One of the first things you notice at Amesbury Sports Park is the staff, because everyone is friendly and smiling. This wasn’t the forced, begrudging smile of the disgruntled employee.

Everyone seemed genuinely happy to be working there, excited about the rides and about helping other people get up and down the tracks.

When Aidan was hovering on his first track, the staff assured him it was the slowest one. After they explained the not overly complicated goal of sitting in the tube, he was off, laughing and screaming as the tube carried him down the hill.

After coming to a stop, he immediately jumped up to go again. For those who feel more partial to bringing the kids and observing from afar there’s the Corner Kick Pub and full-food service.

Each track has a slightly different feel and incline. Some have small bumps and slopes, while others have dips that send you into midair for a few brief moments. Summer tubing is both exciting and relaxing. Anyone and everyone would enjoy the ride.

For someone who wants pure excitement, however, Amesbury Sports Park offers something that no other park in North America: the OGO (Outdoor Gravity Orb), an eleven foot tall, inflated sphere with another six foot sphere suspended inside it. You can choose to be strapped in the smaller sphere or to freefall in it with five gallons of water as padding. The best part of going with water is that you can take one or two friends for the ride.

Once you’ve gotten into the smaller sphere, you’re pushed down the hill on which other people are tubing. It’s like being in the very center of an enormous bouncy ball. The ball is transparent, so you can see everything as you spin and topple down the 775-foot OGO run towards a huge, inflatable wall.

The tubing and OGO rides of Amesbury Sports Park will get popular very quickly. They’re a very affordable substitute for the day trips that have replaced vacations due to gas prices. Both experiences are unique adventures and shouldn’t be missed this summer!