Summer is finally upon us, with warm weather, sunshine and plenty of activities to fill the longer days. As a parent, it seems there are far too many of those activities, yet not enough of those “lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer” to accommodate them.

So, what to do? Last year my husband and I decided we would try to pack as much family fun into each weekend as possible, regardless of weather forecast, our busy schedules, the length of our lawn or even the state of our admittedly messy house.

An example of this mindset can be found in our recent weekend in the Western half of our state. We packed our car Friday night, and Saturday were on the road by 7, our eyes on the prize – a fun-filled day of thrill rides, water slides and spectacular shows at Darien Lake Theme Park.

We first checked into the Lodge on the Lake – styled after the typical Adirondack-style structure, with log beams, a fireplace and woodsy décor. The kids were thrilled to see there was not only a pool on the premisis, but a hot tub as well. After unloading our baggage into our temporary home base, we strolled over to check out the “model home” of the park’s newest accomodations – a Cabin Village located around a large communal grass area, with 18 “Brown Bear Cabins” that sleep six adults and two children. The bunk beds and loft were big hits with the kids, who loved that the cabin was right on the lake, with all of its wildlife to explore.

Just a short walk around the lake brought us to a separate entrance gate – no parking hassles for us – and we were in the park in no time. Cassidy, my little daredevil, quickly proclaimed the Mind Eraser her favorite ride.

After riding it, dangling from the track while being flipped and corkscrewed through many turns and twists, I could understand why the ride spoke to her adventurous spirit. Jacob, who is more conservative in his thrill-seeking, enjoyed the Motocoaster, which has motorcycles as cars.

We spent the morning trying out the “dry” thrill rides, then headed over to Splashtown and Swirl City for some wet and wild fun. My favorite rides were the ones we could do as a family, on tubes that fit four, or the slides which could be ridden in tandem. My husband and I also got a chance to stretch out on loungers in the sun while watching our children laugh and splash as they played in the wave pool or at Hooks Lagoon, a pirate-themed pool with water falls, slides, a treehouse structure and shipwrecks on which to climb.

After lunch, we headed back to the hotel for a quick change into dry clothes, then set about finding more fun – including a sea lion show and, at dusk and Laserblast, a laser and pyrotechnic show that was a hit with kids of all ages, featuring music from classic rock to current hits by the likes of Katy Perry and Justin Bieber.

The kids, at 7 and 9, decided to skip the Thomas & Friends Full Steam Ahead show, with children’s favorite railroad character, which worked out fine, as Cassidy decided she wanted to ride the Sky Coaster and Slingshot rides, each having to do with dropping (or slinging) from a great height and being tossed around in the wide blue yonder. Not something for the faint of heart, for sure, but experiences that brought huge smiles to their faces.

After a late dinner and the laser show were over, we took a leisurely stroll back to our room, which was much nicer than having to head to a hotel off property or making the drive back to Syracuse, though at two and a half hours, the ride is not too lengthy, especially if you think to pack books, DVDs and video games for the trip.

As we set out for home and a soccer game the next morning, we all agreed we would make this trip again, and would probably try the cabins out next time.

And so it was a mission accomplished – fun family time close to home, with something for everyone.