Action Park

[Nicomo]

So I just watched the documentary Class Action Park on HBOMAX. It’s about the super dangerous waterpark that was in Vernon NJ in the 80’s/90’s. I grew during that time but we didn’t have anything like that near me. I couldn’t believe how crazy that place was, and that it stayed open as long as it did. 

Did any of you NJ guys ever go there back in the day? 

[MadDog2020]

On 9/2/2020 at 3:18 AM, Nicomo said:

So I just watched the documentary Class Action Park on HBOMAX. It’s about the super dangerous waterpark that was in Vernon NJ in the 80’s/90’s. I grew during that time but we didn’t have anything like that near me. I couldn’t believe how crazy that place was, and that it stayed open as long as it did. 

Did any of you NJ guys ever go there back in the day? 

We used to call it Traction Park lol. And I never went because I was the rare kid who wasn’t a huge amusement park fan (I also didn’t want to end up dead or in the hospital, one or both of which was a likely outcome when you took a trip to Action Park). A bunch of my friends and classmates used to go though. Everyone knew you were taking your life in your hands when you went. It was common knowledge around here how dangerous that place was. It’s crazy it stayed open as long as it did. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Went once, back in the early 90s, with a big group...I was only 21 at the time...was one of those picture-perfect summer days.  Yeah I guess I could say that I didn't know any better...the fact that the park existed at all somehow made you not question how safe it was at the time...no one in my group was even thinking about how unsafe the place might be.  And it's not like accidents don't ever happen at "legit" theme parks (even Disney has had its share of safety issues through the years).  

But yeah, can't imagine a place like that being open now, and the fact is, that's a GOOD thing.  A really REALLY good thing.  

[Masked Fan]

LOVED Action Park!

Had friends who worked there.

Still have a boomerang with the logo on it!

They had you sign waivers of liability, and as a young teen, of course we all signed that sh!t! Or had our parents sign em! Momma didn't raise no pansy! 

LOVED the tennis ball tanks, the crazy diving cliffs, water slides, and the race cars,

BUT THE BEST thing was the Alpine Slide! Hauling ass down a concrete slide on a piece of plastic was AWESOME! Falling off and getting skinned alive sucked of course. But flying out of the slide and into hay bales was funny as hell. The challenge was to go up the side like an Olympic Luge sled rider and obviuosly to go fast enough to catch the person in front of you!  The walk up the mountain had spots you could stop and watch others on their way down.

We'd always camp the high crash zones and watch to see the wipeouts. People REGULARLY went to one of the first aid stations after going down that thing!