Nothing short of turning off the television can distract my sons from watching the Superman Ride of Steel or the Batman Thrill Spectacular as they provide a chorus of oohs and aahs.  After the commercial ends, I hear the usual "Can we go there?".  Imagine their surprise when they were told "Yes!". Just south of I-90, east of Buffalo, the 208 feet high Superman Ride of Steel comes into view.  Rated as one of the top 10 steel coasters in the Northeast, this is the ride we couldn't wait to try.  When the gates open at 10:30, everyone rushes to be one of the first to travel at 72 mph on a track that extends over a mile.  As we approach the top, I wonder why and as we go over the top and down that tremendous drop, I know why.  What a thrill!  When you wait in line you watch passengers as their ride ends and see the excitement on their faces.   When our ride ended, we felt that excitement (I couldn't stop laughing).  It's 180 seconds of lifting you out of your seat fun.  Thank goodness you're belted in.  We took advantage of the Parent Swap Program for this ride, where one parent can wait with a child that is not going on the ride and ride immediately after the other parent finishes the ride. Looming in the background is the 1200-seat indoor theatre that houses the Batman Thrill Spectacular.  As the lights went out our family was thrilled by the special effects, lighting, fireworks and stunt fighting as Batman saves Gotham from the Joker and other villains.  Greeting Batman after the show capped off the performance. Some of the other highlights of our visit to Six Flags Darien Lake included:

Looney Tunes Seaport, a themed area with kid rides.  This is a great area for families with younger children.

A meet and greet area where cartoon characters welcome kids and pose for pictures was very popular with young families
	Hook's Lagoon with its five story tree house water playground, lagoons, a pirate ship and water slides had us splashing around and Crocodile Island located next door was thousands of gallons of wave pool soaking amusement.
4 more roller coasters throughout the park, Grizzly Run, a white water tube ride, water slides and a wide variety of theme park rides provided for an action-packed day.
	Some of us opted for a relaxed ride in the antique cars, while others with the need for speed took some spins on the go-karts.

Shows, carnival games, shops and food venues kept us going late into the evening. We just had enough time to enjoy dinner at Beaver Brothers Lakeside Cafe before we settled in to enjoy the new "Laserblast" Laserlight Show.  Laser lights and fireworks brought out the music as we danced and sang under the stars.  The show was a great way to end a great visit to Six Flags Darien Lake.  As the show starts at 10:10 pm in the Lakeside Amphitheatre we appreciated the short walk to our on-site accommodations at the Lodge on the Lake. For more information on accommodations available at Six Flags Darien Lake go to Lodge on the Lake Turns Six Flags Darien Lake into a Resort Destination.

To view listing and contact information for Six Flags Darien Lake go to New York Family Attractions.

To view listing and contact information for Six Flags Hotel - Lodge on the Lake including the new On-line reservations go to New York Hotels and Resorts.

The Family that visited Six Flags Darien Lake to prepare this article had a great visit to the park.

We wish to thank the Six Flags Darien Lake for the pleasure of visiting this theme park for the purposes of this article.

Some pictures are courtesy of Six Flags Darien Lake.