What’s it Like to Work at an Amusement Park? A Former Park Employee Shares His Favorite Experiences

Ever wonder what it’s like to spend your summer working at an amusement park? According to Scott, who spent many summers working at one, they’re a great place to make friends and earn some money when school’s out for the season. But those aren’t the only perks of this summer job. He gave us the inside scoop about “life on the inside” for he and his coworkers doing everything from manning the roller coasters to selling “front-of-line” passes. Here’s what he loved most about the job:

Letting guests take repeat rides when the park was quiet

The park wasn’t quiet very often, but when it was, workers were encouraged to make guests’ experiences even more memorable. “One day, it was raining so much, we had to shut down the roller coasters, but our rapids ride was allowed to stay open,” Scott says. “A family of four was so excited to ride it—even in a downpour—and we let them stay on the ride for as long as they wanted. They stayed on for a very, very long time.” Typically, wait times for the ride are 40 minutes or more, so this was a big treat for the family.

Testing rollercoasters before anyone else

“That’s actually how I got over my fear of heights,” Scott told us. One summer while he was working at the park, a brand-new roller coaster (the tallest one the park ever had, to be exact) was being unveiled. Guests were gathering at the park gates, waiting to run in and claim their spot on the line, but before the park opened, employees got to take it for a spin. When Scott’s coworker asked if he wanted to hop in, he figured “why not?” And he’s still glad he did. How many people can say they were one of the first to ride a record-breaking coaster?

Hosting a day in the park for special-needs children

“One time, we worked with an organization to bring over 200 special-needs kids ages 6–12 to the park for the day,” says Scott. For parents, there are so many challenges to bringing these kids to the park on an ordinary day with long lines and big crowds, but this time, they got the run of the whole place and could jump onto any roller coaster without worry. Seeing them experience this trip to the amusement park was one of the highlights of Scott’s summer.

Breaking into song to entertain guests waiting in line

Especially in the summer heat, waiting your turn to ride a ride isn’t fun. But unfortunately, it is inevitable at popular parks across the country.  When lines got long, Scott and his coworkers did whatever they could to keep the crowd entertained. Sometimes they’d spur an impromptu singalong and other times they’d recite fun facts about the specific ride. That’s how he learned that the park’s tallest coaster is 33,000 sandwiches tall, though we’re not sure who did the math on that one. One time, Scott even made up a game of Jeopardy to entertain guests—anything in the name of making the wait feel like it’s not so long.

What other summer gig has perks like that? Want to claim your spot in line? Cedar Fair Entertainment Company is hiring for positions at is collection of amusement park across the country, including security associates and other key park staff at California’s Great America and Kings Dominion.