Above: Fun abounds at New England amusement parks – Water Country, Canobie Lake Park, and Six Flags. Just stop by Town Rec to buy your discount passes (images cropped from parks’ Facebook pages)
There’s only 4 more weeks of summer before kids head back to school. For those of you looking to make the most of it, Southborough Recreation sells discount tickets to area amusement parks and movie theaters. Plus, they offer passes to Mass State Parks, including a 3-Day pass.*
Some of the tickets will definitely save you money on admission. But others depend on who is going and when. So pay attention to the details when making a decision on whether to buy and how many.
Here are this year’s details:
- Six Flags New England – $40/pp (Saves $10.99 over online rates and $30.99 over the gate price)
- Water Country – $33/pp (Note: This is pricier than online rates for under 48″ and seniors. It saves $2 – $6.99 per ticket on general admission online and $11.99 per ticket over gate prices.)
- Canobie Lake Park – $35/pp (Note: This is pricier than the under 48″ admission price and for all ages on some fall dates. It does save $4 – $7 per ticket for general admission this summer. The park also advertises that McDonalds and Market Basket have $5 off coupons good through August 27th.)
If you aren’t up to that big an outing, especially in this heat, you may want to head to the movies instead. (If you’re looking for other ways to escape the heat wave, check out my post from a couple of weeks ago.)
Rec also offers discount tickets to Regal Cinemas and AMC Theaters. The tickets are $10.50 each and good for any 2D movies.
One thing to keep in mind is that both theaters now offer pre-seat selection for moviegoers who purchase tickets online.** That means popular movies can fill up well in advance, and those that aren’t full may not have many seats left together in the theater no matter how early you show up. Plus, matinee prices can be cheaper than passes.
But if you aren’t worried that your movie will sell out (or close), Rec’s ticket option will save on some 2D tickets:
- Regal at Solomon Pond Mall currently charges $10.95 for adults to attend a matinee and $13.45 per regular show. The cost per child age 3-11 and seniors is $10.45 for all shows; children under 3 are free except in reserved seating or recliner locations.
- AMC in Natick currently charges only $7.49 per matinee ticket for any age. For regular shows, prices are $12.99 per adult, $11.49 per senior, and $9.99 per child age 2-12.
To buy tickets, head over to the Rec Dept anytime between 9:00 am – 4:00 pm Monday – Thursday or 8:30 am – 12:30 pm on Friday. (And bring cash or your checkbook.) The department’s office is located in the South Union Building at 21 Highland Street.
*Rec has one 1-Day pass and one 3-Day pass to Mass State Parks. You need to call ahead to reserve it. (The Library also offers a one day pass.)
**That option does come with an additional “convenience fee”. The service is very new for Regal, so most customers may not have caught on yet. But I’ve noticed that it is often an issue at Natick where many customers take advantage of the option.
