We brought our family (9 and 14 yrs old) to Brownstone Park over the long weekend and could not have been more pleased with the entire visit. The park is clean and saftey is their primary concern, but this adventure park is not for the faint of heart. Most activities require some mild to challenging work before you get to experience the thrill of each experience, from climbing up a rock wall before jumping on the "launcher" or swimming across to a rock wall and climbing up a ladder, this was everything you could want in an adventure park. When my kids jumped off the 85' high zip line down to the beach, I could not back out and was glad that I found the courage to "jump"! There is also an area of huge inflatable structures to climb onto to and to slide or jump off of. They have food and beverages available for purchase and if you have a large group of family and friends, you can rent a gazebo out over the water to use as your home base. Every person in the park must wear a life jacket and there were life guards all over the place. We are already planning our return visit for next summer!
My 13 year old gymnast and Dad absolutely loved the place. So much daredevil stuff for them to do. My 11 year old was too tentative for many of the things, which made it difficult for me. We spent a lot of time walking back and forth and watching others, which brought to my attention that people were falling on the slippery and wet "bridges" that are basically wooden floating docks covered with outdoor carpet, a lack of lifeguards that resulted the lifeguard watching the iceberg to yell from a far distance that there were too many people on it at the same time and people in the water were too close to it and would clearly get hit by anyone in front of them falling on them. At the rock climbing wall the staff was so busy gossiping they simply handed the harness to us, leaving my 13 year old to show us how to step into them and fasten them. A complete lack of interest from the staff had me seriously concerned. The day after we went I saw on FB that an adult fell off a cliff and had to be transported by lifestar. Wondering if the rock climbing wall is where it happened and wouldn't be surprised. In theory the place looks like fun, but they need to invest more money in the park and employ more lifeguards and train their staff better. Having gone to the waterpark at Jay Peak, VT I have seen a waterpark that is staffed with ample of lifeguards that are superbly trained and supervised. I recommend taking a trip to Jay Peak Waterpark instead!
Fun for all ages - a terrific value - reasonably priced - food somewhat pricey - ample parking - excellent security
Couldn't put it much better than Ruusta's review, just below this one. Took my son and his friend for a pre-birthday gift. Went on Saturday of Labor Day weekend. It was crowded, but spread evenly among all activities, which I think speaks to the variance in levels of excitement you want to experience. The only negative I'd add is that it attracts a few too many folks with...tattoos, piercings and foul language. Before you get self righteous on me for the slam, know that I am pretty tolerant in those areas, but the ignorant attitudes were not just from the city kids, it was plenty of adults, too. I took it as an opportunity to remind them that being an adult doesn't necessarily mean they're smart. BEDP can't police this, but know that the element is there. The boys had a blast and we're physically exhausted by closing time.
Absolutely loved this park! You can bring your own food and chairs, but they do have a vendor and picnic tables. Water as a bit cold but once you start on all activities you warm up. They provide the floating vests which it's a must to wear. Bathrooms were not ok, lacked ventilation
it was a very good workout, even if you were just swimming around. I suggest going with a bigger group. I myself just went with myself and my boyfriend, and wherever we went there were bigger groups that ended up taking over any area we went. Bring cash, as debit is not accepted to buy food there. I paid the extra to do wake boarding but never even ended up doing it because of the lines. Be ready for big lines and waiting in line. They suggest you only do the rope swing if you're capable of doing two consecutive pull ups... listen to them. i watched too many people fall right off almost landing on the land, or shallow water.. instead of the water.
My boyfriend and I went during our mini vacation and we were completely shocked at how poorly run the place was. The website makes it seem like this place would be nothing but a good time but forgets to mention many downfalls. The staff was completely rude and didn't seem like they knew what was going on at all. They let in way too many people so the place is so crowded that you're stepping over other people just to get to the attractions that you'll have to wait over an hour for. The water is absolutely disgusting, granted we weren't expecting crystal clear water but you could clearly see garbage in the shallow ends. There's only 3 extremely dirty bathrooms and a limited amount of lockers so if you don't get there super early you have no where to put your valuables including wallets and car keys that they will rudely tell you to just "place anywhere". Also after you pay over $50 to get into the place you have to pay extra fees just go rent a kayak for a half hour with only limited space on the water for you to kayak. If you're prepared to spend amusement park type of money for not many thrills and a lot of disappointment, this would be the place to go.
Great water park. Zip lines into the water, cliff diving, a rope swing and a whole lot more. They could use an upgrade on the food. Overall it is well worth the money. NOTE: These are not kiddie activities. They require both No fear of heights and physical strength.
This was my second trip to Brownstone and I had an overall positive experience both times. My ten year old daughter and her friend had a great time swimming and exploring all the inflatables, waterslides and zip lines. The cliff jumping was fun too.I did find the place to be very crowded on a weekend- it was much more enjoyable on a weekday, and do yourself a favor and pack a lunch. They do have a consession stand but it was pricey and low quality. I'd advise early arrival if you want to find a spot to picnic. They do have picnic tables and chairs but they go quick. We arrived an hour after opening and had a hard time finding a space where we could seat and relax. Overall, it was something different and a good time was had by all. Get their early, bring your own food and lots of sunblock. If you can afford it, rent one their floating gazebos for the day.
This is a unique fun place for adventurous people. I went with my two daughters, ages 10 and 12, who are very good swimmers, as part of a birthday party of a group of kids ranging from ages 7-12.Everyone has to wear life jackets at all times (except if you are chilling on the island or one of the reserved gazebos). They have several different zip lines that range from fun to down right scary if you have never done it before. Some may arrive at the park with a fear of heights, most leave with that cured or significantly reduced. They also have an abundance of large inflatable water features that you can climb up on and slide down or jump off. You need to be pretty fit to climb up on some of these things. They do have a 12 and under area that has other obstacles and things for smaller kids to do. They also have a cliff jumping area where you can jump off a 15 foot +/- cliff and an 18 years and older jump that is 20/25 feet or you can just swim around in the quarry. They do have other things you can do for an additional cost like kayaking, scuba, snorkeling and wakeboarding. the concession stand was pretty good, everything from grilled cheese to hamburgers and they even take it one step further with grilled chicken and steak sandwiches. they also had a veggie burger and they have a brick oven pizza place going in another area. We were able to arrange to have a nice cream cake in one of the reserved gazebo's for the birthday party..it was nice to have our own area. The staff seemed pretty alert and efficient in what could easily be a chaotic environment...