Belmont Park kicks off the spring season with new food offerings and two new rides including a sweet new spin on the beloved Tilt-A-Whirl to honor the 20th anniversary of Sweet Shoppe, the Mission Beach park’s nostalgic ice cream shop.
Guests may enjoy the thrill of whirls and twirls while spinning inside ice cream cone-themed pods on Tilt-A-Whirl. The ride consists of seven ice cream cone pods that rotate on individual tracks and are mounted on a rotating platform, allowing the cars to wildly spin in countless directions at variable speeds.
The Sweet Shoppe, opened in 1999, has sold more than 900,000 gallons of ice cream – that’s more than 27 million scoops. The shop is known for its large portions and diverse selection of flavors served in house-made waffle cones and bowls. The eatery also prepares sweet classics the old-fashioned way from hand-dipped caramel apples, hand-spun cotton candy, to chocolate-dipped frozen bananas and more.
For thrill-seeking guests, Belmont Park presents the new space-themed adrenaline drop ride, Zero Gravity, now open for spring. The ride features a circular gondola that rises, twists and drops for a true “Zero Gravity” thrill.
Other limited-time spring offerings include Spring-kled BeaverTails, a hand-stretched, golden fried whole wheat pastry, topped with vanilla icing and festive sprinkles. Or take a bite out of Sweet Spring Apples, Granny Smith apples hand-dipped in caramel and other spring toppings. At restaurants on the boardwalk, a variety of new foods will be introduced on menus throughout spring.
For more springtime fun, hop over to Belmont Park’s seventh annual Easter Bash on Sunday, April 21. The event is free to the public; however, the highly popular egg hunts on the beach are $6 per kid and sell out every year. Due to increasing demand, afternoon egg hunts on the beach are now available in addition to the morning hunts. The all-day Easter Bash event will offer a boardwalk brunch, mimosa bubbles bar, live music and free activities for children like in-park egg hunts and an Easter Bunny photo op. For tickets and details, visit belmontpark.com/Easter.   
NEW RIDE DETAILS:
 
Tilt-A-Whirl
Height – Riders must be 48-inches tall to ride alone, 48-inches tall and under must ride with a paid chaperone.
Price – $5 or 5 tickets.
Capacity – 28 guests.
 
Zero Gravity
Height – Riders must be 42-inches tall to ride alone or 38-inches tall with a paid chaperone that is at least 8 years old.
Max height 76-inches.
Price  – $5 or 5 tickets
Capacity -12 guests.