Funtown Splashtown USA has been on Route 1 in Saco since 1959. Family-owned, family-run, and still the same family. About 50 rides, water slides, pools, and attractions on one property, 1.5 miles from the hotel. For mixed-age groups, it's the most complete park in southern Maine. Palace Playland has the beachfront and the atmosphere. Funtown has the full-day programming for everyone from toddlers to adults.
We send a lot of guests here. Here's what actually matters.
Excalibur: The Reason Coaster People Come
Excalibur opened in 1998 and it's still the signature ride. Maine's only wooden roller coaster and the largest, tallest coaster in the state's history. It winds through the wooded edge of the park, and the trees make it feel longer than the stats suggest. People who care about wooden coasters drive from out of state specifically for this one. Best for ages 8 and up, minimum 48 inches to ride alone.
Astrosphere: The One Nobody Expects to Love
Opened in 1976. Changed very little since. A fully enclosed dome combining 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 sounds like the kind of thing you'd skip. Every guest we've talked to who actually rode it came back talking about it. It's been making people laugh and yell since before most of our guests were born. Do it.
Whispering Pines Haunted Hotel Dark Ride
The first new ride added to Funtown in 20 years, opened in 2023. Custom vehicles through 14 rooms of a cursed hotel. In 2024 it placed sixth in USA Today's 10Best Reader Choice Awards for Top New Theme Park Attractions in the United States. That's a national ranking against major parks. Worth at least one run.
Thunder Falls Log Flume
New England's longest and tallest log flume. You will get soaked. There's no version of this ride where you stay dry. Bring a change of clothes or accept that you're wet for the rest of the day. Most people make peace with the second option around 11 AM and it turns out fine.
The Water Park
Splashtown opens around mid-June (the 2025 opening was June 14) and runs through Labor Day, roughly 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM. The highlights are Mammoth, Tornado, and Mount Olympus, the tallest and largest water slides of their kind in Maine. Amphitrite's Challenge is a four-lane mat racer where you can go side-by-side with your group.
On a hot August day some people spend their entire visit in the water park and never touch the amusement side. That is a completely legitimate strategy. The water park alone justifies the price of admission on a 90-degree day.
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, same hours roughly. Both run daily through Labor Day. Select Saturday evenings in July and August run 21-plus nights if you want to come back without the kids.
Pricing
General Admission (48 inches and up): $49.00. Children under 38 inches are 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 run lower. Check funtownsplashtownusa.com before your visit.
Height Guide
Under 38 inches: free admission, kiddie rides and the water park kiddie area. 38 to 48 inches: full kids section, log flume, water park, but not Excalibur solo. 48 inches and up: everything, including Excalibur.
Making the Most of the Day
Get there at 10:30 AM when it opens. Excalibur and Whispering Pines draw long lines by midday. Getting both done in the first hour changes the whole day.
Weekdays, especially Tuesday and Wednesday in July, are noticeably less crowded than weekends. If your schedule has any give, mid-week is significantly better.
Bring a change of clothes. Thunder Falls will soak you, and if you're doing the water park that's a second round of wet clothes to manage. A dry bag in the car is genuinely useful.
And seriously, ride 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 the hotel going south on Route 1. Free parking on site. No OOB-style parking scramble.
Funtown opens at 10:30 AM. Palace Playland at OOB opens at 11 AM on weekends. A lot of guests do Funtown in the morning, grab lunch, and drive to Old Orchard Beach for Palace Playland in the afternoon. About 15 minutes between the two parks. It's a long day but it works. Both parks are open through Labor Day.