Funtown Splashtown USA is Maine's largest combined amusement and water park, about 1.5 miles from Saco Bay Hotel on Route 1. Roughly 50 rides, water slides, pools, and attractions on one property. Family-owned since 1959 and still family-owned today. For most guests, this is the most complete park in southern Maine, different in character from Palace Playland's beachfront energy, but the better full-day option for a mixed-age group.
What Makes This Place Worth a Full Day
Excalibur: Maine's Only Wooden Roller Coaster
Excalibur opened in 1998 and remains the signature ride. Maine's only wooden roller coaster and the largest, tallest coaster in the state's history. It also holds the title for largest wooden coaster in Northern New England. The track winds through the wooded edge of the park, and the trees make it feel longer than it is. For coaster people, this is the reason to come.
Best for ages 8 and up. Minimum height: 48 inches to ride alone.
Astrosphere: The 1976 Time Capsule
Opened in 1976. Changed very little since. A fully enclosed dome that combines a Scrambler-style ride with a complete laser light show. The music is "Fire on High" by Electric Light Orchestra, playing on a loop. It is strange, it is beloved, and it has been making people laugh and yell since before most of our guests were born. Do not skip it.
Whispering Pines Haunted Hotel Dark Ride
The first new ride added to Funtown in 20 years, opened in 2023. Designed by Sally Dark Rides. Guests ride custom vehicles through 14 rooms of a cursed hotel. In 2024 it placed 6th in USA Today's 10Best Reader Choice Awards for Top New Theme Park Attractions in the United States. That is not a local award. Worth at least one run.
Thunder Falls Log Flume
New England's longest and tallest log flume. This will soak you. Bring a change of clothes or accept being wet for the rest of the day.
Splashtown Water Park
Opens around mid-June (the 2025 opening was June 14) and runs through Labor Day. Hours roughly 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM.
Highlights: Mammoth, Tornado, and Mount Olympus are the tallest and largest water slides of their kind in Maine. Amphitrite's Challenge is a four-lane mat racer where you can race your family down side-by-side.
On a hot August day some people spend their entire visit in the water park and never touch the amusement side. That is a legitimate strategy.
Hours and Season
Funtown (amusement park): Opens Memorial Day weekend. Hours approximately 10:30 AM to 6:00 PM.
Splashtown (water park): Opens mid-June. Hours approximately 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM.
Both run daily through Labor Day. Select Saturday evenings in July and August have 21-plus nights if you want to come back without kids.
Pricing
- General Admission (48 inches and up): $49.00
- Children under 38 inches: free
- Season Passes: Big Combo (48 inches and up): $149.95 | Little Combo (38 to 48 inches): $139.95 | Senior Combo (60 and up): $86.95
Online advance tickets sometimes come in lower. Check funtownsplashtownusa.com before your visit.
Height Guide
- Under 38 inches: free admission, kiddie rides
- 38 to 48 inches: full kids section, log flume, water park, but not Excalibur alone
- 48 inches and up: full access to everything including Excalibur
How to Make the Most of the Day
Arrive at 10:30 AM. Excalibur and the Whispering Pines dark ride draw long lines by midday. Get to both as soon as you walk in.
Weekdays are far less crowded than weekends, especially Tuesdays and Wednesdays in July. If your schedule bends, mid-week is noticeably better.
Bring a change of clothes. Thunder Falls and the water park will soak you. There is no way around this.
Buy online ahead of time to skip the gate line on busy days.
And seriously, do the Astrosphere. Everyone thinks it sounds cheesy. Everyone comes out smiling.
Getting There
774 Portland Road (Route 1), Saco, ME 04072. Less than a five-minute drive from Saco Bay Hotel going south on Route 1. Free parking on site.
Both Funtown and Palace Playland are open through Labor Day. A lot of guests do Funtown in the morning (opens at 10:30 AM) and drive to Old Orchard Beach for Palace Playland in the afternoon. About 15 minutes between the two parks. No overlap. Works well for families who want to do everything.