Back when I was about 5-6 years old, I visited a popular New England paradise once known as Riverside Park. At that time, I was already an avid thrill-seeker and craved thrills. However, due to my diminutive size, I was unfortunately unable to ride many of their iconic attractions such as their famous Cyclone, Mind Eraser, Hellevator, or even the Thunderbolt. Was I dejected? Sure, but of all the rides there was one that really alleviated my main, and with that I present their once present log flume, the Red River Rapids (er…Poland Springs Plunge).
Located in the South End where Splash Water Falls currently resides, Red River Rapids just seemed to fit in flawlessly with the overall feel of Riverside back in the day. From the very nice landscaping around the attraction to the quaint, little station, this just seemed to fit in well. Now keep in mind I visited before Riverside transformed into Six Flags New England, but when I visited back in ’98 (I think), lines were about 20-30 minutes, which was fair for a ride of this type in my opinion, and I remember it was constantly moving so it wasn’t that bad.
Before I begin detailing the ride itself, keep in mind I rode this over ten years ago so my memory of the ride itself has fleeted for the most part. I do remember liking the winding course quite some bit with its ground-hugging course. Following this, there came the highlight of any log flume for me, the final plunge. Well unfortunately this one wasn’t anything overly special, as it was one of the weakest I’ve experienced as it was incredibly small and not all that steep as well. To add insult to injury, I don’t remember coming off the least bit wet to boot.
Ultimately, while I enjoyed Red River Rapids to death as a young kid, I realize now that the Red River Rapids was actually a pretty poor log flume in actuality. From its short course to unfulfilling final plunge, it just doesn’t live up to almost all of the other log flumes I’ve ever been on with the exception of a few really poor ones. Despite this, I am still disappointed in the removal of this classic log flume since it provided a great childhood memory, but I will say that its replacement (Splash Water Falls) is a far more enjoyable and thrilling attraction.
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