defunct parks
Apr 3rd, 2004, 05:18 PM
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Favorite amusement park was Bob-Lo Island. . .usually included a paddleboat ride on the Bob-Lo boat. . .unless you went Amherstburg way. . . remember the Captain. My Mother, now deceased, used to talk about Jefferson Beach and Edgewater...
Apr 3rd, 2004, 05:22 PM
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Action Park in Northern NJ! I used to go there often as a teenager, and usually one of our group wound up in first aid for some injury or another (those alpine slides - whoa!). It wasn't the safest place...you often heard of people getting injured or killed. Probably why it closed down.
Apr 3rd, 2004, 05:43 PM
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This could be an interesting thread.
Growing up in Louisville, KY, in the 50's and 60's, every summer my family made a trip to Fountaine Ferry Park in the city's West End, on the banks of the Ohio River. It was something I looked forward to all year long. My favorite thing there was Hilarity Hall, a fun house with many attractions, including the sedate Angel Slide, and the daring Devil Slide, wooden slides where you climbed a staircase to the top, wrapped a burlap sack around yourself, and pushed off. The Devil slide was pretty much a straight drop down, and a real thrill for a young kid. I remember that there were air holes in the floor throughout the fun house, and an operator would wait for an unsuspecting female in a skirt to stand above one, then give a good dose of pressurized air, lifting her skirt and giving her a surprise. Pretty risque for the times.
This park was in the part of town that became predominately African-American, and shut down in the late 60's, I believe a victim of segregationist policies and an unwillingness to adapt to integration (and, sadly, the fears of the white clientele to venture into what they considered to be an unsafe part of town). It's a shame that what was a wonderful and historic park (built in the late 1800's, I think), which provided a lot of fun to several generations, was shut down and was razed, rather than be inclusive to all.
I have many very fond memories of Fountaine Ferry, including riding the wooden roller coaster, The Comet; probably tame by today's standards, but I thought it was pretty exciting - I remember the wonderful view of the Ohio River over the trees at the top, before the first plunge. I hadn't thought about this in years, thanks for asking, and bringing back some pleasant memories!
Growing up in Louisville, KY, in the 50's and 60's, every summer my family made a trip to Fountaine Ferry Park in the city's West End, on the banks of the Ohio River. It was something I looked forward to all year long. My favorite thing there was Hilarity Hall, a fun house with many attractions, including the sedate Angel Slide, and the daring Devil Slide, wooden slides where you climbed a staircase to the top, wrapped a burlap sack around yourself, and pushed off. The Devil slide was pretty much a straight drop down, and a real thrill for a young kid. I remember that there were air holes in the floor throughout the fun house, and an operator would wait for an unsuspecting female in a skirt to stand above one, then give a good dose of pressurized air, lifting her skirt and giving her a surprise. Pretty risque for the times.
This park was in the part of town that became predominately African-American, and shut down in the late 60's, I believe a victim of segregationist policies and an unwillingness to adapt to integration (and, sadly, the fears of the white clientele to venture into what they considered to be an unsafe part of town). It's a shame that what was a wonderful and historic park (built in the late 1800's, I think), which provided a lot of fun to several generations, was shut down and was razed, rather than be inclusive to all.
I have many very fond memories of Fountaine Ferry, including riding the wooden roller coaster, The Comet; probably tame by today's standards, but I thought it was pretty exciting - I remember the wonderful view of the Ohio River over the trees at the top, before the first plunge. I hadn't thought about this in years, thanks for asking, and bringing back some pleasant memories!
Apr 3rd, 2004, 08:25 PM
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Beverly Park which was a little amusement park in Los Angeles. There was a ferris wheel, bumper cars and pony rides just a few blocks from my house. Unfortunately, it is now the Beverly Center (Mall).
Apr 3rd, 2004, 08:35 PM
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Wild Country Safari I think it was in Orange County.
My family went a couple of times when I was little. Kind of like the Wild Animal Park, but people drove through in their cars along a path. Why is it defunct? Too many people wanted to hop out and take a quick picture with the lions or rhinos or some other wild dangerous animal in the backround. LOL.
My family went a couple of times when I was little. Kind of like the Wild Animal Park, but people drove through in their cars along a path. Why is it defunct? Too many people wanted to hop out and take a quick picture with the lions or rhinos or some other wild dangerous animal in the backround. LOL.
Apr 3rd, 2004, 08:39 PM
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Frontier Village in San Jose, California.
You'd never find a park like this in today's politically correct world. The highlight of any visit was the shootout at high noon (or every half hour during summer months!)
Once the bad Bart was gunned down by the Sheriff, the lawman would pick out some lucky kids from the crowd to help load the body in the undertakers wheel barrow.
SandyP - I remember Wild Country Safari - I've got some Super 8 home movies of that place my family visited as a kid. Glad to say that we all stayed in the car - though we had no air conditioning in those days so it was a HOT ride through the park.
You'd never find a park like this in today's politically correct world. The highlight of any visit was the shootout at high noon (or every half hour during summer months!)
Once the bad Bart was gunned down by the Sheriff, the lawman would pick out some lucky kids from the crowd to help load the body in the undertakers wheel barrow.
SandyP - I remember Wild Country Safari - I've got some Super 8 home movies of that place my family visited as a kid. Glad to say that we all stayed in the car - though we had no air conditioning in those days so it was a HOT ride through the park.
Apr 3rd, 2004, 09:02 PM
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Santa's Village. It was around the Santa Cruz area. I had great memories of that place as a child. I don't know how long it has been closed, but it sure was a cute little place. Maybe J Correa knows what I'm talking about! ***kim***
Apr 4th, 2004, 03:59 AM
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Nantasket Beach in Massachusetts. I think I only went twice. We took a boat from Boston. The last time I went I was a young teenager and a friend's family invited me along. My friend and I danced the whole trip thanks to some elderly ladies who kept feeding the juke box for us.
Pleasure Island used to be in Wakefield MA. Back in the day, the big companies like Raytheon and Honeywell used to have a family outing there. There was no limit to how often we went on the rides.
I was very disappointed that the amusement park at Opryland was torn down for a shopping mall.
Pleasure Island used to be in Wakefield MA. Back in the day, the big companies like Raytheon and Honeywell used to have a family outing there. There was no limit to how often we went on the rides.
I was very disappointed that the amusement park at Opryland was torn down for a shopping mall.
Apr 4th, 2004, 04:53 AM
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Yes, this Boston girl remembers Pleasure Island (where my parents took me a coule of times as a youngster), Paragon Park at Nantasket Beach (a summer hangout in my teens, thanks to the portable studio with our favorite DJ, Juicy Brucie Bradley), and still earlier, Norumbega Park (in Newton?).
Apr 4th, 2004, 05:58 AM
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Rainbow Springs in Central Florida. It was built around the most beautiful spring on the land that the original Tarzan movies were filmed (Weismueller). Rather than glass bottom boats that you had to look out the bottom, their boats were submerged and you looked straight out at 500 pound fresh water bass! Incredible. I can still remember one particular guide who would say "the brim, the perch, the bluegill, the carp, and the bass! and look and all the fish!" over and over again.
Rainbow Springs also had these individual leaf monorails that moved through the park and the trees about 25 feet off the ground. We have movies of us as kids hanging off the front and sides (how's that for safety? and we never gave it a thought, nor did our parents...)
Rainbow Springs also performed daily rodeos. We liked it better than any other attraction in Florida in the mid-60's including Silver Springs, Busch Gardens, Cypress Gardens, Six Gun Territory (another favorite defunct), etc. They built condominiums there about 25 years ago!
Rainbow Springs also had these individual leaf monorails that moved through the park and the trees about 25 feet off the ground. We have movies of us as kids hanging off the front and sides (how's that for safety? and we never gave it a thought, nor did our parents...)
Rainbow Springs also performed daily rodeos. We liked it better than any other attraction in Florida in the mid-60's including Silver Springs, Busch Gardens, Cypress Gardens, Six Gun Territory (another favorite defunct), etc. They built condominiums there about 25 years ago!
