Growin’ up in the tri-state area, everyone had a story of a relative or friend bein’ injured at Action Park, it was like a suburban legend. So craze to see it’s open again.
Action Park is an amusement park located in Vernon, New Jersey, USA. The park was open from 1978 until 1996 while it was owned and operated by Great American Recreation. In 1996, the park closed and was re-opened under new management in 1998 as Mountain Creek Resort and Crystal Springs Resort ski area. On April 2, 2014, the original management, who has since repurchased the property, announced that Mountain Creek Waterpark would be renamed back to Action Park beginning with the Summer 2014 season, based on an increasing rise in nostalgia, as current adults recount their experiences at the park in the 1980’s and 90’s.
The original Action Park featured three separate attraction areas: The Alpine Center, featuring an alpine slide, Motorworld, and Waterworld. The lattermost was one of the first modern American water parks. Many of its attractions were unique, attracting thrillseekers from across the New York City metro area. The park’s popularity went hand-in-hand with a reputation for poorly designed, unsafe rides; underaged, undertrained, and often under-the-influence staff; intoxicated, unprepared visitors; and a consequently poor safety record.
At least six people are known to have died as a result of mishaps on rides at the original park. It was given nicknames such as “Traction Park”, “Accident Park”, and “Class Action Park” by doctors at nearby hospitals due to the number of severely injured parkgoers they treated. Little action was taken by state regulators despite a history of repeat violations. In its later years personal-injury lawsuits forced the closure of more and more rides and finally the park itself in 1996.
Weird New Jersey Action Park Memories
