What’s It Like To Visit An Amusement Park During A Pandemic?

When I would hear the word pandemic, I always assumed the world would look different in the midst of one, but I didn't realize just how different. I'm not sure I imagined people staying home and spending more time with family playing games, baking; you know a lot of the things we did during the Ice Storm of '98 except with electricity, of course.

I didn't imagine was people hoarding toilet paper.  Yes, I was one of those people! I didn't imagine that schools would shut down for months - maybe even for an entire year. I didn't imagine a pandemic would cause hundreds of businesses to close their doors permanently.  And, I surely didn't imagine we would be required to wear masks while we are anywhere in public.

During the third phase of reopening our state, amusement parks and water parks were given the green light to reopen. It was the perfect timing as the summer days just seem to be getting hotter and longer, and my kids were just itching to have a little fun in the sun.

As soon as we saw the opening for a fun day out, we took it and ran with it. Okay, so we knew it wouldn't be a typical day out, but it has to be better than sitting in the house, right? And, Aquaboggan's waterslide and wave pool has been calling our names.

But, I had questions. Would we be required to wear masks the whole time? How will they keep people socially distant? Would the park limit capacity? I may have had a ton of questions, but it didn't stop us from giving it a go and seeing for our selves what an amusement or water park looks like during a pandemic.

So, was it different?

Maybe in small ways.  For example, we were expected to wear a mask in the ticket line at the front entrance, in the bathrooms, or while ordering food. The water park did limit capacity, which was nice because the wait times for slides were minimal, if at all. Everyone kept their distance; for the most part, the occasional kid ran through and got "close," but all in all, everyone was just respectful. And, if you're curious as to the cleanliness of the park, everything was spotless and well kept up.

In the end, all that mattered to us was that we got out of the house, enjoyed the sunshine and spent some time as a family doing something we love & that's playing in the water.

Here is a look at our day of fun in the sun!