The kids were pumped but the skies were not looking very promising. Still we loaded everyone into the car and headed out to Bromley Mountain for what ended up being a great summer day filled with thrills at Vermont’s largest fun park. The Sun Mountain’s summer destination park is divided into three main areas all within a super family-friendly space. Our little party consisted of myself, husband, and our two kids who were both under 48 inches tall. I mention the height because this is the threshold height for some of the rides. However, we still had plenty to keep us busy. We arrived early and stayed until closing!
The Mountain Adventure Park is THE spot for family fun and it all sits below the triple track Alpine Slide. From the endless rides on the bumper boats, to the super air slide and bounce houses, to my kids’ favorite the trampoline “thingy”, this part of Bromley held hours of fun for my family. There’s a small zipline for kids, a giant swing, rock climbing wall, mini golf, water slide, and too many more items to list. The best part is that all of this is found within a manageable footprint.
The Alpine Slide is one of the big highlights at Bromley during the summer and is a full 2/3 of a mile long! Take the scenic Alpine Chairlift midway up the mountain where you’ll find three tracks with varying ability requirements. We each rode with one of our kids as those under 48 inches need to ride with an adult. This wasn’t a problem as the kids used the gears and squealed with glee with each turn and increasing level of speed. The whole experience takes about 20 minutes but the chairlift lines can get long so try to get in some runs earlier in the day before it gets really crowded.
Not to be missed is Bromley’s own Aerial Adventure Park where five separate courses of ziplines, bridges, and nerve wracking elements (65 in total) await. The courses are color coded by level of difficulty and I will admit, I was a bit apprehensive on how I was going to maneuver my short legs through the elements. For $45 you get an introduction on how to use the harness system and then 2 1/2 hours in the Aerial Park. You can try all five courses if you’re up to it! Kids and family members can walk the course while you are harnessed above but try to avoid having them encourage you (like mine did) from below. Having my nearly seven year old yell, “Mom, it’s not that hard!” wasn’t helping my jitters, but the whole experience was super fun and definitely challenging.
The Sun Mountain Flyer was something I was really curious about while skiing this winter at Bromley because the platform is stationed year-round. If you enjoy walking up about three flights of stairs, being strapped into a deep seat, and leaning forward on a gate that at any second will open and send you down a 700 foot drop at top speed, you definitely need to ride the Sun Mountain Flyer. You’ll need to purchase a separate ticket for this thrill ride. The cost is $20 per ride, or $15 if purchased with the Mountain Adventure Pass. This is another ride where the lines can get long so plan ahead and try the Sun Flyer Mountain early in the day.
You can buy tickets for other individual rides within the Mountain Adventure Park at $3 per ticket, but if you or your kids plan on going on more than 2-3 rides, I would recommend getting an all day pass. The all day pass costs $25 for kids under 48 inches and $45 for bigger kids and adults. The best value if you want to experience all of Vermont’s Sun Mountain in the summer, is to purchase the Triple Play Pass which includes all of the above parks for $69.
Food is available for purchase and the quintessential summer edible, ice cream, is also in bounty at the Sun Mountain Ice Cream Shop. If you have kids old enough to explore on their own, grab a beer at the outdoor bar, find an Adirondack chair, and enjoy a gorgeous summer day in Vermont.
Bromley’s Adventure Park is open daily through September 1 and weekends through October 13.
Tips for Visiting Bromley’s Summer Adventure Park
Bring a cooler and picnic under one of the many shaded picnic tables scattered throughout the Mountain Adventure Park.Use one of the complimentary wagons to cart your family’s gear around.
Bring a bathing suit and towel for the Big Splash Waterslide.
Use the single person bathrooms in the ice cream shop to change clothes (much bigger than the regular stalls).
Forgot to bring water? Bromley has coolers of crisp, cold water scattered through the park.
Invite the grandparents to come along! Anyone can enter the park for free but only those with a paid wristband or tickets can use the rides so bring along a support network.
Don’t fret about parking. It’s free and easily accessible from the mountain park– plus the whole area is stroller friendly.
Last, but probably the most important for moms and dads, the best ticket deals can be found online when purchased in advance. Not only are the individual park passes discounted, but when you buy 3 Mountain Adventure passes the fourth one is FREE! Check out Bromley’s online sales here for more details.
Adrienne Veglia Mazeau is the mom of two school age children, and loves taking them on adventures with her attractively geeky archaeologist husband. She writes about balancing a demanding full time career and family travel both close to her home in Upstate New York and beyond.
Although currently on a hiatus from blogging, her writing strives to inspire others balancing family and demanding careers to carve out time to travel together. Adrienne began skiing at age 12, but lost touch with one of her favorite pastimes when her career and family demanded much of her time. Now many years later, she is back on the slopes again and teaching her children to embrace winter and develop a love of skiing.
Is Bromley Mt. holding an summer concerts, or bands that play regularly? What is the schedule?
Thanks!