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Amesbury Sports Park
Categories: Active Life Amusement Parks Event Planning & Services Venues & Event Spaces Amusement Parks, Venues & Event Spaces [Edit]
12 S Hunt RdAmesbury, MA 01913
(978) 388-5788
- Hours:
Thu-Fri 3:30 pm - 9 pm
Sat 10 am - 9 pm
Sun 10 am - 7 pm
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
23 reviews for Amesbury Sports Park
Review Highlights
"I went here last winter to go snow tubing."
(in 4 reviews)
"Amesbury Sports Park is home to OGO."
(in 3 reviews)
"Sphering/zorbing/ogoing = BEST WATER RIDE, EVAAAR."
(in 3 reviews)
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23 reviews in English
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Review from Carolyn J.
Boston, MA
2/21/2011
Tubing...Winter Fun!
This is why we live in New England Folks! Took a field trip here with the Laboure T.E.A.M. mentoring program.
The staff on site was very friendly...making the activity even more fun by making sure the spins down the mountain were full speed.
Safe, fun upbeat activity for the whole family. All ages will enjoy!
Traveled from South Boston on a Thursday night after work. Hit 93N at 5:30 and the trip took about 45 minutes door to door. -
Review from Jeff M.
Medford, MA
2/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
Good signage after you get off the exit ramp, we also love seeing it literally right off of I-495 as we are driving in......I'm sure seeing numerous tubes going down steep hills as people drive by is great advertising all season long.
I've only ever been to the winter park, so that is what this review is for. We've gone five times over the last three years, taking my 10 year old cousin with us who always has a blast.
Although I'm annoyed you can't bring food into their rather large bottom level of the lodge, I do see signs posted that it is an MA law so I'll give them the benefit for now. It would still be nice to pack some sandwiches and have a warm place to get a quick bite to eat that didn't cost extra money on top of the tickets (which now stand at $24 for 3 hrs but can be reduced by $2 for bringing in a non-perishable can).
Also, something that changed from one year to the next is that you now purchase tickets in what seems like the back of the building, although this could be argued if you actually use the secondary parking lot they have next to it. I liked it better when tickets could be purchased on the side that is parallel to 495. We were very confused when attempting to get tickets the past time we went and there was no one around to guide us in the right direction. I'd recommend selling tickets out of both sides if you have the manpower (this was on a Saturday afternoon that was also rather crowded).
So to the tubing itself, just make sure you grab a tube that is fully inflated free of holes and rips. Once you've picked out a tube, it's basically yours for the day until you keel over from exhaustion. The entire activity isn't that taxing but the combination of the sun beating down on the powder, running back and forth from the treadmill lift and hill to the wind that goes into your eyes as you travel 25 - 30 MPH down the hill...I don't think I've ever left here not being completely wiped out after three hours of actual tubing. Anyone under the age of, wait there is no age to list, is going to enjoy this activity. I'd say on the fitness scale, you should be about a 3/10 to partake so be prepared that it may take more out of you than you expected.
We've always skipped the overcrowded 2nd floor of the lodge where the greasy food bits are served to all of the little ankle-biters running around. The parents seem relieved to be having a beer at the bar while the kids munch on chicken fingers and pizza. I tend to stay away from the crappier food like this and just wait until we get back.
Overall, your kids will have a blast and if you're in your 20's or even 30's.....a date here with your SO wouldn't be out of the question. Weekends are going to be A LOT more crowded than weekdays/holidays......I'd also recommend night time tubing, especially on colder nights when the snow freezes over a bit and the speeds are increased. Who says we New Englanders don't have fun in the Wintah!!?!? -
Review from Eric R.
West Boylston, MA
2/3/2012
I went tubing here.
I went in sneakers. Wow. Wet.
I am not that bright.
A review, in haiku. -
Review from Dawn E.
2/3/2012 1 Check-in Here
I feel like I could sum up this entire review in one word:
WeeeeeeeeeeeEeEEeEeeeEEeeEeEEeEEeeEEeeeeeeEEEeeeEE eeeEEeEeEEeeEEEEeeEEeeeeeEeeEEeeeEEeeeeeEEeeeeeEEE EEEeeeEEEeeeEEeeEEEeeEEeeeeEEeeeEEEeeEeeeeeeeeeeee ee! -
Review from Annette A.
Brighton, MA
If you find yourself cursing at the cold weather and whining for winter to be over, Amesbury Sports Park may make the season easier to deal with. Especially if you're too much of a wimp to go skiing or snowboarding.
The highlight of ASP during the winter months is its snow tubing. At first, you may think this sounds like a kids-only activity, but you'll find a mix of everyone here including families and kindergartners to fraternity brothers and college students. Toward the end of the night, don't be surprised if you end up in a 5-team race competing against a boat full of hyper 12-year-old boys and another full of buzzed parents (and having a blast).
The lifts keep you from getting exhausted. You can either go up standing on a conveyor belt or sit inside your tube while a rope tugs you up. And when you do get too tired or too cold... did I mention there was a fully-stocked bar there as well? When you need some downtime, you can go inside the cabin for a beer, a game of Buck Hunter and some curly fries.
The staff is amazing and super-friendly. They do their best to make sure everyone has fun, setting up races and giving tips on how to go faster.
I highly recommend this for a weekend trip with your friends, no matter what age you are. It's an easy drive up and makes for an entire day of fun. -
Review from Ki G.
10/21/2010
OGO. It's the most random thing I've done this year and it was part of the day of amusement for my friend Susan S.'s bachelorette party. Because of course you need to be rolled down a hill in a giant inflatable ball the day before you get married.
Well, Susan did.
And being a good friend, I did too. It was better than a roller coaster - mainly because you're simply being turned about willy-nilly (this is if you're doing it dry, i.e. strapped in a harness as opposed to being sloshed around in some tepid water). My fear of projectile vomiting was baseless, and after being unceremoniously dumped from the inside of this "vehicle", I promptly went summer tubing. At least 10 times.
They have a sweet combo-deal for unlimited tubing and on rollicking-roll down the hill for about $25 and on a hot summer day, it can't be beat.
All in all - awesome. -
Review from Jess P.
Hull, MA
1/26/2011
I recently came here on a double date and all in all, I generally was a fan. I think if we had paid full price ($22 for three hours) I would have felt it was pricey, but I purchased a deal off of Groupon for $12 a person and for that price it was a steal. Unfortunately, as groupons always do, there were limitations on when you could use it and that definitely hindered the experience.
When we arrived around 1pm last Sunday, only one "lift" was operating but it wasn't overly crowded and the wait to get on or to get pushed down the hill wasn't that long. We were in a group of four and they allowed us to all go down together. The hill doesn't look all that steep but you get going pretty fast!
After an hour or so, we headed inside for a hot chocolate break and like others have mentioned, the upstairs "bar" area is a little cramped and awkward. By the time we went back out, the place had gotten a little busier and they opened a second lift (rope tow) in addition to the magic carpet. The rope tow definitely seemed to take longer to get up the hill but people were using it, which worked out great for us as it allowed us to ride the carpet without a huge wait. However, at this point the top of the hill had a long wait to get pushed down the mountain and we were told we could no longer go down as a foursome because it took too long. But that's ok, I think it was a faster ride as a couple.
Part of the groupon stipulations was that you could not go on a Saturday so we went on a Sunday. It seemed like the park is purposefully understaffed on Sundays, which I don't understand as it is a weekend. There was a tube lane to the right of the carpet lift that looked really cool (was steeper, had more bumps) but the lift operator told us they don't open it on Sundays (of course). At various other times I overheard the workers say they were understaffed that day, which caused some long waits up at the top. It doesn't make sense to me that a business like that would not plan for Sundays to be busy but like another reviewer pointed out, they took your money so if they pay a few less people and you wait a bit longer, it doesn't really matter.
All in all a good time - definitely would be good for kids but as a group of adults we had a blast! -
Review from David V.
1/9/2011
As a concept, this is about ten stars. I'd create a second Yelp persona to augment the first five-star review. I mean, it's a snow tube hill - what could possibly be amiss?
I did have a great time here, but here's why this is a 3-star review instead of the expected five. It isn't cheap - $22 for a 3-hour pass, which they were happy to sell me after 7pm for a 9pm closing time. Sure, I could've dragged my ass here sooner, but I didn't.
They only had one "lift" going and at times there was a 10 minute-plus wait just to step onto the people mover they had ferrying folks up the hill. There were two rope tows that weren't operating, as well as two large snow tube lanes that weren't open either.
The main reason though for the drop in starrage came when the lift shut down and we proceeded to the main lodge. After working up quite a hunger ascending and descending the hill (the latter was extremely fun), we were informed that the kitchen closed at 9pm - just as a throng of hungry customers surged through the doors. They lost out on hundreds of dollars in food sales, in addition to lost beer sales as I would've bought one to wash down my non-existent food.
For a place that probably counts on cold Saturday nights to do brisk business, it's a major blunder on management's part. So our party of 24 packed up and headed to Kowloon instead of kicking back in the lounge as we had intended.
If you come - dress warm, bring some dough and prepare to have fun! But you might want to eat early, lest you be forced to dine on M&M's for dinner. -
Review from Ligaya T.
San Francisco, CA
8/23/2008 5 photos
Sphering/zorbing/ogoing = BEST WATER RIDE, EVAAAR. Imagine being in a huge hamster ball on the spin cycle. Gives a whole new meaning to the term "bubble boy."
It involves climbing inside a 12' in diameter plastic ball with a hollow center filled with water and getting rolled down a hill (hydrozorbing). You end up sliding around and bouncing off the walls as the water splays everywhere. Incredible! And this is supposedly one of only three places in the entire world to do it!
The park also offers waterless tubing in the summer, and snow tubing in the winter. There's a soccer field for local games too. No real grass though; they must be single-handedly supporting the astroturf economy.
The facilities are thrown-together, poorly organized and ridiculously inefficient. The staff is mainly comprised of friendly, fun high school boys and they follow their tasks well, but they seriously need to streamline operations. We ended up waiting almost an hour for our first go.
They would benefit greatly from figuring our a new route to get the balls up. (Currently they tow it up circuitously with an ATV. Our group determined a pulley or conveyor system would be most effective.) There's also no locker room for changing or showering so come prepared.
Folks that don't want to partake can head to the restaurant/bar. I was impressed to see some pretty exotic beers, and the view of the grounds is solid from the upstairs windows.
At $10-15 bucks a run, go indulge the silly!Listed in: Fun-Filled & Action-Packed
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Review from Cha Cha W.
Cambridge, MA
8/26/2008 1 photo
Zonkers!! I'm going bonkers for Zorbing.
Zig-Zagging down those grassy knolls.
Zipping around all them tubing lanes.
Zoom Zoom coming around the bend.
Zero down time everyone! Let's go, let's go, let's go!
Ziplock us into the bubble. Hold on tight in the middle.
Zowie! Watch out for them there Zipper burns!
Zany ideas aplenty.
Zorbing just one of many.
Zealful pastime for sure, whether wet, dry, singled, doubled up or tripled.
Zesty beers upstairs; foreign, domestic, simply fantastic!
Zonkers! I'm totally bonkers for Zorbing!Listed in: The Active Life
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Review from Leighann F.
Astoria, Queens, NY
9/13/2008
Reunite with the lazy days of childhood. Wake up early. Nag your roommates (or your friends...whoever has the wheels) to get their lazy selves out of bed, because today is the day you're going to Amesbury Sports Park.
Put on your swimsuit and jump up and down, grab a towel and wrap it 'round, go barefoot for pete's sake! (except not on the conveyor belt...house rules, ya know.) This is a time for being silly, not caring if you hair is plastered down your face because your bouncing down a ginormous hill inside a larger-than-life hampster ball, sloshing around and giggling to your heart's content, without a care in the world.
But I warn you. Do not take off our rose-colored kids spectacles. You know, the kind yo wore when you went to your favorite amusement park as a kid and thought forever in your mind that it was the greatest place on earth, only to return as an adult and wonder how it got so run-down and worn around the edges. Amesbury is not Disneyland. And I am sure that many of the components of the activities are held together by duct tape. They have some logistical work to do.
But once your inside that h2o-filled ball, flying downhill and getting water all up in your nose, all that fades away and is overtaken by pure, unadulterated fun.
Go. Be a total five year old. And whatever you do, don't hold your breath waiting in line. Grab a snickers. It might be a while. -
Review from nicole p.
Somerville, MA
9/27/2010
We must have gone too late in the summer... maybe we should have gone in the winter. And we probably should have done more than summer tubing.
My friends and I thought we would try the summer tubing. It was just well, bland... Slightly more interesting than going down a slide in the park. But that's it. We were hoping for some thrills. Some super spinning. A little bit of speed... Nothing. Just a couple of bumps. A few turns in the inner tube. Yes, a little bit of acceleration but nothing that got the heart pumping. And the scenery is sort of dull.
We did silicone our tubes to try to get more speed. We made long daisy chains. We tried different combinations of people. We tried different weights of people. Still, it was kind of a yawn.
But, the people are really nice there. And it's a pretty efficient operation. And while it doesn't look there is one high-tech switch in the place, it seems safe enough. -
Review from Ricky R.
Austin, TX
8/28/2008
Good Zorb almighty! Getting inside a water-filled plastic golf ball that's inside a larger plastic golf ball and rolling down a hill is more fun than an adult (or two or three at a time) should be able to have! Oh, but you can! That is, if you make it past the surly manager who inexplicably tries to talk you out of buying your tickets. Persevere. Once you're in the "ogo", all your troubles will melt (or spin, or splash) away. You'll be giddy as a school girl, ready to race up and do it again!
Except you can't race, you have to take this slow conveyor belt that they don't let you walk on. Yeah, they're not the best run organization around. The grounds look like something a couple of kids with no parent supervision, access to building materials, and an unlimited supply of astroturf might make. Most of our lengthy first wait was spent discussing the inefficiencies of their ogo/zorb retrieval system. But it sounds like they're workin' on it. And it's totally worth the wait. Like a total eclipse of the heart.
Atop the main (well, only) building is a small restaurant/bar area. This hidden gem has a good selection of tasty beers, and pretty good prices to boot! Even if you skip the ogo, which I would not recommend, it's not a bad spot to hang out.
Zorb me sideways, it's fun! You know you always wanted to go for a spin in the washing machine. Now's your chance. -
Review from Ashley P.
8/28/2009 3 photos
Amesbury Sports Park is home to OGO! Otherwise known as the Outdoor Gravity Orb this activity is by far one of the most fun activities I have partaken in this summer. What is OGO you ask? It is basically, an oversized hamster ball for humans! Clear plastic and over 10 feet tall, these balls propel down the gentle slopes of Amesbury Sports Park carrying 1 - 3 occupants at a times.
Two options:
#1 Get Strapped in! - In this version, you are harnessed into one of these orbs and go head over heels, barrel rolling down the hill. Having a history of vertigo, I cheered on as my friends tried out this option. Yes they were dizzy. . . YES they had fun!
#2 Water Orb! - In this version, you and up to 2 other friends (depending on weight distribution) sit inside an orb that is filled with freezing cold hose water. The inner chamber is zipped closed and off you go down the hill spinning around, rolling on top of each other, all the while on spin cycle.
Laughter and joy echoes off these plastic walls. Just when you think your nearing the end of the hill. . . you realize you've only made it halfway down! What a rush!
The conveyor belt up the hill is painfully slow when bursting with excitement to roll back down the slope. No walking up, must have shoes on. Your belongings are brought to the bottom of the hill for you to collect after the ride down. Keep in mind! Don't bring anything expensive up the hill with you. Another option is the summer tubing here. Equally as fun! Go down in a tube yourself or attach to your your friends! Reach speeds up to 40 mph! Just be careful and keep your legs up in the air. The plastic lining the tracks could give you and awful open abrasion at speeds like this!
My suggestion. . . go around 5 - 6 pm shortly before the park closes. There was no one here!!! No lines, minimal wait. I went down the hill 3 - 4 times in the OGO alone. Not to mention the handful of times I tubed down. I had a blast! Can't wait to come back here sometime!Listed in: Outdoorsy Activities!
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Review from Andrew M.
Framingham, MA
6/8/2011
Winter tubing was excellent worth the 22 bucks . Food was the worst I have paid for in my adult life. Decent drink selection
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Review from Mickey M.
Updated - 2/17/2010
I know this is my third review of the place, but if there's one type of establishment should have multiple reviews, it's a snowtubing place. This one is for the 2010 season!
If I could post videos, I would post a video of myself hurtling down the slopes of Amesbury Sports Park screaming my head off. They've improved the hills since last winter, and now have both the conveyor belt and the pulley system working.
They've added a 'kiddie' snowtubing park, which I'm guessing the little ones like. I was a little disappointed that the park closed at 7pm on Valentine's Day, but I should've looked at Yelp before going!
It seems like every winter I go there is a new change. The summer stuff looks like it would be a blast, so I might have to come back in 6 months.2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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2/16/2009
I went here this weekend, first time this year. They've added summer tubing, which looks to be like… Read more »
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Review from Stacy A.
Somerville, MA
2/15/2010
Here is the way to get your 22 bucks (weekend rate for 3 hours) worth: Chose Lane 6. That's the one all the way to the left if you're facing the hill. It's the steepest. Link up holding feet (you spin more). Here is what will happen:
1. You will shoot off that hill like you're coming out of a cannon.
2. You will lose loose articles of clothing.
3. Man or woman, you will scream like a girl.
You can thank me later.
So, Amesbury Sports Park is a bit expensive. It's crowded. The bar area is too small and awkward for the crowd. But man we STILL had a great time. Then again, this is from the chick who would have had fun just riding the conveyor belt or the pull-rope up the hill. Wheeee!
There were lots of tubes and there were plenty of staff on hand moving people down the hills and out of the way quickly. Our three hours (punctuated by a pit stop for beer and cocoa) went by quickly. If it were a bit more economical, I'd be back several times a season.
Speaking of which, we didn't take advantage of this, but you can bring in a non-perishable food item for $3 off. -
Review from Lisa C.
2/22/2010
A big HOO-RAH for Amesbury Sports Park essentially convincing me that New England is where I want to/should live, particularly in what had become the cold and dreadful months of winter. I now seem to understand how so many of you beat the wintertime blues: you get the hell away from your S.A.D. lamps and get out into some real sunshine!
This was my first snow tubing experience EVER. I mean, we have no snow in South Florida and I don't think NYC's public transportation gets you near enough to anything as awesome as Amesbury. So, I'm standing there, watching the hill, completely inappropriately dressed as it turns out since I've not invested in snow pants or anything resembling a warm enough jacket. I'm thinking to myself, "Today is the day I'm going to die."
On the way up the conveyer belt, I'm having visions of the hysterical ways I'm going to perish: face first into the snow wall at the bottom seemed to be the favorite. Teetering on the edge, I looked down, took a deep breath and screamed worse than the toddlers in the lanes next to me. Dude, it was the funnest, scariest time EVER! EVER!!! Like even scarier than that 4AM walk along sketchy Avenue A, people! -
Review from Jules M.
Wakefield, MA
9/4/2008
What a blast! I really want to go back with a large group. It was so much fun. I heard they are getting the ones that they actually harness you in so you do go upside down. Not sure if they got that yet though.
I'm dying to go back!Comment from Meredith R. of Amesbury Sports Park 9/18/2009
We did get the harness ball, and it's incredible! The last… More » -
Review from Casey D.
Chelmsford, MA
9/27/2010
Last week I went to amesbury sports park with a bunch of friends from work. On Sundays, if you work in hospitality (restaurants, hotels) and bring your pay stub you can tube for 10$! There were a good amount if people there but the lines moved pretty quickly. In the pub inside, we also saved half off on all appetizers. It seemed like a great family place-but wasn't boring for those of us looking for a different kind of activity on a weekend night. The staff were very friendly and easy going. This park not only has winter tubing but summer tubing and something called "zorbing", in which you get into this big plastic ball with 5 gallons of water and you get pushed down the hill! Loved it-will go back especially in the summer to try something different.
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Review from Kristine M.
West Newton, MA
12/9/2007
I went here last winter to go snow tubing. It was a lot of fun. You pay by the hour. Then, these little rope things pull you up the hill, and you slide down! You can go down on your own, or hold on to a tube with friends. There is also a little snack bar thing where you can have a burger and beer. Fun place to go.
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Review from Bansi P.
Seattle, WA
12/28/2010
Went there today during christmas break... The Sports Park let in at least 150 people, charged 22$ per person for three hours and then closed the second lift so they could send their staff home early. Everyone who already paid had to wait in one remaining line during 25 degree weather or leave the park. Either way it didn't matter because the Sports Park made their money. Aside from that, I would have given the place five stars, but unfortunately will never go back again.
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Review from Ali H.
8/18/2010 2 photos
HOORAY AMESBURY! I almost fell on the floor when I found out that I could Zorb (OGO) in MA. I was starting to plan a trip for TN because I knew it would be a long time until I got to New Zealand. But I didn't have to make any crazy trips, I just drove an hour from my (former) residence to Amesbury Sports Park. I went with my boyfriend and two friends and we had the time of our lives (see Ashley P's review). Sure the cost seemed a little steep, but that's what you need to expect when you want to do an extreme sport that's only in two locations in the whole country. We tipped the guys helping us out at the OGO and we got an extra hydro ride free :D I recently moved to Miami, but I know what I'll be doing on my next visit back to MA! My boyfriend and friends did tubing too and claimed it was lots of fun. Definitely try the regular and hydro OGO's. I did the hydro with two others and it was killer! I suggest going later in the day too; it was almost empty the entire time we were there so we got through our rides without much of a wait.
