Story Land, Lake Compounce and More Go Cashless For 2022 Season

Leave the paper and take the plastic when heading out this summer. Fenway Park recently announced its move to completely cashless this season and now several family-favorite amusement parks in New England are doing the same.

Palace Entertainment, which owns Story Land, Lake Compounce, Water Country, Living Shores Aquarium and more is making the move to cash-free at many of its theme parks this season with Story Land in Glen, New Hampshire and Lake Compounce in Bristol, CT among them.

That means starting April 30 at Lake Compounce and May 21 at Story Land, you cannot use cash for any reason when you visit this season. "All you have to do is swipe or tap to pay at any admissions office, food stand, gift shop, or park game – no digging for change to pay or waiting for cash back from our staff," the parks say on their respective websites.

This is probably good news for those who love the water rides and Sprayground area at Story Land. No more soggy money forgotten in swimsuit pockets. But for others, this could be a confusing change.

Lots of people budget their vacations and often bring the allotted amount of cash they are willing to spend along with them. Taking a debit or credit card could mean spending more than you want to, certainly not good in our current financial times.

So, why the move to cashless?

In a press release from the park, Palace Entertainment says "the switch allows for a smoother and safer experience for guests."

Eric Dziedzic, General Manager of Story Land, added, "We expect to see wait times decrease for food and retail stores, and have added several cash-to-card kiosks throughout the park to provide guests a simple and easy way to convert their cash onto a card."

Yes, you read that right. Throughout the parks going cashless, Lake Compounce, Story Land and Living Shores Aquarium, as well as several other Palace Entertainment properties in the Northeast, there will be kiosks provided in several locations. These kiosks, unlike pre-paid credit cards, allow you to change from cash to card for free, up to $500.

The parks will still accept all major credit and prepaid debit cards including MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover, as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay.

It certainly seems as if the parks have thought it all through, though park visitors will have the final say on whether this new transition makes things easier.