Great Escape Theme Park

Great Escape is an outdoor amusement park in Queensbury with storybook scenes, family rides and roller coasters. Its seasonal outdoor water park, Hurricane Harbor, shares the campus and is included with admission when it operates. The mix suits families and groups with different appetites for rides; this is a day-long choice when rides are the point of the trip, not a quick break in a Lake George itinerary.

Hurricane Harbor has a seasonal calendar and may keep different hours from the main park. Ride availability also changes with the date, weather and maintenance, so check the operating schedule and ride lineup before traveling for one particular attraction. Weekdays, especially early or late in summer, are usually quieter than weekends and special-event days. Check height and health requirements before joining a ride queue.

The park opened on June 27, 1954, as five-acre, Mother Goose-themed Storytown USA, created by local entrepreneur Charley Wood. Two original attractions were Cinderella’s Pumpkin Carriage and the Swan Boats. The Swan Boats still travel along the park’s historic River Dee, and the Storytown houses bring nursery rhymes such as The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe and The Three Little Pigs into the park.

The Comet is a 4,200-foot wooden coaster that opened at Great Escape in 1994 and has roots dating to 1927. The Bobcat, a family wooden coaster, joined the lineup in 2024 as the park’s first new coaster in more than 20 years. Steamin’ Demon, the orange-and-blue track visible from Route 9, has been a park fixture since 1984. Together, these rides show how the old storybook park grew into a coaster destination without dropping its family rides.

On-site dining covers theme-park meals, snacks, sweets and drinks, so it is convenient to eat between attractions rather than make a separate food stop. Parking is available at the park; fees vary by ticket or package. Great Escape is cash-free, including restaurants, shops, games, ticket booths and parking tolls, so bring a payment card. A limited number of strollers, wheelchairs and electric convenience vehicles are available to rent inside International Village. Pets are not permitted, except service animals.

Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Waterpark is a different attraction across the street. Its indoor water park belongs to the hotel; Hurricane Harbor is the seasonal outdoor water park on Great Escape’s campus.