We made that mistake in 2011. There was a 30-minute wait for the chicken-finger stand, and over an hour for the "Canobie 500" mini sports-car ride. Since the mothers have to come with their children to get the deal, anything with kiddie appeal gets particularly mobbed.

I've avoided the place on Father's Day, but I imagine it's even worse.

This summer, we've had generally good luck. I went to Story Land in Glen, NH with my daughter on a sunny Monday in June and there were short waits everywhere; the longest lines were for the antique cars and the swan boats (both low-capacity, very popular rides). The Polar Coaster was a walk-on all day, so Jorie got to learn about re-riding front, back and center.

Then in July, I went to Lake Compounce with my wife on a Saturday that was supposed to be mid-90s and stormy, and had had a little rain in the morning. The weather actually turned out great, and the crowds were quite light; I think they'd been scared off. Boulder Dash was about a 15 minute wait, and some of the water slides had lines, but a lot of things were walk-on.