Gluten-Free Guide to Canobie Lake Park

Ruthie's Girl Scout Troop hosted their end-of-school-year bash at Canobie Lake today.  We are huge fans of amusement parks in general, and Canobie Lake in particular:  It's close by, and it has the perfect mix of daredevil rides and gentler ones for the fainter of heart.  Today was a perfect day for the pilgrimage and we all had a fantastic time.

Amusement parks tend to conjure cravings of "carnival food": pretzels, hot dogs, hamburgers, and the fatty favorite, fried dough.  Alas these foods aren't options for the gluten-free, but that never detracts from our having a good time.  Whenever we go to Canobie, we employ a few simple tactics that make each trip a memorable one:

1. Picnicking Prior to Entering the Park:  This is hardly the bucolic image traditionally associated with a "picnic."  We forego red-checkered tablecloths and wicker baskets for the hatchback of our Dodge Journey and food shoved in Market Basket bags.  We all enjoy our repast in the tar-paved parking lot of Canobie, rather than in a pastoral field. A little "Eau du White Trash" but it works for us.  Ruthie and her sister, Zoe, think that this is THE BEST PART of going to Canobie, especially since I tend not to permit eating in the car.  After we eat, we slather on sunscreen and hit the park.

2. Picking up an allergen guide: Canobie Lake's food vendor, Sodexho, offers an allergen food guide at guest services, which is our first stop after entering the gate.  The guide is very easy to read, as they break down each food booth's items by what allergens are present (they account for nuts, dairy, and gluten).  It is also takes a very conservative approach to cross-contamination.  For example, lemonade is listed as having gluten, because it is often served from the same cart as pretzels.  They also offer some solutions re: hot dogs, burgers, and sausages; specifically, that you can order them without the bun.  I did see some vendors where the hot dogs were separately grilled, so if you were to ask the server to change gloves before hand (i.e. ensuring no cross-contamination if s/he were prepping buns prior) you could foreseeably have a hot dog.

3. Taking advantage of the "return stamp": Canobie has a "no outside food" policy (hence tactic #1 above).  However, they are not totally unreasonable: they will stamp your hand and let you return to the park as many times as you would like. Given that my kids are fully vested in the idea of eating out of the back of our car, this never feels like an inconvenience to them.   

4. Plan for a treat: While the overwhelming majority of carnival food is off-limits to Ruthie, there are some items she really enjoys.  Cotton candy tops the list, with Richie's slush coming in a close second.  Of course, there is always ice cream in a cup (not a cone) and kettle corn.  We do plan for one treat stop throughout the day, and as a result, it really feels like a treat to her and Zoe.

Incidentally, our intial adventures to amusement parks coincided with Ruthie's diagnosis, hence our practices are our family's established "normal."  And as a result, we have been able to focus on the trip to Canobie for the activities it provides moreso than what we are going to eat.  Another example of our gluten-free life as the "gift that keeps on giving."