Greetings all.
TOD:
My very first amusement park was truly a kiddie park that was located on Flatbush Avenue, at about Avenue R. It was called Buddy's (or Buddies). I remember a very kiddie-friendly "roller coaster" that was not terribly intricate or scary. It had some sort of Dumbo/"helicopter" ride, a small carousel, and one of those boat rides where five or six small boats are attached to spokes, and go around in circles. There may have been a teacup ride of sorts, but even then, I knew not to go on them. They still make me nauseous. Attached to the amusement park was an arcade, where I got in my skee-ball thrills. I forget what else they had in there, as skee-ball was my favorite.
HersheyPark might have been the first "real" amusement park I went to, on the last family vacation (OK, it was only a long weekend) that I remember taking. Former DR/DB (Dear Brother) Jay tried to coax me onto the Super Duper Looper (or something like that), but I begged off. I like coasters, to some degree, but have never been crazy about being upside down.
Other theme/amusement parks followed: Coney Island, Great Adventure, DisnelANd and Disney WORLd, Universal (CA and FL), and the coaster that I mentioned recently, when the DP and I drove from SF to the County of Orange. (Was it Santa Rosa? the one that is right on the water...)
Rochester has a charming old-fashioned amusement park, SeaBreeze, which is right on the lake. The JackRabbit is their old wooden coaster. It's fun. And, of course, Six Flags has a park not far from here, but we have not been.
I have always been partial to log flumes.
DR George: Sorry, I don't remember a Courtney Bennett.