Funtown Splashtown USA
Amusement and water park in Saco, Maine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Funtown Splashtown USA, often referred to as simply Funtown, is a family-owned amusement park and water park located in Saco, Maine.
Previously known as
| |
Funtown as viewed from above US Route 1 | |
![]() Interactive map of Funtown Splashtown USA | |
| Location | Saco, Maine, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 43.52725°N 70.42764°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | 1960 |
| Owner | Violet Cormier |
| Slogan | "Create memories that will last a lifetime!" |
| Operating season | May to September |
| Area | 25 acres (10 ha) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 27 |
| Roller coasters | 2 |
| Water rides | 12 |
| Website | funtownsplashtownusa |
History
In 1960, Ken Cormier and his wife Violet opened Marvel Drive-In, a drive-in restaurant, next door to a miniature golf course owned by Ken’s brother-in-law, Andre Dallaire.[1] The golf course had been installed the previous year. In 1963, Andre opened a go-kart track behind the golf course, and in 1964 and 1967, Ken added batting cages and an archery range, respectively, behind Marvel Drive-In. Over the next few years, Cormier and Dallaire added several kiddie and carnival-style rides including SkySlides and Swinging Gyms.
In 1967, Cormier and Dallaire formed a partnership and established Funtown USA. Over the next few years, Funtown added a Zipper, bumper cars, and a Bayern Kurve named “Luv Machine”.
In 1996, Cormier bought out the remaining Dallaire interest at the park, and renamed it to Funtown Splashtown USA with the addition of a water park to the property.
The park features a wooden roller coaster called Excalibur, as well as New England's longest and tallest log flume,[citation needed] Thunder Falls. It also has a 220-foot-tall (67 m) drop tower called Dragon's Descent. One of the park's most popular rides is the Astrosphere, an indoor Scrambler which features a laser light show while playing Electric Light Orchestra's "Fire on High".[2]
The Splashtown water park features Pirate's Paradise, a large interactive water playground. For the 2007 season, the water park's size was doubled in an expansion that added two new water slides, Tornado and Mammoth. An additional expansion in 2012 added another six water slides to Splashtown.
Current attractions
Funtown
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Year opened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult Bumper Boats | Bumper boats | Unknown | 1993 |
| Antique Cars | Antique Taxi Cars | Arrow Dynamics | 1982 |
| Astrosphere | Scrambler | Eli Bridge Company | 1976 |
| Balloon Race | Balloon Race | Zamperla | 1994 |
| Barney Oldfield Roadsters | Rail-tracked vintage sports cars | Unknown | 1993 |
| Cactus Canyon Canoes | Kiddie water ride | Unknown | 1982 |
| Casino | Trabant | Chance Morgan | 1987 |
| Classic Carousel | Carousel | Chance Rides | 1982 |
| Dragon's Descent | Turbo Drop drop tower | S&S – Sansei Technologies | 2001 |
| Excalibur | Wooden roller coaster | Custom Coasters International | 1998 |
| Flying Trapeze | Swing ride | Chance Rides | 1988 |
| Frog Hopper | Frog Hopper junior drop tower ride | S&S Worldwide | 2001 |
| Grand Prix Racers | Go-karts | Johnson | 1993 |
| Helicopters | Spinning helicopter kiddie ride | Unknown | 1972 |
| Kiddie Boats | Spinning boat kiddie ride | Unknown | 1976 |
| Kiddie Bumper Boats | Kiddie bumper boats | Unknown | 1993 |
| Kiddie Cars | Spinning vehicle ride | Hampton Amusement Company | 1972 |
| Kiddie Swings | Kiddie swing ride | Unknown | 1972 |
| Kiddie Train | Miniature railway | Unknown | 1987 |
| Merry-Go-Round | Carousel | Unknown | 1967 |
| Red Baron Planes | Spinning plane kiddie ride | Unknown | 1976 |
| Sea Dragon | Swinging ship | Chance Morgan | 1987 |
| Sock It To 'Em Bumper Cars | Bumper cars | Soli | 1975 |
| Tempest in the Tea Cup | Teacups | Zamperla | 1987 |
| Thunderbolt | Flying Bobs | Chance Morgan | 1988 |
| Thunder Falls | Log flume | Hopkins | 1984 |
| Tilt-A-Whirl | Tilt-A-Whirl | Sellner Manufacturing | 1976 |
| Whispering Pines Haunted Hotel | Dark ride | Sally Corporation | 2023 |
| Wild Mouse | Steel wild mouse roller coaster | Maurer AG | 2009 |
Splashtown
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Year opened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amphitrite's Challenge | Whizzard | WhiteWater West | 2012 |
| Corkscrew | Mat slide | Unknown | 1982 |
| Fun Lagoon | Lagoon-style pool | Unknown | 1999 |
| Liquid Lightning | Inner tube slide | WhiteWater West | 1999 |
| Mammoth | Dark Mammoth | ProSlide Technology | 2007 |
| Pirate's Paradise | Water playground | Unknown | 2003 |
| Poseidon's Plunge | AquaDrop | WhiteWater West | 2012 |
| Splash | Inner tube slide | WhiteWater West | 1999 |
| Splish | Inner tube slide | WhiteWater West | 1999 |
| Swimming Pool | Wading pool | Unknown | 1982 |
| Tornado | Tornado 45 | ProSlide Technology | 2007 |
| Triton's Twist | FlatLine Loop | WhiteWater West | 2012 |
Former attractions

| Ride name | Ride Type | Year opened | Year closed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balloon Flight | Spinning balloon ride | 1984 | 1986 | Removed to make way for Casino |
| Captain Isaiah Cutler's Haunted House | Funhouse | 1967 | 1995 | Closed due to high operational costs |
| Ferris Wheel | Ferris wheel | 1975 | 2000 | Replaced by Frog Hopper |
| Galaxi | Steel roller coaster (Galaxi) | 1978 | 2008 | Removed to make way for Wild Mouse |
| Giant Slide | Fun slide | 1972 | 1986 | |
| Hydrobumpers | Bumper cars | 1967 | 1974 | Replaced by Sock It To 'Em Bumper Cars |
| Hydrofighter | Water gun fight tower ride | 1988 | 2000 | Removed to make way for Dragon's Descent |
| Kartland Go-Karts | Go-karts | 1967 | 2000 or 2002 | |
| Luv Machine | Bayern Kurve | 1975 | 1981 | Removed to make way for Antique Cars |
| Noah Zark | Play area | 1982 | 2000 | |
| Paratrooper | Paratrooper | 1982 | 1987 | |
| UFO | Spinning ride | 1972 | 1981 | |
| Water Bugs Bumper Boats | Bumper boats | 1984 | 1992 | |
| Zipper | Zipper | 1967 | 1974 |
