Family fun after dark on Long Island: Dino Safari, Splish Splash and more
Cole Jenkins, 3, of Medford, with his parents Jackie and DeJun at Luminocity Dino Safari at Walt Whitman Shops. Credit: Elizabeth Sagarin
There's no better way to bring out smiles and create lasting memories than having some good old-fashioned fun with the kids on a summer night.
From a walk-through dino safari at night to glow-in-the-dark mini golf, here are activities for families to enjoy on Long Island when the sun goes down.
Zip-lining at Adventure Park
75 Colonial Springs Rd., Wheatley Heights
What's more fun than zipping through trees on a zip line? Doing it at night during Glow in the Park Long Island, where the aerial ropes park lights up and remains open for extended evening hours.
Chantal Palomeque, 25, of Patchogue, checks her hook up before venturing out onto a rope chain during Glow in the Park at Adventure Park in Wheatley Heights. Credit: Howard Simmons
Surrounded by twinkling LED lights and music, adventurers can explore more than 200 platforms in the trees, along with bridges, ladders and zip lines.
"Every week has a different theme," says Candie Fisher, president of Outdoor Adventures, which owns Adventure Park. "For example, this Saturday is reggae and next week is 2000s music."
- WHEN Open 6 to 10 p.m. Sunday-Friday through Labor Day for ages 7 and older
- COST General admission is $61 for two hours of self-guided climbing, plus a 30-minute safety and harnessing briefing
- MORE INFO 631-983-3844, myadventurepark.com
Dinosaurs at LuminoCity's Dino Safari
160 Walt Whitman Rd., Huntington Station
The Alif family, Afsana, Riyaan, 3, and Tousif at the LuminoCity's Dina Safari at Walt Whitman Shops in Melville. Credit: Elizabeth Sagarin
The walk-through dino adventure returns to Walt Whitman Shops for a third year with more than 70 state-of-the-art life-size, roaring dinosaurs amid hundreds of spectacular lighting sculptures.
The educational hands-on experiences for budding paleontologists or kids just wanting to have fun, include Dino Speedway, Safari Dig, Fossil Hunt and The Bounce Zone .
New this year are a cutting-edge animatronic T-rex, upgraded LED dance floor, giant inflatable dino head, Velcro target boards, kid-friendly (soft) axes and a new bounce bed for the younger kids.
- WHEN 5 to 9:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Tuesdays.
- COST Between $17.99 and 20.99 per person, not including taxes and fees. Children 3 and younger are free. Parking is free. Tickets can be purchased in advanced online or at the admissions gate.
- MORE INFO luminocityfestival.com
Neon Nights at Splish Splash Water Park
2549 Splish Splash Dr., Calverton
Splish Splash water park introduces Neon Nights, a nighttime event with illuminated attractions, a DJ, and an LED light show. Credit: Splish Splash
This summer, the water park introduces Neon Nights on Friday and Saturday evenings through Aug. 16, where you enter the park through an LED-lit bubble tunnel, with special effects and sounds.
There are five attractions open at night — Bootlegger’s Run, Bombs Away, Riptide Racer, Dr. Von Dark’s Tunnel of Terror and Kahuna Bay Wavepool — notes Danielle Trombetta, director of marketing.
"Bootlegger’s Run is a water coaster," Trombetta says. "Riptide Racer is a mat racer ride that you slide down headfirst. Dr. Von Dark’s Tunnel of Terror is a two-person tube slide ride. Bombs Away is a waterslide for the thrill seeker. It’s where you stand there in place and the floor comes out from underneath you and you slide down."
- WHEN 7 to 10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays through Aug. 16
- COST $27.99 per ticket; must meet the height requirement to participate
- MORE INFO 631-727-3600, splishsplash.com
Glow-in-the-dark games at Monster Mini Golf
645 Stewart Ave., Garden City
For an indoor adventure, try glow-in-the-dark golfing, bowling and more. "The entire facility is glow-in-the-dark, kind of a Halloween-themed, kind of spooky, but not too spooky for kids," general manager John Arlo says. "We have an arcade, bowling, a laser maze, virtual reality."
Play 18 holes of mini golf under black lights, surrounded by talking, squawking and wiggling monsters, while music plays and disco balls spin. There’s also glow-in-the-dark mini bowling with smaller lanes and lighter, smaller balls.
- WHEN Daily noon to 10 p.m.
- COST Mini golf: $15; children, $13; mini bowling: five frames for $5; laser maze: five plays for $15; virtual reality: single play: $5
- MORE INFO 516-279-4433, monsterminigolf.com
Glow bowling at Ultra Lanes Massapequa
4235 Merrick Rd., Massapequa
Tyler Wesselhoft, left, and Hailey Lehmann enjoy an arcade game at Ultra Lanes Massapequa. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Families can play unlimited glow bowling for two hours or pay per game. Kids can also play games in the arcade.
- WHEN/COST 5 to 11 p.m., Sunday-Thursday, $25 for two hours; $7 per game; 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., Friday and Saturday, $30 for two hours; $10 per game
- MORE INFO 516-541-8000, massapequabowl.com
Long Island Ducks night game
3 Court House Dr., Central Islip
Sports fans can catch fireworks postgame on Aug. 2 when the home team takes on the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars at 6:35 p.m.
Fireworks after a Long Island Ducks game in Central Islip. Credit: Long Island Ducks
- WHEN Games start at 6:35 p.m. on select Saturdays and 5:05 p.m. on select Sundays
- COST Box seats: $17, field box seats: $18 and club seats: $19
- MORE INFO 631-940-3825, liducks.com
