The Ultimate Guide to Funtown Splashtown USA in Maine

Funtown Splashtown USA in Saco has been family owned and operated since it opened as a drive-in food stand in 1960, and for Maine families a summer trip here is a rite of passage. The park now counts over 50 rides, water slides and pools across two connected parks, and it holds several genuine regional records: the tallest coaster in Maine’s history, the tallest attraction in Northern New England, and New England’s longest and tallest log flume.

The park is really two parks in one: Funtown, the dry ride park, and Splashtown, the water park. They are ticketed separately, and there is a combination ticket that covers both. Read the ticket section before you go, because the tiers are not obvious and the wrong choice is expensive.

Season and Hours

Funtown opens first, usually on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, and runs weekends only into early June before going daily. Splashtown opens several weeks later once the water is worth getting into. Both parks close the day after Labor Day.

For the 2026 season, the park’s published calendar showed:

Funtown opened Saturday, May 23, 2026
Splashtown opened Saturday, June 20, 2026
Closed for the season Tuesday, September 8, 2026, so the last operating day was Labor Day itself

Hours move with the season rather than staying fixed, which trips up visitors who arrive at opening in June expecting the July schedule. The 2026 pattern was:

Period	Funtown	Splashtown
Late May to early June	11am to 5pm	not yet open
Mid to late June	11am to 6pm	11am to 5pm
Late June to late August	10:30am to 6pm	10:30am to 5pm
Firework nights	10:30am or 11am to 10pm	to 6pm
Late August to Labor Day	11am to 6pm	11am to 5pm

The park posts the full day-by-day calendar on its Park Hours page and states plainly that it is not responsible for hours shown on Google or other platforms. Check the park’s own calendar, not a search result.

At the time of writing the 2027 calendar had not been published, so no 2027 opening date is given here. Season passes for 2027 were already on sale.

Tickets and Prices

Everyone must buy a one-day ticket to get in. Guests under 38 inches tall are free and do not receive a bracelet.

Above that, the park sells nine different one-day tickets: three parks by three tiers. The tiers are Big (48 inches and taller), Little (38 inches to under 48 inches), and Senior (60 and over, any height). Note that the tier is set by height, not age, for everyone under 60, so a tall ten-year-old pays the adult price and a short adult does not.

2026 one-day rates, from the park’s Rates page:

Ticket	Full day	After 3pm	After 6pm
Big Combination, both parks	$62	$39	not offered
Little Combination	$49	$34	not offered
Senior Combination	$49	$34	not offered
Big Funtown only	$54	$36	$25
Little Funtown only	$45	$31	$25
Senior Funtown only	$45	$31	$25
Big Splashtown only	$51	not offered	not offered
Little Splashtown only	$45	not offered	not offered
Senior Splashtown only	$45	not offered	not offered

The after-6pm rate applies to Funtown on firework nights only, which are listed on the events calendar.

Buying online does not save you anything. The park’s own web store charged exactly these prices, so the choice is about queue time at the gate, not money.

2027 season passes, which cover the rest of the 2026 season plus all of 2027: Big Combo $199.95 new or $194.95 renewing from 2026, Little Combo $184.95 or $179.95, Senior Combo $131.95 or $126.95, and a Family and Friend 4-Pak at $759.95 or $739.95. A Big Combo pass pays for itself on the fourth visit at the 2026 gate price.

One detail worth knowing at the gate: if you buy a one-day bracelet and then decide you want a season pass, the park will apply what you paid toward the pass if you bring the bracelet and the register receipt to Guest Services within seven days.

Discounts

After 3pm is the biggest single saving, taking a Big Combination from $62 to $39.
Military, active duty and retired, up to $5 off a Big one-day ticket and $4 off a Little or Senior ticket for the immediate family, applied at purchase and redeemed before 3pm.
Maine Recreation and Parks Association: recreation departments around Maine sell discounted tickets. These are not available at the park.
AAA Northern New England members can buy discount passes at a AAA office, again not at the park.

The Big Thrills

Excalibur

The crown jewel. Excalibur opened in 1998, the first wooden coaster built in Maine in over 50 years, and the park calls it the tallest and longest wooden roller coaster in Northern New England and the largest and tallest coaster in the state’s history. It was rated tenth in the world for wooden coasters by Amusement Business magazine.

The Experience: Fast, loud, and aggressive in the way only a wooden coaster can be. The clatter of the chain lift and the rumble of wood underneath are things a steel coaster cannot reproduce.
Height: 48 inches minimum.
Tip: The back row gives the most airtime, the front row is smoother with better views over the woods it runs through.

Dragon’s Descent

A 220-foot turbo drop tower, and the park’s claim on it is not modest: the tallest attraction in Northern New England. It replaced the Hydrofighter and Ferris Wheel after the 2000 season. You are lifted slowly, held at the top, then dropped in an accelerated fall the park describes as “beyond free fall.”

The View: The park promises panoramic views from every angle, unmatched anywhere in southern Maine. You are high enough to take in a long stretch of coast on a clear day.
Height: 48 inches minimum.

Thunder Falls Log Flume

New England’s longest and tallest log flume, added in 1984 and still holding the title according to the park.

Warning: You will get wet. On a hot day you will be grateful.
Height: 38 inches minimum, 48 inches to ride alone.
Note: This is one of only two rides where the park’s dress code does not require a shirt that covers your back, the other being the Adult Bumper Boats.

Astrosphere

A park classic and cult favorite, and the park’s first themed attraction. It puts a Scrambler inside a dome with a laser and light show, set to “Fire On High” by Electric Light Orchestra. Disorienting, loud, and strangely hypnotic.

The Vibe: Part carnival ride, part rave.
Height: 38 inches to ride with a guest over 48 inches, 48 inches to ride alone. The larger guest sits on the outside.
Warning: The park lists this ride as unsuitable if you are epileptic, pregnant, have had recent surgery, or have back, neck or heart conditions, and notes it plays very loud music. The laser show is the reason the epilepsy warning is there.

Wild Mouse

Not the small ride it looks like. The park calls it Maine’s largest family steel coaster. It replaced the Galaxi Coaster, which had been at the park for 30 years. Hairpin turns, including one at a full 270 degrees, plus steep hills and dips.

Height: 46 inches minimum, 52 inches to ride alone, and a 75-inch maximum, which is the one height limit at the park that catches out tall adults.

Thunderbolt

Added in the late 1980s and still a favourite. Rated moderate rather than thrill: the cycle runs forward, pauses, then runs backwards again, with radio songs playing throughout. A good step up for a child not yet ready for Excalibur.

Height: 38 inches minimum, 42 inches to ride alone.

Whispering Pines Haunted Hotel

The park’s first new ride in roughly two decades, which debuted in August 2023 and was built with Sally Dark Rides. A witch’s curse has been laid on the Whispering Pines Hotel, and riders board four-passenger vehicles armed with a “curse eradicator” to break it across 14 themed rooms.

Recognition: Sixth place in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards for 2023, in the new theme park attractions category.
Easter Egg: One room reproduces the carpet pattern from “The Shining.”
Family Friendly: Despite the spooky theme, the park pitches it at all ages, and it is built to be ridden together.

Splashtown Water Park

Splashtown doubled in size in 2007 and expanded again in 2012 with the Mount Olympus slides. Note that a Funtown bracelet does not get you in here. You need a Splashtown or Combination bracelet.

Tornado

The signature thrill slide, a 60-foot water coaster the park says is exclusive to it in all of Northern New England. Riders go in two-person “Whirly Wheel” tubes or four-person “Clover Leaf” tubes.

Height and weight: 48 inches minimum. Maximum 400 lbs for a Whirly Wheel tube, 700 lbs for a Clover Leaf.

Mammoth

A raft water coaster taking up to five people at a time.

Height and weight: 48 inches to ride alone, 42 inches with an adult, maximum 800 lbs per raft.

The Mount Olympus Slides

Added in 2012 and grouped around the Greek theme that also gives the Parthenon Cafe its name.

Poseidon’s Plunge and Triton’s Twist are drop slides where the floor gives way beneath you at about 60 feet. Both 48 inches minimum.
Amphitrite’s Challenge is a head-first mat racer, 45 feet high, reaching around 45 feet per second. 42 inches minimum, 300 lb maximum.

The Tube Slides

Splish is completely dark from top to bottom and takes single tubes only. Splash, its translucent green sister slide, lets the daylight in. Liquid Lightning takes singles or doubles. All three are 38 inches to ride alone, and any double tube needs at least one rider of 48 inches or more.

Pirates Paradise Aquaplay

The multi-level interactive play structure for younger children, added in 2007 when it doubled the size of the water park. Eight water slides, and a pirate that dumps over 500 gallons of water every two minutes. Time your approach, or do not, if a soaking is the point.

Requirement: No height minimum, but riders must be able to sit up unassisted.

Pools

The Family Fun Lagoon is a shallow pool graded from nothing to 18 inches, with no height requirement, and there is a separate wading Swimming Pool. Life jackets are free to borrow on a first-come basis, though the park keeps only a limited number, so bring your own if fit matters.

Cabanas

Cabanas can be reserved in Splashtown for $150, seating up to eight, and you must be 18 or over to book one. A cabana is not a ticket, so everyone in the party still needs a Splashtown or Combination bracelet. Cabana locations cannot be swapped after booking, so check the park map first.

Tips for Families

Choosing the Right Ticket

The single most expensive mistake is buying two single-park tickets and expecting to trade places later. You cannot. A Funtown bracelet is not admitted into Splashtown at all, and a Splashtown bracelet lets you walk around Funtown but not ride anything. If anyone in the party might want both parks in one day, the combination ticket is the only way, and at $62 against $54 for Funtown alone it is the better value.

Small kids only: A Splashtown ticket may be all you need. But note a child under 48 inches must be accompanied into Splashtown by an adult of 48 inches or more who is also wearing a Splashtown or Combination bracelet, so that adult needs a ticket too.
Under 38 inches: Free, no bracelet. A free guest can ride the family and kiddie rides at Funtown if the person with them holds a Big Funtown or Big Combination bracelet.
Tweens and teens: Combination, so they can hit Excalibur and the drop slides.
Arriving mid-afternoon: The after-3pm rate turns a $62 Big Combination into $39, which changes the arithmetic on a short visit.

The Cooler Policy

Outside food and drink are welcome inside the park, which is a real saving. Picnic areas are available first come, first served, though some are held for groups and catered outings. Bags and coolers are searched at the gate. Not allowed anywhere on the premises, including the parking lot: grills or heating devices, glass containers of any kind, knives and sharp utensils, alcoholic food or drink, and open flames.

The one exception is the 21+ All Grown Up evening, where no food or drink may be brought in at all.

Height Requirements

Measure at home, then measure again in the shoes your child will be wearing. The park measures with shoes on and states there are no exceptions. The thresholds that matter most:

Under 38 inches: free entry, but excluded from most rides.
38 inches: unlocks Thunder Falls, Astrosphere, Thunderbolt, the bumper cars, and the tube slides, mostly with an adult.
46 inches: unlocks Wild Mouse with a companion.
48 inches: the big one. Excalibur, Dragon’s Descent, Tornado, Poseidon’s Plunge and Triton’s Twist all need it, and it is the threshold for riding most things alone.

Riders on every attraction must also be able to sit up without assistance. The full table is on the park’s Safety Requirements page, and it is worth reading before the drive rather than at the gate.

Sunscreen Strategy

Apply before you arrive and reapply through the day, and do not skip ears, feet and the backs of necks. Water reflects sun onto the parts you thought you had covered. Bring your own rather than buying at the park.

Timing Your Visit

Quieter periods: The park’s own guidance is that May, June, early July and late August are less busy at Funtown than mid-July through mid-August. Splashtown tracks the weather instead: the hotter the day, the busier it gets.
Opening time: Not always 10:30am. It is 11am for most of the shoulder season and only moves to 10:30am at peak. Check the calendar for the day you are going.
Rain: The park stays open unless conditions are unsafe, and it publishes a weather guarantee policy, so a grey forecast is not automatically a lost day.

Special Events

Funtown All Grown Up

A 21+ after-hours evening from 7:30pm to 11:00pm on a handful of dates each summer. It is a limited-capacity event that needs its own specific ticket, not a regular admission or a season pass, and all sales are final.

The rules are stricter than a normal day. You need a valid, non-expired, physical state-issued photo ID. There is no re-entry once you leave. No food or drink may be brought in, and no backpacks, purses or large bags, only a clutch no bigger than 10 by 6 by 2 inches, which is searched at the gate. In 2026 the dates were July 11, August 1 and August 22, with rain dates on July 17, August 7 and August 28. They sell out.

Free Senior Days and Discount Weekends

The park runs a Free Senior Day most Mondays through the season, along with Military Weekend at the season opening, First Responder Weekend at the close, Superhero and Princess days, and Autism Awareness days. These are listed by date on the park calendar.

Logistics

Location: 774 Portland Road (US Route 1), Saco, Maine 04072, at the intersection with Funtown Parkway, minutes from Old Orchard Beach. Phone 207-284-5139.

Parking: Free.

Rentals: Strollers, wheelchairs and mobility scooters can be rented at the main entrance gate against an ID, though they cannot be taken past the Splashtown main gate. You may bring your own instead. Two-wheel scooters, mopeds, hoverboards and skateboards are not allowed inside.

Loose articles: Cameras, phones and GoPros are not permitted on any ride or water slide, and photography while riding is grounds for removal without a refund. Use a locker or leave items with someone who is not riding, because ride operators are not allowed to hold them.

Dress code: Footwear covering the soles is required in Funtown, along with a shirt covering your back on all rides except the log flume and Adult Bumper Boats. Swimsuits are required for every Splashtown attraction.

What to Bring:

Swimsuit and towel for Splashtown
Change of clothes
Sunscreen
A cooler with lunch, no glass
Cash for games and extras

The Verdict

Funtown Splashtown USA is not trying to be Disney World, and that is exactly why Maine families love it. It is a classic, loud, sun-drenched American summer amusement park, the kind where the wooden coaster rattles your teeth and the log flume soaks your shorts.

For generations of Mainers the annual trip to Funtown has been a summer tradition, and it is still run by the family that started it as a roadside food stand in 1960. The park evolves slowly and deliberately, which is how the Whispering Pines dark ride ended up being its first new ride in twenty years and still landing in USA Today’s top ten. Nostalgia and novelty, thrills and shallow lagoons, in one long summer day.

Location: 774 Portland Road, Saco, Maine Website: funtownsplashtownusa.com