“Staycation” is a jolly portmanteau for traveling without leaving. It puts a brave face on the kind of quasi-fun one turns to in thriftier times, “quasi” being a Latin root meaning “as if.” Unless, that is, one is lucky enough to live in a state where an hour’s drive or less can actually get you somewhere different. In Connecticut, that may mean beach fun or forest fun, city fun or village fun. It may also mean Quassy fun.
The root word of Quassy is not Latin but indigenous. The land was a part of the Paugussett Nation in the pre-colonial era. The park’s namesake lake, Quassapaug, is translated both as “Big Pond” and “Big Rock” on the park website. “Lake Quassapaug Amusement Park,” now Quassy Amusement & Waterpark, started welcoming trolleyloads of tourists to Middlebury in 1908.
Some quasi-math: A car leaves New Haven driving between 25 and 40 miles per hour for 40 minutes. Upon arrival at Quassy, the driver takes in the view and gladly shells out $42.99 for access to the lakeside water park and the amusement park (less for any travel mates under 45 inches, over 55 years old or in the military). For $105.99, that access becomes unlimited for the season. Which means that for less than a tenth of the price of some local pool clubs, you can become a regular at a water park and lake beach with a side of roller coasters.
I’m not going to tell you how to live your life, but I will point out that one can spend a pleasant afternoon sitting on a beach lounger with a stunning view of the lake while one’s children fling themselves down various flumes. If you’ve brought toddlers, you’re probably not getting in as much chair time, but you can share their joy on a range of splash pads and smaller slides.
If you yourself are a water slider, you have eight to choose from. I’m partial to the how-many-times-will-we-circle-the-drain thrill of the BulletBowl (you’ll hear children throughout the park referring to it as “the toilet”), but the newest and coolest is the gravity-defying Rocket Rapids Water Coaster.
A snack stand on the beach sells fried things and burgers, but the best Quassy hack is to pack a cooler. This feels like getting away with something, but as long as there’s no glass or booze, you’re not breaking any rules. If you’re not self-sandwiching, I’d recommend a stop at a Nardelli’s Grinder Shoppe in either Naugatuck or Seymour on your way up. Supplement your packed meal with a beer or wine from the beach stand or a deep-fried Oreo from the snack area on the park side. Also available in the park: soft serve that comes not only in chocolate and vanilla but strawberry. A veritable unicorn.
You might not want to eat before you take on the amusement park itself; Quassy has a lot of the kind of rides that delight the inner child and torment the inner ear. It’s thrilling, and hopefuly not sickening, to be whirled around the Aladdin Wave Swinger or the Paratrooper umbrella gliders, watching as the brilliant lake view gets put through a blender. It’s nostalgic to be centripetally smashed into your seatmate (sit next to someone who loves you) on the Super Himalaya as music blasts and the teenager in the booth asks if you want to go backwards (“yes” is the only answer here).
If you lack the vestibular fortitude for the spinny ones, try the bumper cars (available as an adult or a kid ride) or, for an extra charge, the paddle boats. The Grand Carousel was described by the preteen nearest me as “actually pretty fun,” not to mention gorgeous. In addition to the horses, your choice of mount includes a “hippocampus,” a hybrid creature with Greek roots (hippos for horse, kampos for sea monster). The circa-1902 carousel had three hippocampi until 1985, when the largest was stolen. This past February, it was found in a Florida warehouse and will return to the park following restoration.
The vibe of Quassy is more intimate and easygoing than your average amusement park. There are flowers to stop and smell. The friendly camp counselor-type employees wear matching polos (not a mascot costume in sight). The lines are surprisingly manageable and the small footprint makes it easy for groups to organically split and coalesce so ride wimps can sit in the shade. Ride wimp or not, you really shouldn’t miss The Wooden Warrior, 30 seconds of thundering wooden roller coaster glory. Then run back through the line to do it again.
Quassy is open seven days a week from 11 to 8 in peak season (the water park closes an hour earlier). Some weekdays can get crowded with field trips from camps as far afield as the Shoreline and the Bronx. To avoid this, join the mailing list (in the footer of the website) and get a head’s-up on the month’s busiest camp days. Better yet, time your visit for late afternoon. That way, you get to see the sun set and the carnival lights come up. Win your beloved a stuffed duck at the ring toss, get some fried dough sugar on your face, or just hold hands until the end of the ride.
Written and photographed by Sarah Harris Wallman.
