CT amusement park cracking down on unsupervised children and teens. Your 17-year-old will now need a chaperone

Beginning with its annual Phantom Fall Fest, Lake Compounce will no longer be a place where parents can drop off a carload of kids for the afternoon or evening.

A new chaperone policy at America’s oldest continuously operating amusement park is getting mixed reviews, with some parents praising it as welcome and overdue while others complain that it’s unfair and unnecessary.

Lake Compounce announced recently that starting Sept. 21, children 13 and younger aren’t allowed to be left in the park at any time. Instead they’ll need a chaperone.

And after 4 p.m., even guests 17 and younger must be accompanied by someone over 21 with ID, Lake Compounce said.

To ensure supervision, the park is also limiting each chaperone to a maximum of four children or teenagers.

The new rules follow a trend in the amusement park industry , which along with shopping malls has been implementing curfews or other new rules on young visitors. Over the past three years, Carowinds in North Carolina, Worlds of Fun in Missouri, Knott’s Berry Farm in California, King’s Dominion in Virginia and others have put in chaperone requirements.

The Valleyfair park in Minnesota just adopted chaperone rules for anyone 15 and under, and explained on its website: “Over the past two years, there have been increasing incidents of unruly and inappropriate behavior across our industry and at other major entertainment venues.”

In Bristol, Lake Compounce isn’t publicly saying exactly what prompted its new policy, but some guests have been complaining on social media for the past couple of years about unsupervised youngsters cutting lines and being loud, rude and profane.

“For nearly 180 years, the park has provided a family-friendly environment where our visitors can feel safe and welcome,” General Manager Doug Hemphill told The Courant in an email. “The updated chaperone policy will allow our team to continue to provide a positive environment where all park-goers can come to enjoy a day of uninterrupted entertainment.”

The new rules will kick in with the first night of Phantom Fall Fest and remain in place for the rest of the 2024 season, which closes out with the final night of Holiday Lights on Dec. 29.

The biggest effect is likely to be next spring, when the 2025 regular season begins. Through the spring and summer, some parents or guardians drop off several children or pre-teens for a few hours, but that won’t be allowed any longer: Lake Compounce reports the new chaperone policy is permanent.

A Facebook page for park fans quickly filled with complaints after the announcement, with some parents threatening to never buy another season pass.

“For three years now my daughter and friends have enjoyed their time at the park. They are responsible and respectful young adults. Now they will have to find a new place to hang out for their summer break next year,” one woman wrote. “As a working adult it’s hard to accompany some of these kids.”

Some disgruntled customers asked why 16-year-olds could work at the park while 17-year-old guests had to be accompanied by an adult. The answer is that employees are there to work and are supervised, the park said.

Many Lake Compounce fans were cheered by the new rules, saying that they’re a solid step toward reducing misbehavior in the park.

Dina Subiono, a retired teacher from Salem, posted that a group of kids physically pushed her and her grandson out of the way as they cut the line for the Boulder Dash rollercoaster. On Wednesday, she told The Courant that she’d been going to Lake Compounce once or twice a summer for more than 30 years and never encountered as much trouble as this month.

“We’ve always had great experiences there. This year I had my grandson who is turning 8, we were on line for Boulder Dash and these kids pushed us to get past and go to the front. They were maybe 13 to 16,” she said. “Later we were waiting in the same line with two young girls and their dads, and they said the same thing happened to them.

“And it wasn’t just that time. In the line for Ghost Hunt, a group of kids just ignored us, walked and and pushed their way to the front,” she said. “Honestly, this was just the worst year.”

Sarah Simmons of Middletown is also a fan of the new rules. She’s gone to the park with her children for the past six years, and thinks it will be even better with tighter supervision.

“We love Lake Compounce. It’s a great little park,” she said. “The chaperone rules are absolutely appropriate, and I say that because of the behavior I’ve witnessed personally. Kids were cutting lines, using foul language and getting rowdy. They need to have someone with them.”

Like many customers, Simmons praised the ride attendants for trying to enforce rules. She also said a lot of youngsters and young teens behave well at the park, even though others don’t.

“The line jumping is bad, they just push their way through,” Simmons said. “If you’re waiting for a ride, everyone is hot and tired — so you need to go to the back like everyone else and wait your turn. People shouldn’t use an amusement park as a babysitter.”