Recently, my family attended a Coney Island Fun Day as guests of the Alliance for Coney Island and the Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium. The day began with a reception at the New York Aquarium. The breakfast, which included crafts and other family activities, was catered by Tom’s Coney Island. Members of the Alliance for Coney Island also discussed how they were committed to transforming Coney Island and shared some of the upcoming planned projects. Personally, I was inspired to learn about the area’s generational family focus. For example, there are 3rd and 4th generations of family owned businesses such as the (93 years old!) Deno’s Wonder Wheel. We also learned about the summer camp programs at the Aquarium during the breakfast.
Later, we were treated to a special performance by three sea lions at the Aquarium’s Aquatheater. Prior to the sea lions coming out, we were made aware of the impact of Hurricane Sandy on their habitat. (They were temporarily displaced for about seven months.) My family was so excited to see the sea lions. My daughter yelled from joy when they came out!
Mom in the City founder, Kimberly, videotaped Duke performing before…
After the show, we were invited to enjoy the rides at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park and Luna Park. I especially appreciated the fact that there were a variety of rides – from tame teacup rides to more adventurous roller coasters – for the entire family to enjoy. One of my family’s favorite activities of the day was the carousel ride. I grew up in Brooklyn, so I was eager to introduce my family to the ride that I had loved as a child. Fortunately, they enjoyed riding the bright horses as the music played and we shared many laughs.
Of course we couldn’t end our special day without eating Coney Island’s Nathan’s Famous hot dogs and cheese fries. We ate our lunch on the boardwalk as we overlooked the water. As my family left the park, we looked at each other and agreed that the day was definitely a family FUN day. We definitely plan on making a return family visit to Coney Island and suggest that you make it one of your top family summer destinations too!