The Western New York Amusement Parks

Introduction

The month of August 2017 was an exciting one for me! I had successfully graduated from college with a marketing diploma and also visited the amusement parks of Western New York for the first time! My amusement park travels in late August consisted of three amusement parks which are Seabreeze Amusement Park, Darien Lake, and Fantasy Island. Many visitors flock the parks of Western New York each summer for the thrilling rides and attractions. But, there is more to them than just the rides! Two of the Western New York amusement parks that I visited showcase beautiful landscaping aspects. In this article, we will look at Seabreeze Amusement Park and Darien Lake. I will not be covering the landscaping of Fantasy Island since our guest editor, Logan Benjamin had done so earlier this year. Now, let us begin our journey by starting with Seabreeze Amusement Park.

The back entrance to Seabreeze Amusement Park.

Seabreeze Amusement Park of Western New York

Near the shores of Lake Ontario, North of Rochester is a small amusement park that attracts many locals each summer. Seabreeze Amusement Park has been operating at the shores of Lake Ontario since 1879. It offers a variety of thrilling rides and attractions for all members of the family. One must also spend time taking in the beautiful landscaping features found around the park. There is a nice arrangement of trees, flowers, and shrubs at the park which we will now take a look at.

Charming Landscaping at Seabreeze Amusement Park

As I have mentioned, Seabreeze Amusement Park is home to many beautiful and charming flower arrangements. Nestled nearby the Bobsleds roller coaster, one may find a beautiful arrangement of varying annuals. The flower arrangements alongside the Bobsleds queue line are particularly beautiful as a stone-like brick wall surrounds them, allowing them to stand out.

Some annuals arranged in a flowerbed in front of the Bobsleds roller coaster.

Throughout other areas of Seabreeze Amusement Park, there are other stunning flowerbeds for viewing. The flowerbed located near the Twirlin' Tea Cups ride on the main midway is one of those flowerbeds. With the combination of the low-lying shrubs, lambs ear, and other annual flowers, this flowerbed is truly eye catching.

The eye-catching flowerbed located in front of the Twirlin' Teacups ride.

As we come to a close with the landscaping at Seabreeze, let us take a look at an important feature. As you may have noticed in the photos above, there are a lot of large mature trees around the park. These mature trees not only produce shade for the park visitors during those hot summer days, but they also provide charm to this local amusement park. For decades, the trees at Seabreeze have been a noticeable feature and continue to beautify the park to this day. The continual usage of mature trees also allows older visitors of the park to reminisce about the days of younger as they walk along the midway. The trees found around the landscape at Seabreeze also create some interesting riding experiences. This is especially true for the bobsleds as passengers 'nearly miss' the branches of the tree located in the center of the ride.

A view of the midway at Seabreeze Amusement Park.

Western New York's Darien Lake

Darien Lake is a seasonal amusement park and resort that has been operating officially as an amusement park since 1981. While home to some of of the largest roller coasters in the state of New York, Darien Lake is also home to some great landscaping features. Without further to do, let us begin the landscape tour of Darien Lake.

A view of the front entrance at Darien Lake.

Darien Lake Landscape Tour

Beginning at the main entrance plaza, a line of shrubs and trees greet visitors. These trees and shrubs are a welcoming sight as you walk towards the entrance gates after purchasing your admission ticket.

Once inside Darien Lake, the main pathway leads you to a beautiful water fountain, which has a central location within the park. Shrubs and flowering blooms surround the water fountain, making it a picturesque section of the park for group photos.

The water fountain featured in the central plaza at Darien Lake.

Continuing North from the central plaza towards the Boomerang roller coaster, there are many small, but beautiful flower arrangements. Whether they are hanging from a wall basket, or planted perfectly in a flower bed, their colors make the area more lively and welcoming. The park's use of Impatiens and Black-eyed Susans nicely compliments the nearby architecture of the frontier-style buildings in the area.

A hanging side-wall basket at Darien Lake.

A flowerbed filled with beautiful Black-eyed Susans on a late summer's day.

As we loop around Fun Lake at Darien Lake and head past the Viper roller coaster, we arrive at the southern section of the park. Many of the rides and attractions in this area nestle between trees and shrubs, offering a sense of seclusion. The trees do not only give a sense of seclusion but also give the park a good amount of character.

The Sleighride surrounded by trees and shrubs.

Heading back towards the central plaza, you cannot help but notice the beautiful flowers in front of the Corn Popper ride. The beautiful arrangements of flowers greatly compliment the Corn Popper and the surrounding area.

The beautiful arrangement of flowers in front of the Corn Popper ride.

Landscape Tour of Darien Lake- Wrap Up

Making a return to the central plaza area , it is noticeable that the use of shrubs makes this area very charming. The shrubs and the architecture of the buildings make the appearance of a small community within the bustling theme park.

The Silver Bullet in operation surrounded by beautiful shrubs.

The tall shrubs surrounding the Central Plaza buildings at Darien Lake.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the amusement parks of Western New York contain much beauty and attractiveness when it comes to landscaping. Despite their respective sizes, they all have landscaping teams who carefully plan and implement various landscaping features which make the parks unique. As we head into the future, Seabreeze and Darien Lake should only intensify their already wonderful landscape efforts as amusement parks continue to grow as travel destinations. I thank you for reading about the landscaping found at the amusement parks of Western New York. In the meantime, take a look at my trip to Seabreeze and Darien Lake on Amusement Views, my personal amusement park trips blog.