We visited Palace Playland twice - on Friday August 2 and Saturday August 3, 2024. Upon arriving at Old Orchard Beach on the Friday mid-afternoon, we were surprised to see that the park was closed. We went for drinks in the nearby Pier Pub and as we sat watching the coastline, saw the amusements open around 4pm but as it was at the height of summer, thought it would have been open a lot earlier for the many visitors walking around Old Orchard Beach.
We love amusement parks and travelling fairs; Palace Playland had the feel of the latter. We thought that the rides were not being operated correctly - nothing dangerous, just not in a thrilling or fun way. In fact the park had a subdued atmosphere.
Maybe we only noticed this because we have showmen friends who travel with rides and know how to give riders the best experience. It should be noted that other visitors were having a good time and, to be fair, it was early into its opening. We decided not to ride on anything, however, and were happy to spectate.
Our second visit was later in the evening, on Saturday night the next day, and it was great to see the park all lit up. The colorful signs for food tempted us in and there was an impressive range on offer to choose from: hand-dipped corn dogs, pretzels, cotton candy, pizza, hot dogs, fries, turkey legs, jumbo fried dough, subs and more.
We decided to try something we’d never had before in America - the iconic staple of fair food - the corn dog!
😋 Corn Dog x 2 = $10.00
💰Total = $10.00
The food was made to order, so there was a little wait, but we took the opportunity to see what others were enjoying: the jumbo fried dough intrigued us and came dusted with powdered sugar but was diced up into manageable pieces. A lucky little kid had a whole portion to himself! We watched the young staff, who were clearly seasonal workers, prepare a Philly cheesesteak sandwich - it looked reasonable but we have had the real deal before. We can’t be sure, but the cotton candy didn’t appear to be handmade and came pre-prepared in a sealed bucket.
Our corn dogs arrived piping hot in a stylish ‘State Fair’ paper wrapper. For the uninitiated, a corn dog is a sausage on a stick deep fried in a sweet cornmeal batter. We drizzled ours in French’s mustard and Heinz ketchup and devoured them! They weren’t as big as we expected but they didn’t disappoint. Yummy!
So no rides for us at Palace Playland, but we enjoyed our snacks and a taste of the American carnival!
📌 PALACE PLAYLAND
1 Old Orchard St., Old Orchard Beach, ME 04064
🌐 www.palaceplayland.com
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