Your views on going to parks solo?

All of my life I've had a hard time getting friends or family to go to the parks with me. Doesn't anyone like Amusement Parks anymore? Some would rather spend money on other things, like live music or football games. Some just don't like to be outside all day without a nap. Some don't like crowded places. Sigh...

My little 11 year old friend JD loves parks, and hopefully he won't grow out of it when he's older. He's almost to the point of riding anything...I'll say it'll be a year or Two before he will be fearless. I've been taking him to parks a lot lately, but because of money he can't go all of the time.

So sometimes I go alone, and I have a good time anyways. Sometimes it's just nice to not have to talk to anyone all day. It's very relaxing to me.

I think it all has to do with what kind of social relationships you have. If your always surrounded by friends your more likely to go to a park with a group and vice versa if you tend to keep to yourself.

I personally go by myself most of the time for a variety of reasons. The first one (and most important) that nobody usually cares or likes to go with me. Those that would like to go with me, can't for work or other personal reasons. Now once in the park with a companion, I have a real bad tendency to "run" through a park and those that go with me get worn out pretty darned quick. It's weird that way I suppose, I am not the "active" type but once I get inside the gates of a park, I might as well be running in a triathlon. :)

One of my favorite things about going alone is that I don't have to wait for anybody or anything that I don't want to. That may sound like quite a formula for sure-fired loneliness at a park but it's just the way I am I guess. I like taking things at my own pace and doing what I want to do, when I want to do it. (ooh..the bossy side of me just came out! :)) The single-rider benefit is also quite a perk too!

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Raging_Bull said:

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Mamoosh said:
...unless you come upon single-rider rules. Try going to Kennywood alone! Or sitting in a lot of coaster's back rows when you're at a park solo.

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I agree, when I was at CP I bypassed much of the line at TTD on many occasions due to being a single rider. Once, I had just entered the station, and they called for a single rider and I got a front row ride with no station wait.

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I read that statement by Mamoosh as a negative statement about single rider rules. Some parks don't let riders ride alone in the back row of the back car. Some flat rides that have a "recommend no single riders" from the manufacturer--think Falling Stars or Zippers among other rides that don't have individual seats and restraints--it means go find another rider to ride with or can't ride. *** Edited 6/15/2005 4:12:37 AM UTC by RideSafety***

Oh, my mistake. I see the point now. I guess there are the perks of being a single rider as well as the negatives.

The Coasterbuzz-Con weekend was the first trip I've taken by myself since my KW/SFO/CP trip in 2000. I actually had a really good time and I didn't have to worry about falling asleep first to avoid the friend who snores at the hotel. I didn't have someone pushing me on time matters, or me pushing them on time matters. You don't have to compromise on which ride will be next.

That being said, there are definitely advantages to going with someone, or a group of people. On top of what other people have already stated, having a backup driver/s is another big thing for me. I think going solo to a park or two at a time is fine, but when it becomes more than that, in my experience it started to feel weird and lonely. In the 2000 trip, I was very far from home, and the thought of driving back to home from Sandusky seemed daunting. *** Edited 6/15/2005 6:48:34 AM UTC by Intamin Fan***

True, there are perks like single rider lines. But then I've been with a group and we've all used the single rider line because its quicker.

But yes, my point is that many parks will not allow riders solo in the last row of the last car, on certain flat rides, or even on some water slides.

The flat ride rules are the one that bother me most. You can't ride a Zipper by yourself. The Breakdance at SFA can't be ridden solo, even though it has individually-molded seats. Someone was telling me that a lot of Power Surges now have the single-rider rule. It's probably because it's such a pain in the ass when the ride lowers and that seat won't right itself. Thankfully, Knoebels doesn't have that rule.

As far as waterslides go, I don't know the rules about the Tornado and Bahama Blast waterslides at SFA yet. I don't know how well the Cloverleaf tubes would work with just one person. The Whirly Wheel two-seater tubes should work in theory.

I have done a lot of solo trips and have had a lot of fun and have met a lot of people. I have bypassed lines when they needed a single rider and I have made other's day when I have waited for the front seat of TTD or MF. I enjoy seeing someone's face light up when they ask for a single rider for the front seat. I once waited for the front of MF and got paired up with a lady who was on her honeymoon. It was her and her husband's first trip to CP and her first ride on the Force and she could not get her hubby on. It almost felt like I was giving her a little wedding gift ;)

At parks like Kennywood, they will pair you up with someone, there is always another single rider or a group of three where you can get paired up. I have even seen them ask if someone would like to reride to get the single rider on.

I enjoy any trip to a park, be it solo or with friends.

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Brad G said:
I go solo quite often. My family doesn't like coasters or anything that goes very high so they don't go except once a year or so.

I try to look for other singles when riding to help capacity and sometimes I'll match up with an odd numbered group if they're the friendly sort.

I've met a few other regulars at SFGAm and often let them know if I'm headed for the park and we hook up when it works out for their schedules.

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Yeap, my family is the same way. Well, sort of. My wife hardly goes on anything, with the exception of the Whizzer, and a few flats. My 3 year just started going on the Whizzer, and my little boy is only one, so he can't go on much. So, I either spend alot of time in Camp Cartoon Network, or Looney Tunes Forest, or I am standing in line by myself for the coasters.

I have never been to a park solo (except for media days), but I don't think I'd mind it. It's just that there's always someone willing to go to a park with you, so why not ask them?

I do hate going with large groups though, because no one listens to me. ;) For example, last year at CP, I went with a group of about 12 people, and I tried to tell everyone, "No, don't go to Raptor first! The line is 2 hours long! It will be a walk-on later in the day! Let's do Magnum first!!!" but of course everyone filed right into the Raptor line. Ugh.

I prefer to go with my wife and another couple. But I know what it's like to ride coasters alone, since my wife rides almost nothing. :( That's OK, at least she waits in line with me. :)

But mOOSH, you're missing the point. His name is RideSafety... what else could his posts have anything to do with?

I prefer to go with my wife. We share tastes in coasters and both enjoy theme parks and "surprises". Our 2,000 km long weekend coaster-commando road trips are awesome!

We've done two trips to Orlando with another couple, and we've returned still friends. We don't agree on everything, but we were able to get in sufficient 'alone-time' so no-one blew a gasket.

We've only the crazy-long-drive-weekend with another couple once. We got along great in the theme park, but spending 18 hours in a car together was more of a test than we originally imagined.

Day-trips are cool with larger groups (4-10 people). Besides having someone to stand in line with, we also save on lockers because there's always one person willing to sit out a ride. (They look rather comical, burdened down with a dozen bags, a stroler and one or more kids.)

Solo trips are rare. Usually when the wife is working on a weekend and my wanderlust is strong. They are a lot of fun in a virtually empty park, when all you're doing is riding rides. I've had good solo day trips at La Ronde and SF Great Escape. The only negative is standing in line -- it's incredibly boring. I don't think I could handle a busy park without singles lines.

I've attended a few events solo, but I generally hook up with friends once there. Although I have no problem going to a park and riding alone, it's more fun to share with others.

And Brian Noble, there was a period of time, although brief, when my son wanted to go off on his own to ride, but for the most part, he was my riding partner from the time he was tall enough to ride Magnum until he got a girlfriend.

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dexter said:
All of my life I've had a hard time getting friends or family to go to the parks with me. Doesn't anyone like Amusement Parks anymore?

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Save for a couple people, I've always had this problem as well. I was fortunate enough to have a close friend growing up who always enjoyed visiting parks as much as I did, but he's now a doctor living in Florida with very little free time. Seems like with everyone else I know--family, friend, or otherwise--it's like pulling teeth to recruit them for a park trip.

I can't complain, though, because there is one exception: my wife. She's far from passionate about the hobby unlike myself, but she has no problem traveling to different parks, and will ride just about anything I like to ride, so we breeze through parks at the same pace with no problems.

On the other hand, however, I have enjoyed the few solo visits I've had. My only trips (so far) to both SFoG and PKI were solo, and to this day they are two of my favorite parks. It was really nice to walk around consumed with my own thoughts, being able to take in each park at my own pace, ride whatever I felt like riding, and focus on details I would have otherwise missed had I gone with a group. I've also had a solo visit occasionally at SFA when I had a season pass, and those were...ok. Then again, the non-solo trips to SFA were also...ok.

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for the most part, he was my riding partner from the time he was tall enough to ride Magnum until he got a girlfriend.

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That settles it. No dating for my kids! ;)

Usually, the only solo trips I take are to SFGAm before or after work. My fiance isn't into this sport as much as I am. She'll go on the event trips with me, but doesn't like going to SFGAm as much as I do. I prefer the company as it gives you somebody to talk to as well as, in a lot of cases with me, giving new experiences to people.

I have never gone to a park by myself. I usually go with my brother, cousin, and uncle. We do all the coasters together, it works out and we have a lot of fun. I think going solo wouldn't be to bad, you get to decide what you do all day, and when you eat and stuff.

I go by myself when I am on business trips, but don't have nearly as much fun as when I go with my girlfriend or others. If Kennywood had a season pass I think I would go there by myself occasionally just to get a few rides.

I can usually find someone to go with whenever I go to Knoebels, but it's much harder to get someone who doesn't ride that much to go to Hershey or Dorney.

On the flip side, I don't mind going to Knoebels with my friends who have little kids and spending a good chunk of time by the Frog Hopper, but I don't have the patience to do that in a park where I paid to get in. Or the patience to hang out with my family who can make a simple meal last two hours and must stop for at least one person at every rest room we come to (you'd think they could at least get more synchronized).

I can relate to the larger group thing too. What's really nerve-wracking is when one or two people take it upon themselves to decide every move the group makes for the entire day, and not take anyone else's likes into consideration. Needless to say, the group gets smaller as the day goes on.

So while it is good to go solo, I do admit sometimes to feeling out of place surrounded by other families, couples and groups.

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Homey G. said:
But mOOSH, you're missing the point. His name is RideSafety... what else could his posts have anything to do with?

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Don't take the name too literally. It's just a name I picked for CoasterBuzz although at some point I may actually try for a NAARSO level 1 certification.