Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park™ Western New York

Wow, what a delightful experience at this overpriced disaster of a place! Dropped a fortune just to shiver in water so frigid it could double as an Arctic plunge—on a 90-degree day, no less! My teeth were chattering louder than a jackhammer. Golf carts? Might as well have rented a Ferrari for what they’re charging. The bounce houses? Oh, just charming with blood splattered everywhere like a horror movie set. And let’s not forget the rusty screw my kid stepped on at the bottom of the water slide—super safe and totally not a lawsuit waiting to happen. Understaffed? You bet—probably because everyone quit after seeing the state of this place. The ponds? Barren, unless you count the two sad fish circling in despair. Save your money and sanity—steer clear of this icy, overpriced nightmare. Never coming back, and I’d rather swim in a freezer than give this dump another dime.

We stayed in a premium cabin. Very well stocked with dishes, silver, cooking utensils, coffee maker, toaster and cookie sheets. The beds are a ‘short queen’ not actual queen and not the most comfortable but for only a week vaca, they were sufficient. The water was hot, the shower pressure was good. Be sure to book your golf cart early, the walking isn’t terrible but if you have bad feet or knees, you will definitely appreciate it. The activity list is a bit disorganized. Many of the activities did not happen because they were missing supplies. Double check the list with a person in the rec center before you get the kids excited about something. The activities that did go off were fun! Movie night was also fun. Do not miss the Hayrides! We went 5 times in our week. The grandkids loved it, sang the songs the whole way home! Bingo games are fun, candy bar bingo, you bring one per card to play, and if you win you get a nice stash of chocolate. The other bingo is Slushie bingo, if you win, you get a slushie!! Staff is very helpful, if there is a problem, ask to speak to someone to get it fixed! Some of the stuff (gem bags, arcade, some ceramics), were a bit overpriced, but it’s vacation. The worst part was….the pizza oven was broken!

We arrived on a Thursday and found check-in to be quick and painless. We were given a map of the park with the schedule of events and drove in to our campsite. We were with three other families- one other with a campsite and two with cabins. The sites were clean and ready when we arrived, as were the cabins. The kids took off on their bikes to explore while we set-up. Later that evening the kids went finishing and to our surprise caught multiple nice- sized bass and even won the biggest fish contest. I am thinking the pond must be stocked this year because we have never caught anything but minnows in nets the other years we have been there. We used hot dogs- I think it gave us an edge over people using worms and lures. Once again, this is a property where it may benefit you to rent a gold cart. We walked everywhere, but would have been nice several times. We also stay in the center of the park. If you choose to stay at one or the other, you could have a LONG walk, uphill in your future, depending on what you want to do. Bring a wagon, if you don’t book a golf cart ahead of time. They were out when we checked in. The water park was in TOTAL working order for the first time in many years. The kids had fun. Be warned, they check for wrist bands given at check-in now. The food also moved from the top of the property to nearby the water park. We ordered food two days and while it took some time, it was worth the wait. They give you a pager so you can return to the beach/water park while you wait. One thing to suggest, the menu should be handed out with check-in paperwork. We had no idea what was offered until we walked up to building and saw menu on taped to counter. The inflatables are back and by far what my kids (8 and 14) loved the most. Tip: if you bring your own life vest, you won’t have to wait when it gets busy. They had live music on Saturday which was nice and the ice cream station by the water park was open late afternoon. I do. Wish they had more activities for older kids, many seemed very juvenile and were nothing my kids were interested in after biggest fish contest. I think there is work that could be done here. The kids took advantage of the mini golf and the pool, although pool is advertised to be heated, we had a hard time believing that as was COLD. Also had new paddle boards to borrow and kids had fun with those as well. I will also give a nod to the employees- MUCH more attentive and hard working compared to what we encountered last summer. We had a great time overall and kids did not want to leave. We have already booked for next summer.