Amusement Parks

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What do my fellow aspies think of amusement parks?

I thought of asking the question here because I was reading Temple Grandin's book "Emergence" and she talked a bit about her sensory issues. She talked about this sort of quest she had growing up to have a machine that would make her feel better. One incident she mentioned was when she went to a state fair, there was a ride called the Rotor, you know, the one where you stand against the wall of a cylinder and it spins really fast while the floor drops out. She was amazed by the sensation of it, and it became an obsession, she even campaigned to get one built on her school campus.

What's funny is she described it as overstimulation, which in a way it is, but it's not the kind of random, obnoxious, startling, overwhelming overstimulation that gets to many of us.

Myself, I love amusement park rides (and food) but not the amusement parks themselves, always really noisy and with huge lines. The one I do like is Canobie Lake in Salem, NH which is a really nice little one where, if you go at the right time, none of the waits are over 20 minutes. Oddly, they call the Rotor the "Turkish Twist" and have it look like a mosque. I kind of connected with Temple's thoughts though, I remember being alone on this Scrambler-in-the-dark-with-ridiculously-loud-music-and-psychodelic-lights-type ride and loving the overstimulation of it.

Your thoughts?

The worst vacation of my life was to an amusement park. Great America - Gurney Illinois, July 25, 1992.

When I was younger, the combination of speed and motion would result in overload, as I could not seem to process all the sensory information in real time. I would end up getting really disoriented. Two years earlier the same thing happened on vacation in Wisconsin Dells when I tried to race on a grand prix style go cart track. I could not keep focused at full throttle and had to slow-up, or crash into something - or someone.

Anyways, the day at great america featured a mid-summers sun beating down, it was also hot and humid out, and the place was packed with noises, colors, and lots motion. I was quickly overwhelmed and my head began to throb.

I hated riding the roller coasters, I felt totally out of control when I was on them, what I was seeing and what I was sensing were two totally different things.

In addition, I was injured on rolling thunder when the car I was in came into the braking device at an odd angle, causing it to jerk right. I slammed into the side of the car and hurt my ribs.

I didn't dare tell my father I wanted to leave. Back then he was going through a "rites of passage" phase with me where as any "manly" thing I didn't desire to do would result in him calling me a "wimp" or other deragotory terms.

So I toughed it out for the day, When we got to our hotel room, the first thing I did was puke all over the place.

My parents went out to eat and laid down in bed to rest, I slept for 15 hours that nights.

The next day it poured rain. We went home and drove through VIP level 6 rain from gurney all the way to sheyboygan averaging about 45mph on I-94 and 43.

i absolutely love theme parks.. its one of my favorite things to do. the scarier the rid e the better the ride!! !

''there was a ride called the Rotor, you know, the one where you stand against the wall of a cylinder and it spins really fast while the floor drops out. She was amazed by the sensation of it, and it became an obsession''
this above ride is the only one i cannot stand unless the cylinder is very large, otherwise the thing rotates far to quickly and makes me feel unwell for the rest of the day which isnt good. i avoid these unless they are big wheels

I get as sick as a dog whenever I ride the Rotor.

I know that the centrifugal (sp) forces can press you up against the wall. Maybe it was the feeling of pressure that she liked.

Everyone screams and the lines are really long at Cedar Point.

I like amusement parks, say Six Flags or whatever, but I don't like to put up with the crowds, nor do I truly enjoy the need to wait in long lines to ride one single ride. That sort of turns me off, so I tend not to bother unless there is another person asking me if I want to go. Then, I'll think about it. The waiting, in many instances, can create so much of a distress in me, that it's not even worth it in the end. Aside from the wait itself, and I am very impatient, the fact that I'm constrained within a crowd of many people close together is unsettling.

I will say, though, there is this program on TV every now and then, I believe on the Discovery Channel, or one of those educational channels, where they talk about these rollercoasters that are more scarier each and every year. Now, they talk with a couple of people whom are supposed to be "roller coaster fanatics" ... that is, they are truly obsessed with rollercoasters, so much so that they made it a career to ride new and better ones before they open to the public. They spoke with a lot of scientific jargon about how G-forces work and so forth. These individuals, because of their overwhelming obsessions and deep insight, are probably on the spectrum as well, or so I would think.

- Ray M -

Dislike 'em--loud noises, crowds, bad food, sometimes badly treated animals, annoying people in suits (overdressed sweaty teenagers baking in the hot sun, usually--poor guys), etc. Also roller coasters scare the buhjezus out of me--not that he was ever in me. Heh. I'm terrified of heights, speed, etc. Anytime anyone drives really fast I get scared and tell them to slow down, so with roller coasters...eeeeeekie.

Im scared of heights and I almost had a heart attack. Im never going on roller coasters again.

I've always hated certain amusement park rides. I especially hate rollercoasters. I have no interest in flying down a track or going through a loop at 70mph.

When I was fifteen I went to Six Flags: Great America in Illinois and I was forced to ride a wooden coaster called the viper, which is tame by most peoples' standards, but it really freaked me out. I was feeling scared and nausious as the speed of the ride gave me a headache and forced my stomach and intestines into my spine.

Years earlier I was at Chocolate Fest in Burlington, WI(my home town) and I rode "The Hammer", which was a rollercoaster-like thing on a rotating track. I also got queezy on that one.

I don't have a problem with all rides though. I like the pirate ship shaped rides that swing back and forth. I also like log flumes for some reason.

I love the rides. Not only to ride them, but I can watch/listen/smell them for hours. I have difficulty with the crowds of people, so have found out when they are less likely to be there.

Hate 'em, always hated 'em. Smelly, noisy, too many things to look at, too many people and what's the point anyway? I really don't get it. I see them as crass and overstimulating to the point of suffocation. (does that make sense?)

I always kinda liked them I never had to many problems with them at least when I was a kid I have fond memories of them When I lived in Florida as a kid.

I would rather have my teeth cleaned.



Roller coasters terrify me...I get sick on anything that spins, I hate crowds, and I've been afraid of heights since I was little. I do however have a great love for cotton candy, driving a bumper car like a road-raged manic has proven to be very enjoyable, and I love playing dart games.

I cant stand roller coasters and generally am not very fond of amusement parks. too hot too many people!

and I cant stand waiting in line i just wont do it. i was lucky the park near where i grew up - almost never any lines. small park. lots of rides, almost never any lines. not sure if its the same now that they have excalibur, last time i went was yrs ago

dan, i never been there, have you ever heard of Funtown in Saco (Maine)?

BUT, i do love this one ride, it has a center and carts going out from center, you ride round and round feel like gonna hit center, the feeling of the gravity in this ride and motions feels really good to me

Kate