Six Gun City in Jefferson, NH: The Wild West, Kids Style
Written: Jul 28 '02 (Updated Nov 05 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: almost everything included in one price, geared towards the 5-12 age group
Cons: geared towards the 5-12 age group - older kids will not find thrill rides
The Bottom Line: If you have younger kids and a taste for playing "sheriff" in the old frontier west, this is a great park for a day of fun!
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| AliventiAsylum's Full Review: Six Gun City |
While on vacation in New Hampshire, I finally managed to get to this delightful little theme park. I had wanted to go here for years when I was a kid, but my parents wouldn't drive the extra bit of time to took to get here over Story Land.
Finally being a parent myself, I get to decide where to go! And I get to do all the fun things I couldn't do!
Six Gun City is a Western Frontier Village-themed park. It was built in 1957 and is still run by the same family. They have added to it over the years. Most notable is the inclusion of a waterpark area now.
It is located on Route 2 in Jefferson, NH, up north beyond Franconia Notch and Mt. Washington. Admission is $15.95 for anyone age 4 and over - Seniors age 65 and over pay $11.95. This includes all rides, shows, waterslides, laser tag, and go-karts.
The rides are fairly calm - this is not a "thrill park". There is a stagecoach ride for the whole family, little cars which look like a log, peddle boats and log boats, go-karts, and pony rides. The go-karts come for single riders, or parents can ride in a double seat with the kids. There are Bumper Boats as well (separated for those under 36 inches and those over 36 inches), and a raft ride - both of which can get you wet!
If you really want to cool off, though, your best bet is the water area - known as Ft. Splash. In here is the Tomahawk Waterslide for those over 36 inches. Between 36-48 inches, children must wear a life-vest which is provided free of charge. There is another waterslide here where smaller children can ride on their parent's laps. And for those who want no part of any sliding, there is a nice wading pool.
All during the day here there are shows going on at various times. Kids get "deputized" and get to join the "sheriff" hunting down the "outlaws" after they rob the bank. They then hold a trial and mete out "western justice". Before you think this sounds violent, the shows are geared towards younger kids and my 7 year old in particular loved it.
We were also treated to a demonstration of how a muzzle-loading gun is loaded and fired along with a story-telling session. There is also a miniature horse show. These stand less than 30 inches tall and my kids got a real kick out of being able to pet them.
Six Gun City has one of the largest collections of horse-drawn carriages and sleighs on display. These are interesting and even my kids enjoyed some of it as the only horse-drawn vehicles they had seen were in Manhattan and Disney-World. It was hard for them to imagine people using this on a regular basis!
For an extra fee, there is miniature golf, as well as sifting for gems in the mine. Other than these two things and food and souvenirs, everything else is included in the admission!
We had a great day here. It is permitted to bring your own lunch and picnic right at the tables in the town, but there is food available. The food was all right - pizza, burgers, hot dogs, fries - but nothing spectacular. I found the food and drink prices to be reasonable as well. My kids got a kick out of going into the saloon and ordering "drinks" - all non-alcoholic.
This is some place I will definitely visit again, perhaps when my son is a bit older and can enjoy it. I can't see my oldest enjoying it too much as she is going into those teenage years and Six Gun City is definitely aimed at a younger crowd. For that reason, I don't feel bad about there not being a reduced "kids price". Just about everything is geared towards the younger set, so they get full use out of the park - why should they pay a reduced price? And many other places charge extra for go-karts , laser-tag and bumper-boats as well. I felt like I received my money's worth after a day here!
Other sites to see in New Hampshire:
Attitash Bear Peak Ski Resort ~ Bretton Woods Ski Resort ~ Canobie Lake Park ~ Cranmore Mountain Ski Resort ~ Franconia Notch State Park ~ Kancamagus Highway ~ King Pine Ski Resort ~ Loon Mountain Ski Resort ~ Madison Boulder Natural Area ~ Mount Washington Cog Railway ~ North Conway, NH ~ Polar Express Event ~ Shawnee Peak, Bridgeton ME ~ Story Land ~ Whale's Tale Waterpark ~ White Lake State Park ~ White Mountain National Forest ~ Wildcat Mountain
Some places to stay in New Hampshire:
Attitash Mountain Village - Bartlett NH ~ Comfort Inn & Suites - North Conway NH ~ Hampton Inn - Concord/Bow NH ~ Yankee Clipper Motel
Places to eat in New Hampshire:
Bea's Cafe, Conway NH ~ Cafe Noche, Conway NH ~ Decades Steakhouse, North Conway NH ~ Delaney‘s Hole in the Wall, North Conway NH ~ Harts Turkey Farm, Meredith NH ~ May Kelly's Cottage, North Conway NH ~ Merlino's Steakhouse, North Conway NH ~ Moat Mountain Smokehouse, North Conway NH ~ Muddy Moose, North Conway NH ~ Peach's Restauran, North Conway NH ~ Red Parka Steakhouse & Pub, Glen NH ~ Yankee Smokehouse, West Ossipee NH
Books about the area:
Appalachian Mountain Club White Mountain Guide ~ 50 Hikes in the White Mountains
© 2002 Patti Aliventi
Recommended:
Yes
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AliventiAsylum
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Member: Patti Aliventi
Location: Mount Washington Valley, New Hampshire
Reviews written: 2083
Trusted by: 689 members
About Me:
Now writing reviews to pay for the "out of network" costs of our health insurance...
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