks that attracts so many gay men...

I've wondered that myself.

The fact that it leans heavily toward male makes it very likely for me. The fact that they're enthusiasts makes it very unlikely...
:-)

May I?

I've wondered about that myself, Mr. Bannister, many times. As a young man, in the early 70's, I went to work at Cedar Point for two summers and had my big coming out, mainly due to the fact that the workforce was chockablock full of gay guys spending the summer. I'd been an enthusiast all my life, and the driving force behind my decision to work there was so that I could spend the summers at my favorite park. I had no idea the gays would be there too, so that was a surprise bonus. (even on my days off I was just exhausted...)

Forward to the late 70's when I discovered and joined ACE. I attended the first conference at Kings Island and guess what? Lots and lots of the gays there, too, and the ratio remains high to this day. (Why, I'd put this hobby right up there with figure skating and Ichebana) And don't get all squirrelly, straight guys, you still outnumber us here. My conclusion is that not all enthusiasts are gay, but all gays are enthusiasts and love the amusement parks. (notice "Gay Days" don't happen at NFL stadiums across the country, NASCAR tracks, or bass fishin' tournaments, but where?)

Theories:
1) Gay guys are a happy, happy lot and are naturally drawn toward the fun and excitement of the amusement park.
2) Gay guys never really "grow up" and have fewer family and financial responsibilities.
3) Gay guys use the thrill of amusement rides as a milder substitute for butch activities like jumping out of airplanes and mud runnin'.
4) Disney Princesses

Of course, none of those theories hold water (although I have been thrown out of Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique a total of seven times now) and the actual reason remains a mystery. Maybe it's somewhere there in the gay gene, who knows?

I'm grateful though, for a couple of things. While my hobby never lead me to the love of my life, I have made many, many lifelong friends through it and often wonder where I'd be if not for my gay enthusiast brothers. I'm also grateful to the community as a whole, using the fine folks on this site as an example, for accepting us without question for who we are and always treating us with respect. Even back in the 70's when things were just getting started for us, we found a home. The fellows coming out with interests like sports, military, or politics haven't fared nearly as well.

5) It can be an odd lot of people in the first place, so the judgment factor is pretty low. :)

There is that...