Do you recall any now-closed amusement parks from childhood?

[Arugula Latte]

I remember visiting my two old aunts who lived together in Youngstown, Ohio, within walking distance of Idora Park, which was closed after a fire in '84:



Also, I loved visiting Frontier Village in San Jose when I was a kid. The mine ride scared the hell out of me:



I was lucky enough to see Playland At The Beach in San Francisco before it closed (early 70s, I think.)



"Laughing Sal" was the most famous resident of Playland:

[Lars39]

1. Santa's Village and Opryland

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa%27s_Village_(Illinois)

[Fire Walk With Me]

2. Itchy & Scratchy Land.

There was some sort of malfunction or something.

[RoyGBiv]

3. Dogpatch, USA

Why it closed is rather understandable based on my memory of it. But, it's still weird to think of someplace I went when I was younger having degenerated to this.

[Arugula Latte]

5. It gives you a strange feeling, doesn't it?

Kind of a mixture of melancholy, nostalgia, and amazement at the passage of time.

[RoyGBiv]

11. Yeah ...

It rings a "can't go home again" note.

Even the parks I went to that are still open have changed so much I don't recognize them. Six Flags over Texas was this awesome place to me when I was a kid. I took my daughter there when she was young and found that Bugs Bunny had invaded. I was still pretty much a kid myself at the time, so it wasn't just the "older eyes" thing. I'd been there myself with my senior class only 8 or 9 years earlier.

<sigh>

[Joe Fields]

97. My folks would take my family to Dogpatch once a year when I was growing up.

[Inspired]

4. Riverview in Des Moines, Iowa

http://www.riverviewparkdsm.com/

[Franzia]

6. Astroworld.

:(

[Arugula Latte]

7. Was that in Houston? It sounds like it should be in Houston.

[Franzia]

14. Yes. It died due to mismanagement by Six Flags and an invasion of thugs and gangbangers.

Astroworld was operational from 1968 to 2005, and I had season passes for many a childhood summer.

When the local news showed the Texas Cyclone being demolished, I threw up in my mouth a little. It was so sad to see such an irreplaceable ride be thoughtlessly torn apart (it could not be built today due to more stringent safety regulations).

Astroworld 1968-2005 R.I.P.

[TX Screwball]

24. I loved Astroworld.

Drove by where it was last weekend and it was like a part of my childhood never existed.


Nothing was more fun than riding the Texas Cyclone after a afternoon rainstorm.


Fast.

[truedelphi]

123. That's how I feel about Riverview in Chicago - north side

It was just several blocks from where my great uncle Frank lived. After being cooped up inside his ancient house, with all the dust and worst of all, windows that weren't able to be jimmied open, the Sunday afternoons that the parents promised as the big reward was thrilling.

It had a Roller Coaster you could die on - if you ignored the signs and stood up.

And once this crazy Chicago policeman took an instant dislike to my father. He started screaming and threatened to punch him out (All we had done was stroll by the cop.) My dad had us leave the area in order to shake him, but the cop folowed. Finally my mom intervened with, "Do you understand how many men my husband killed with HIS BARE
HANDS over in Europe during the war?"
The cop got very scared and left!

My dad was embarrassed, as he hated the fact that he had to operate a Howitzer and that people had died as a result. But for the rest of the summer, when me or my friends were around, we'd add that to our little dramas - "Eat everything on your plate, or I'll kill you with MY BARE HANDS " Then we would roll around on the floor cracking up. (Probably you had to be there.)

[jobycom]

27. Mismanagement seemed to be the biggest problem.

I went there a year before it closed, and was bored silly. There weren't any big draws, and the mid-level rides were all outdated or cut-rate. I remember wondering how it stayed open then. The wooden roller coaster was cool (it was a replica of the Coney Island coaster), and some of the rides were fun, but it had the look and feel of a business venture they had already decided to stop investing in. I don't know about "gangbangers" (or even what a "gangbanger" really is), but management was the big issue when I was there.

[ceile]

82. I'm so glad I didn't see that.

I would have cried like a baby. I remember one year my sis got stuck on the Cyclone-it conked out going up the first hill. I miss that place.

[Z_I_Peevey]

71. I didn't know Astroworld was kaput!

That's very sad--I went there in the summer of 1970 when visiting an aunt. We drove all the way in from a ranch in the middle of nowhere, outside Gonzales. My favorite ride was a big black spider-looking tilt-a-whirl.

[Franzia]

94. Yep. Nothing there now except for a flat spot.

The bridge from the parking area to the front gate that crossed the 610 loop is now a bridge to nowhere, abruptly terminating in an empty field.

[TX Screwball]

119. Wasn't there a ride that was on a fake mountain?

All I remember about it was at one point the ride went into the mountain and it was air conditioned inside there.

Nice Delight during a Houston July.

Can't remember that ride's name but I liked it.

[Franzia]

124. It was called the Alpine Sleighs.

I also remember the blast of cold air as the ride went through the mountain. Very refreshing in the summer!

Here is a web site dedicated to the memory of Astroworld.

http://www.sixflagshouston.com/

[TX Screwball]

128. That's Right!

Thanks and Cheers!

[livetohike]

146. The Texas Cyclone gave me a whiplash

but I loved that old rickety roller coaster :-).

[Arugula Latte]

166. Here's a commercial from 1980 for Astroworld:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7_c7Fzteyo

[cmf]

169. RIP Astroworld :-(

I have so many good childhood memories there. Every summer I'd go with my cousins.

[Doc_Technical]

8. Another vote for Frontier Village.

http://www.frontiervillage.net/

[Arugula Latte]

109. Here's an old commercial for it (I remember seeing this one)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T62Or8Zh_w&feature=related

[KitchenWitch]

9. Excelsior Amusement Park

On the shores of Lake Minnetonka. There are now condominiums where the park used to be.

I was only there once, for my dad's company picnic. The park closed in 1973.

[yewberry]

10. Whalom Park--Lununburg MA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whalom_Park

Whalom Park...for a whale of a time...

[Dystopian]

19. I remember it well...

:hi:
My parents would bring us once a year, pack a picnic lunch because we were too poor to buy food there (I didn't know that at the time) Boloney and mustard sandwiches...and a few rides. It was heaven. I brought my children there, also. I really miss that place..

peace~

[MissMillie]

68. you grew up near me

Lunenberg wasn't far at all, maybe 20 miles

We loved to go there as kids.

I even took my son there when he was small.

[flvegan]

Aw, I didn't know Whalom was closed.

I remember that place.

[Faygo Kid]

12. Bob-Lo Island, outside of Detroit.

You took a big boat to get to the island, in the Detroit River.

They are restoring those boats now (Columbia and Ste. Clair). Which is cool.

RIP, Captain BobLo. Boomer heaven.

[Fire Walk With Me]

26. THAT'S what it was called- I couldn't remember.

I used to love the music for The Amazing Amaze.

[susanna]

41. Cool story...

I live just outside Detroit, and The Ste. Clair and Columbia were docked in my neighborhood (on the Detroit River) for a time, back about 6-7 years ago (could be more - time goes so fast). They were covered in tarps (some of them shredded by the elements) and looked for all the world like ghost ships. My husband, intrepid amateur photographer, went out and covertly entered the complex (the old Great Lakes Shipbuilding Company area) and took some photos, just before being chased off. About four weeks after he did so, we were up at Eastern Market downtown and went to an Antiques shop. I found a couple really well-done architectural renderings of the boats. We bought them, thinking it would be neat in comparison to the photos he had just taken.

Today, the pictures of the abandoned boats and the architectural renderings we found have been framed. They are hung upstairs (along with other Michigan historical photographs), and never fail to get a wave of reminisces going. :-)

on edit: clarity

[Faygo Kid]

115. Check this out: the Bob Lo boats restoration project site

My brother is a volunteer. He bought me a T shirt for Christmas last year. Lots of other cool stuff on this site, too: http://www.bobloboat.com/newvolunteer.html

[susanna]

137. Wow! Thanks!

I'm going to send this one on. Great site. :-)

[Inchworm]

62. I loved this place!

:hi:

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

101. Bob Lo

was very cool. I also lived for some years very near Edgewater Park on the extreme west side of Detroit.........the Wild Mouse was terrifyingly wonderful! :)
the video is of the Coaster though, not the Mouse.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_2jU3eyjiY

[Pithlet]

156. That's what I was going to post.

Nice to hear they're restoring the boats.

[spindrifter]

164. I loved going to Bob-lo!!

We had a big basket with our picnic and watched the huge piles of sulfur around Trenton as we sailed downriver. On the way back there was dancing to a band.

[Arugula Latte]

167. Here's a commercial for Bob-Lo Island:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NFxX8YjAGg

[MrScorpio]

171. I miss Bob-Lo

It was great for school trips

[HughBeaumont]

13. Both Chippewa Lake and Idora Park.

Wild Mouse

Big Dipper

Now in ruins.

[Arugula Latte]

38. Wow, how strange to see that.

:(

[Pool Hall Ace]

15. Oh yes -- the Enchanted Forest.

http://theimaginaryworld.com/ef.html

[Arugula Latte]

35. At first I thought you were referring to the Enchanted Forest near Salem, Oregon.

That one is still open. It has a nice, retro, easy-going feel to it, and (appropriately) it is nestled in a forest.



http://www.enchantedforest.com/enchanted_forest.html

[Pool Hall Ace]

61. That looks like great fun. I don't know why

the one in Maryland couldn't stay open. :(

[leftyclimber]

135. It's so delightfully hokey

you just have to love it. I must have gone there a million times when I was a kid.

They have all these slides that they spray silicone on so you go fast...

:loveya:

Glad to hear the Oregon one is not closed.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

126. My mom grew up a couple of miles away from the Enchanted Forest.

It was one of her favorite places as a kid.

I think before it closed it was featured in an episode of "Homicide"

[TZ]

155. I loved Enchanted Forest.

Went there quite a bit as a child.

[DS1]

16. They would never allow another Action Park to exist as I knew it

which is what made it so great.

I know there's a current park there, but it's all safetied up.

[Whoa_Nelly]

17. Wedgewood Village (OKC)

Wedgewood Village: Owner was my neighbor across the street when I was a kid

Opening Day 1958

[Z_I_Peevey]

72. We lived on Portland near Wedgewood in the early 1960s

and went there almost every weekend in the summers! We considered Spring Lake a little too ritzy for the likes of us.

[Whoa_Nelly]

125. Remember the flying cages?

Loved playing on that!
Only got them to all the way oer the top and around a couple of times.





And everyone had to go on The Tornado!
Best Roller Coaster Ever!

[Z_I_Peevey]

143. I DO remember them...wow.

Don't know where you found those pix, but thanks!

[Whoa_Nelly]

154. Here's the site...Enjoy!

http://www.picturemeonline.com/wedgewood/

[txwhitedove]

127. I saw The Who play at Wedgewood a brazilion years ago.

Also loved Frontier City and Springlake....

:hi:

[Whoa_Nelly]

140. Maurice Woods, the owner of Wedgewood, was always such a cool guy

I grew up living across the street from the Woods. Maurice built RC planes, had an awesome model railroad set up in the attic, and the best Christmas scenes in his yard. He died this past July, age 81.

RIP Maurice!
You gave so many of us such great memories!

[InkAddict]

18. Euclid Beach Park

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euclid_Beach_Park

[Arugula Latte]

37. I lived in a Cleveland suburb from '66 to '71.

I don't recall going to that one (I would have been three when it closed, so I'm not sure if my parents ever took me), but I do have very fond memories of Cedar Point.

[Tom Kitten]

20. I remember several

Freedomland USA in New York, I still remember the San Francisco Ride, that featured buildings crumbling and falling sround you and then burning (terrifying to a five year old kid)



Living in Hollywood we went to Pacific Ocean Park a few times



after we moved to Orange County we went to Santa's Village up in the mountains by by Lake Arrowhead. They had a monorail shaped like a bumblebee there!



Also, more like theme parks than amusement parks, the California Alligator Farm across the street from Knott's Berry Farm



and just down the street the Movieland Wax Museum



and down the street from Disneyland was another wax museum, the Wide World Of Wax. I went there once and remember they had a display of Lee Harvey Oswald being shot by Jack Ruby based on the famous photograph!



(on edit) I almost forgot- after we moved to Oregon we went to Pixieland once! After growing up in SoCal it was a little disappointing...

[begin_within]

21. The Pike in Long Beach, CA, Santa's Village near Lake Arrowhead, CA, Japanese Garden, Buena Park, CA

[Iggo]

176. Wow. Those were mine, too.

SoCal, baby. Yes.

[Oeditpus Rex]

22. You got two of the three I was gonna name

Frontier Village and Playland at the Beach. I still have a vague memory of getting the shit scared out of me in the Fun House 48 years ago. :)

Lars39 sorta got the third one — Santa's Village near Scotts Valley, Calif.



BWAH! Playland-Not-at-the-Beach opened a few months ago in El Cerrito, across the bay from San Francisco. :bounce:



Wikipedia: Abandoned amusement parks

[Arugula Latte]

112. Here's an old Frontier Village commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T62Or8Zh_w&feature=related

[Oeditpus Rex]

133. I must be a lot older'n you

I remember this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS4gX5Xmf5o

[jobycom]

23. Pontchartrain Beach. I still cry over that one.

The Zephyr was my first roller coaster, and one of my first challenges of nerve. :)

[TommyO]

25. Not from childhood, but as a young adult I got to visit a few that no longer exist

Whalom Park in Lunenburg, MA

Geauga Lake (Aurora, OH), before the Six Flags purchase, and again before and after the Cedar Fair purchase.

Opryland

Astroland (Coney Island)

and probably a few more that I can't remember right now.

Fortunately, there are some very good parks left out there, including one of my favorites, Knoebels (www.knoebels.com).

[sniffa]

28. Where do I start

Lincoln Park, Whalom Park, and Natasket Beach. Those are the ones I have vague memories of including the massive stuffed animal I won at Lincoln.

I don't remember Revere Beach but that may have still been around when I was born. :shrug:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

29. Traction Park!

(aka Action Park)

Now, it's Mountain Creek. They took away the things that were really dangerous, but left the heart attack inducing swing rope that drops you into an icy spring fed pool.

[Bombero1956]

30. there was Montain Park

and Riverside Park. Mountain Park opened in 1890 and closed in 1987. Riverside Park put it out of business. Six Flags bought Riverside and ruined it. Now you can't get in unless you fork over $60 and another $15 for parking.

[skygazer]

77. I used to love Mountain Park

It was close enough to home (Vermont) that we could go there regularly, it was affordable and they had some good rides - the roller coaster was great and they had that ride with the airplanes that came really close to the trees. Good times.

[Bombero1956]

151. there may still be a use for the mountain yet

It was being considered as a site for a proposed casino.

[DarkTirade]

31. Boardwalk & Baseball

in Orlando, FL.

[Kingofalldems]

32. Glen Echo

Washington, DC. Also Marshall Hall-There was a boat that would take you there via the Potomac river.

[Digit]

40. I wondered if anyone on here would remember Glen Echo...

We lived in Arlington, so we visited many times. Remember the "Laughing Lady"?

Oh, and I also took the ferry boat to Marshall Hall.
Glen Echo was more fun, though...

Thanks for bringing back some fond memories.

[kwassa]

67. Glen Echo is alive and well, just not as an amusement park.

All kinds of arts and cultural activities go on there, and we go to some of them.

The Spanish Ballroom!

[greatauntoftriplets]

138. I've been to Glen Echo.

Happy that it's still there.

[Roon]

33. Our house used to be close to an amusment park called Elitches

For years we would park at my Grandparents' house and walk to Elitches. One huge family tradition was to go to Elitches for Mother's day and after that, walk down to the local DQ for a Jack and Jill. I remember living here and every 1:30 seconds you would hear the AAAAHHHHHHHH of the roller coaster.

Elitches is gone now. The only thing that remains is the carousel and the Elitch theater back from the early 1900's...Mary Elitch used to roam the grounds riding her ostrich!! All we have now is an old folks place and I think of Elitche's every time I walk through there. I even cut through the carousal.

It was a blessing in disguise. Ever since Elitches became a 6 flags and moved downtown our crime rate has dropped and the property value has skyrocketed!! I still miss the screams every minute and a half though.

[Arugula Latte]

34. I go to Denver all the time so I have heard of Elitches.

Funny about the ostrich riding! Bizarre!

[Roon]

36. I know, isn't that nuts?

That was in the days when Elitche's was more of a garden than an amusement park.

[Arugula Latte]

39. Is the new Elitiches the one you pass on I-70?

Or am I thinking of another one?

[InternalDialogue]

44. The one by I-70 is Lakeside, which is actually as old as the old Elitch Gardens.

The new Elitch's is tucked between downtown and Mile High Stadium along I-25.

I really miss the old one. That was such a mellow, fun place to hang out, right in the middle of the city's residential neighborhoods.

[Roon]

46. It was cool...

wasn't it?

[InternalDialogue]

47. I actually was at the old site for the first time this weekend.

The first time since it was redeveloped, that is. I didn't even realize it until I saw the old carousel house.

In high school, that was at least a monthly trip for me and my friends. For about fifteen bucks, we could have a few rides, get dinner, flirt with as many girls as we could, and feel like we owned the city for a little while.

[Roon]

49. Yeah, it was fun! eom

[Roon]

45. No, the original site for Elitches

was on 38th and Tennyson. Very close to my Grandparents' duplex, where I have lived off and on for most of my adult life.

[JTG of the PRB]

48. I remember the original Elitch Gardens pretty well.

I only went there a couple of times when I was a kid, but I remember it pretty distinctly. It had such amazing gardens and old trees there, and it had a great atmosphere.

On the other hand, the new Elitch's/Six Flags/Corporate Park USA has no personality. It's just another amusement park plopped in an urban setting that just happens to have a decent view. It's too much sponsorship and concrete and no personality. I haven't been there in at least five or six years because of that.

[ogneopasno]

42. Anybody here grow up in Omaha? Remember Peony Park?

And Sprite Night? And the roller coaster? And the haunted house that was turned into an in-the-dark scrambler?

[SarahB]

65. Yes! I was just going to post Peony Park.

I've lived in Connecticut for 20+ years, but in Omaha for my first 15 years. I learned a few years back they closed the park in the early 90's. :(

[ogneopasno]

69. VERY sad. It was a great place to be, no matter your age.

The last time I was at Peony was in 1991 for the best rock concert I ever saw: House of Pain, L7 and the Beastie Boys. Awesome. I also went to Bob Kerrey's victory party there when he won in 1988.

[Kali]

43. Legend City

Tempe AZ

[Dora]

73. Yes!

[Starry Messenger]

50. Another vote for Frontier Village.

http://www.defunctparks.com/parks/CA/frontiervillage/frontier.htm



Me and dad at the trout pond.

[Arugula Latte]

52. Aw, what a cute photo.

Look at your little hat!

[Starry Messenger]

53. Thanks!

I love my Dad's sideburns in this pic too. I was so sad when this place closed. Thank you for posting the thread!

[Arugula Latte]

56. You're welcome!

I think people have strong memories of these places ... It touches something in us.

:hi:

[Arugula Latte]

108. Found this old commercial for F.V.:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T62Or8Zh_w&feature=related

[Starry Messenger]

122. I think my brother and I used to run around singing that!

Nice.

Did you see the "Now and Then" pics from the appreciation website?

http://www.frontiervillage.net/pages/nowthen.html

I know people have to live *somewhere* but man, what a depressing contrast.

[deucemagnet]

51. Rocky Glen Park

It lasted from 1885 to 1987.



Now nature is reclaiming it.

[grasswire]

54. Pixieland on the Oregon coast

http://www.pdxhistory.com/html/pixieland.html

[leftyclimber]

55. OMG I was just about to post that.

When I was about three I was infatuated with a little palomino Shetland pony named Pokey there. I named my WonderHorse after him :rofl:

[Arugula Latte]

57. I've taken my kids to a different Pixieland ... in Concord, Calif.

It's a tiny little retro-feeling park, still open:

http://www.pixieland.com/Home.html

[SoCalDemGrrl]

58. Pacific Ocean Park (POP) and Marineland in Los Angeles :(

[Arugula Latte]

170. Take a look at this old footage of Pacific Ocean Park:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ7yugaQF-0

There's nothing like an amusement park at the beach. I have fond memories of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk when I was a kid.

[Corgigal]

59. Catskill Game Farm

I think it just closed this year. I found a youtube video of that park from the 60's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc6BdvqA50c

[surrealAmerican]

111. I remember that place.

More of a zoo, really. The old home movie is pretty cool.

[Connonym]

60. when I was a kid we didn't have those fancy amusement parks

we did just fine with sticks and dirt. Now get off my lawn!

[BarenakedLady]

63. Rocky Point Park - Warwick, RI

There was even a film about it. http://www.rockypointmovie.com/



Best clam cakes and chowder evah!

[PRETZEL]

64. White Swan Park near Greater Pittsburgh Airport,

every year there was at least one picnic that we would go to.

That was such a neat little park.

http://www.yourmoontownship.com/corymoonrecord/article/white-swan-park-still-stirs-fond-memories-many+

[FedUpWithIt All]

66. Geauga Lake in Ohio was just bought and closed by Cedar Point last year.

:cry:

I have a lot of memories of my dad taking us there. Before he died (i was 11) we would go there every year for his company picnics.

Hell, Geauga Lake helped get the kids and myself through the first summer of my divorce. Season passes kept us busy during those painful days when you feel like you just cannot stop moving. The girls were 1, 3 and 8 and that park helped save me.

i am terribly sad to see it go.

[Arugula Latte]

86. We moved from Ohio when I was quite young, but I recall hearing about Geauga Lake.

Not sure if I ever went there, nor to Euclid Beach in Cleveland. I do vividly recall going to Cedar Point, though, as well as Idora Park as mentioned in the OP.

Sorry Geauga Lake is closed -- it's hard to take when you have such a strong connection to a place.

[TZ]

153. Geauga Lake is closed?

Damn. I spent some time there as a kid, along with the now closed Sea World that used to be there.

[FedUpWithIt All]

159. They left open the water rides. Everything else, including the Big Dipper...gone.

:hi:

[SoxFan]

70. Paragon Park

Nantasket Beach in Hull, Mass.

You could get there two ways. You could take the Red Line subway all the way to Quincy and transfer to a meandering bus out to the beach. Or, you could take the boat ride from downtown Boston. You know which one was a lot more fun for a kid!

[Arugula Latte]

168. Here's a tribute to it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpEsRpCiDN0

[Kat45]

173. Thanks. That brought back memories.

:-)

[Arugula Latte]

174. Sure.

:hi:

[hunter]

74. Beverly Park, at Beverly & La Cienega in Los Angeles.

My grandma would take us there. It was all kid sized roller coasters, carousels, and ferris wheels. There were working oil wells in the neighborhood too, one painted like a giant insect, complete with bobbing spring antennas.

Like so very much of my past, it was torn down to build shopping centers.

[grilled onions]

75. Riverview in Chicago

The coasters,the funhouse(s), the penny arcade, the "freak" show. They had it all. It was amusing,seedy,certainly not like DisneyWorld.I was too young to every get to enjoy the thrills at night but I would imagine it would have been even better. It was a hot spot for sailors from Great Lakes as well as the students next door to Riverview(Lane Tech).

[Silver Swan]

90. Riverview was gone by the time I moved to Chicago in 1968

But my spouse remembers it fondly.

I thought Riverview would be mentioned earlier on this post, but I guess most people are too young to remember it.

[greatauntoftriplets]

139. I loved Riverview.....

Just not the rollercoasters or the high rides.

[Ohio Joe]

76. Palisades Amusement Park

My Grandmother used to live right next to it and took us there all the time when I was a kid.

[Arugula Latte]

107. Here's an old commercial for it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMAtsyiTC-8&feature=related

[Bertha Venation]

78. No, but they might've well have closed Knott's Berry Farm.

It was charming and small when I was a kid. You could pan for gold. Now it's just like any other amusement park. All rides and cynical souvenir shops. It sucks.

[bikebloke]

79. Glen Echo Park in DC (now an arts center)

The other one was Marshall Hall down river near Mount Vernon, but on the Maryland side. You'd have to catch the Wilson Line on Main Ave to sail down there.

[Bennyboy]

80. Playland in SF!

Coming from Sacramento a trip to Playland was a couple of times a year visit. The "IT" Stand where the original "It's It" was made.

In the fun house they had these huge, wooden (highly polished) slides that we would slide down on gunny sacks. They were fast as hell. About 6 straight ones and one that kind of snaked around the funhouse.

They also had a centrifuge that was a spinning disc that would throw people off as the disc spun faster and faster. When you got thrown off you would slide across the disc, across a polished concrete floor and up against a slightly padded fence. Can you imagine the lawsuits that would happen today?

There was also a great grand carousel that had the rings you could throw in the clown mouth along with brass ring and everything. (the Grateful Dead song "Crazy Fingers" references this carousel..."Midnight on the carousel of life, reaching for the gold ring, down inside, never can reach it just slips away...but I'll try....")

I also used to love the submarine ride, where you could see sharks and stuff.

[Arugula Latte]

84. OMG! The spinning disk!

I went on that one time, when I was about six. It spun me off, and I carried a small triangle-shaped scar on the back of my hand for the rest of my childhood and most of my adolescence. It finally faded away, though, just like Playland.

[Bennyboy]

99. I used to be the KING of that thing!

I could hold on like a MOFO, even when I wasn't in the middle. Could you imagine the lawsuits that would be going on now if they still had that thing there?

[Arugula Latte]

103. Fuggedaboudit!

[BrotherBuzz]

178. !

[BrotherBuzz]

179. !

The submarine was actually a diving bell. Stocking the water with real live fish proved to be futile because they kept dying. They scrapped that plan and planted fake fish that grew enormous beards of algae- creepy!

[ceile]

81. Astroworld

Closed now. :cry: :cry:

[Bucky]

118. How could they not replace it?

Did you ever go to Peppermint Park on South Main as a kid? The one with the swoop-backed pony rides?

THAT was old school.

[lost-in-nj]

83. Palisades Park in NJ

lost

[Arugula Latte]

105. Here's an old commercial for it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMAtsyiTC-8&feature=related

[mikita]

161. well if that wasn't a trip down memory lane.....

thanks for posting that! What a hoot to hear that again. Sadly, I knew EVERY word.....

[RebelOne]

149. Thanks for posting. I was trying to remember the name of this park.

It has been many, many years since I was there when I lived briefly in New Jersey.

[whistler162]

85. Roseland Park in Canadaigua NY....

http://www.mefeedia.com/entry/3053619 not my video but a fun reminder.

The one interesting thing about the main park closer, it is now a waterpark and condos, is that the carousel was moved to Syracuse NY, where I lived, into the aptly named Carousel Mall. I perhaps should say moved back because the carousel started life at the Long Branch park that went defunct when Onondaga lake became reallllly polluted.

[Critters2]

87. Mother Goose Gardens, outside Starved Rock State Park

When we would drive from Davenport to Champaign-Urbana to see my grandparents, we'd take US 6 to IL 47 (no interstates yet). Starved Rock State Park was close to halfway, so we'd stop there and eat at the Lodge. Then we'd go to Mother Goose Gardens, which was just outside the park. We kids would get tired out at the amusement park, and sleep the rest of the way.

When I moved to this area, I asked about it and learned it was closed not long after they changed the main entrance to the park, so that people no longer drove past Mother Goose Gardens. A shame. We had some good times there.

[flvegan]

88. Lincoln Park in Dartmouth, MA

I rode The Comet once, and that was enough.

[Arugula Latte]

89. Wow ... When I posted this yesterday I had no idea so many great parks had come and gone.

Amazing.

[surrealAmerican]

114. Large numbers of them closed in the '60s, '70s, and '80.

Only the largest and most financially stable survived.

[billyskank]

91. Yes. I used to hang around one dressed as a ghost.

I wanted to depress the land value so I could buy it up cheap and turn it into a shopping mall. I would have got away with it too, if it wasn't for some pesky kids and their dog.

[Arugula Latte]

113. Ahhh, the best laid plans and all that ...

[Heidi]

92. Bell's Amusement Park, Tulsa.

:(

Also, Dogpatch USA. x(

[Z_I_Peevey]

120. What a dirty rotten deal that was.

If there was still such as thing as investigative reporting...

[WinkyDink]

93. Freedomland, in the Bronx.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedomland_U.S.A.

[LibertyLover]

95. Palisades Park

Fort Lee, New Jersey. It was great.

[Arugula Latte]

106. Old commercial for it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMAtsyiTC-8&feature=related

[baldguy]

96. Crystal Beach, Ont

http://niagaraslostamusements.freesitespace.net/crystalbeach.html

[u4ic]

116. Wow, didn't think anyone here would remember that one

Twas my answer, too.

[Sinistrous]

145. Crystal Beach was the only park I knew as a boy.

I really enjoyed taking the boat over.

The Giant. The Comet. Both good rides.

[JCMach1]

98. Six Gun Territory- Ocala Florida

Here is a link http://www.lostparks.com/sixgtown.html

This site also offers a number of other defunct Florida parks.

[newcriminal]

100. Kings Island in Ohio

We went every year when I was a kid. It's still there, but I've moved to Pennsylvania and haven't been there in 20 years or so.

[ThoughtCriminal]

102. "Abandoned Theme Park" would make a great thme

for an Amusement Park.

Went to Opryland in the mid-70's and again shortly before it closed.

[av8rdave]

104. Idora Park...

Saw Maynard Ferguson and Stan Kenton trade sets in the Idora Park ballroom in the mid 70s. Still have their autographs somewhere.

[av8rdave]

110. Ned Fenton's Fentier Village, Salamanca, NY

The remains still sit on the hillside overlooking the town.

[Bucky]

117. Two Houston classics on South Main are now gone: Astroworld & Peppermint Park

snif

[tigereye]

121. White Swan Park and West View Park in Pittsburgh

[femmocrat]

130. Is Conneaut closed, too?

I also remember Ideal Park near Johnstown and another one in Altoona... can't remember the name of it, though.

[tigereye]

134. mm, someone bought it I think, but they weren't able to keep it open,

as I recall.

[CreekDog]

129. Another vote for Frontier Village! That place was the best...

if you were a 9 year old boy. :rofl:

[mainegreen]

131. Not really a park, but still: Heritage NH.

It's sad to think that future generations of New Englanders will not be tortured by that 'fun' learning experience/park.

[RubyDuby in GA]

132. Wow! Apparently my childhood place is still open - Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, MO

http://www.worldsoffun.com/

I was a wee child of three, but there are some totally bitchin' pics of me in straight up 1977 clothes, including mom in her totally mod stuff and dad with his sideburns. Ah good times...good times...

[FormerDittoHead]

136. I grew up in Atlantic City - *STEEL PIER* - SHOWPLACE OF THE NATION.

I saw THE SUPREMES there. THE TEMPTATIONS. IT WAS ELECTRIC.

[Vanje]

141. Jantzen Beach! Right outside of Portland on the Columbia

Had a BIG wooden roller-coaster (The Big Dipper) , a penny arcade with a creepy life-size plaster gypsy fortune teller. A hall of mirrors , Spook house , ...
There was The Golden Canopy Ballroom, where my parents danced to the big bands,
Huge swimming pools with a high dive.
http://www.pdxhistory.com/html/jantzen_beach.html
http://www.pdxhistory.com/html/jantzen_beach.html
http://www.pdxhistory.com/html/jantzen_beach.html




Now theres a stupid mall there.

[Arugula Latte]

152. When my kids were little I took them to the carousel at the mall there.

I think it's the original carousel from the amusement park. ... Not quite the same, though. :(

[Vanje]

142. Thunderbeast Park , Chiloquin, Oregon

More a roadside attraction than an amusement park , I was by there about 1996. The exhibit was closed. The dinosaurs were visible , but in very sad shape. The building was a shoddy, little drygoods store with hardly any merchandise.

Now all of the dinosaurs have been torn down , except this one.
The building remains and is used for selling trucking supplies

[Tuesday Afternoon]

144. I think it was a Lakeland Park in Roanoke, Va. I think it closed.

That was a fun time. Haven't thought about that place in a Long Time.

[livetohike]

147. Rainbow Gardens - McKeesport, PA

They had a Wild Mouse roller coaster - old wooden thing - it was a nice little park.

[KittyWampus]

148. Nunleys Amusement Park & Carousel. It was right next to my high school. Needless to say,

there was little reason to go to class. Except for English cause I loved my teacher.

That Carousel was kept together and put into storage when Nunleys finally closed in 1995 and the site got turned into a Pep Boys.

It was an old hand-carved wooden horse carousel that also had two lions and chariots. It's being restored and should be into its new pavilion this spring.

Billy Joel wrote a piece of music for Nunleys Carousel.

The Ferris Wheel from Nunleys is now at Barnum Island and no longer operational.

I don't know about the roller coaster.

It also had an arcade (my only experience playing video games was Space Invader at Nunleys) and a miniature golf course.

[RebelOne]

150. Pirates' World in Dania, Florida.

[ok_cpu]

157. Went to Idora Park every summer

Timken Co had their company picnic there. Even yorked on the spider or octopus ride...

[Arugula Latte]

158. Oh, man. That ride is just vomit-inducing.

I went on one this summer at this old amusement park in Portland called Oaks Park. I thought -- "Ehh ... How bad can it be?" Well, crap ... I couldn't wait to get off that thing, and I have a strong stomach when it comes to rides, especially for a 40-something mother of two.

[A-Long-Little-Doggie]

160. Jolly Cholly's in Attleboro MA

They would give you a free ride for every A you got on your report card. It wasn't very big and the rides weren't all that great but still fun.
I loved Paragon Park at Nantasket beach, especially the roller coaster. I think I heard that they took it down and reassembled it in another park somewhere.I was able to take my kids to Whalom Park when they were little. When they were older the only place they wanted to go was Riverside/Six Flags in Agawam.

[SoxFan]

163. Canobie Lake still survives!

Somehow, they have managed to endure while Revere Beach, Paragon Park, Whalom Park, etc all fell. I'm a bit surprised Six Flags hasn't tried to either obliterate them or buy them out.

[marzipanni]

162. Laughing, or Laffing, Sal from Playland is here-

http://www.museemechanique.org/machines.html
A wonderful little museum that used to be at the Cliff House, and is now at Pier 45.
Click on her picture for a bit of her history.

[Arugula Latte]

165. Ah, they moved that, eh?

Last time I saw her was at the Cliff House.

I'll have to take my kids to Pier 45 the next time we're in San Francisco (probably in March).

[marzipanni]

175. You might want to reconsider that

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYK7xPWNgVk&feature=related

:rofl:

Actually, BrotherBuzz tells me there were dozens of Laffing Sal's across the nation. Heck, Santa Cruz Boardwalk, just down the coast from SF, has one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmM9eVue9yc&feature=related

[GoddessOfGuinness]

172. Marshall Hall

Marshall Hall:






I also remember visiting Asbury Park when I was 3 or 4. The swan boats were a big hit with me. :)

[Arugula Latte]

177. Commercial for Marshall Hall:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFHhpv-pc6c