Bristol amusement park Lake Compounce will have a new look this season, as the park expects to mostly complete a multimillion-dollar construction and rebranding project by its May 8, seasonal opening day.
Lake Compounce, which first opened 175 years ago, is undergoing a makeover that includes updates to its main gate and entry tunnel, a new custom burger restaurant called Timber Jack Chow House ‒ in place of the erstwhile Parkside Diner ‒ and a new waterslide called the Venus Vortex, spokesperson Paige Schmitt said.
The bulk of the work should be done when Lake Compounce opens in early May, Schmitt said, but parts of the project like the Venus Vortex won’t be complete until Memorial Day weekend. Construction on the waterslide began before COVID-19 , but was delayed amid the pandemic, Schmitt said. Most other construction began at the beginning of this month.
Lake Compounce is gearing up for a season that hopefully won’t be hampered by COVID-19 like last year, Schmitt said.
“It’s been a tough road, last year we were only allowed to open at a 25% capacity,” Schmitt said. “Nobody knew what we were dealing with.”
Schmitt didn’t disclose Lake Compounce’s annual revenue.
Beginning April 2, amusement parks in Connecticut will be allowed to open at 50% capacity with a cap of 10,000 people, as part of an easing of restrictions by Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration.
Lake Compounce had previously expected it would open Memorial Day weekend, but will start hosting customers about a month ahead of that, Schmitt said. The park is currently hiring for its approximately 1,400 seasonal positions.
