Family trips to amusement parks
Once a year my parents would take us kids to Disneyland, which was only about an hour away by car but expensive enough that we couldn’t go more often. My strongest memory is of waking up at dawn and trying to get our parents out of bed so we could leave right away. The actual visits to Disneyland are a happy blur of rides, color, and magic. Did your family go to amusement parks? What are some of your cherished memories of these trips?
July 18th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
I remember trips to Disneyland as magical and wonderful, but I also remember being excited to go to Fairmount Park in Riverside to ride on the carousel, the roller coaster or the tilt-a-whirl they had in their amusement park area. It was a fairly small collection of rides, but it seemed like such a luxury to have it right in our own town. We also used to go on the paddle boats, once in a great while. That was always a treat, and seemed very exotic for some reason. Now, of course, the amusement park is gone but the boat rides, which were closed for a long time, have been restored. I think I need to go back soon, and see if I can recapture some of my childhood! (By the way, if anyone else grew up in Riverside and has photos of the Fairmount Park rides I would love to see them!!)
July 18th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
My family wasn’t really huge on amusement park trips. I went with my mom, dad and sister once when I was very young to Disneyland but I don’t really remember any of it. However, my friend Jenny and I started an annual tradition that lasted for a few years of going to Disneyland around Christmastime with our moms. Also, my sister worked there for a couple of years and that made our trips more frequent seeing as we could get in for free.
As far as any other amusement parks go, my mom is afraid of heights and my dad isn’t a fan of amusement parks period so I don’t really have much of a history with that. Although my dad did take me to Knotts Berry Farm once or twice.
July 19th, 2008 at 10:58 am
When I was a kid 80 years ago I went to Palisades Park in New Jersey where we lived at the time, I remember the roller coaster and some of the smaller cheaper rides.
I remember Coney Island where I had a picture taken in the surf holding onto a saftey rope, I remember my father riding the steeple chase where only adults could ride cost $.25 cents.
Then as I grew up and had children I took them to Howes Cavern in upper New York state, I also took them to Adirondak Game Farm where the saftey officer reprimanded my daughter Cathy for running and scareing a bunch of deer.
There was also a place in New Jersey called the Magic Castle (or some thing like that).
When I took Cathy to Howes Cavern, Paul han’t been born yet so I took them both a second time, of course this was with my first wife Veronica.
I’ll post the pictures whenever I find them.
July 20th, 2008 at 12:08 am
I look forward to seeing the pictures of Howes Cavern, Ed. I love to see places from across the country, which is more interesting to me than looking at pictures of places I’ve already been myself. And do you still have that picture of you taken at Coney Island?
July 21st, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Dear Kim, I’ll have to look for them so maybe I’ll find them, I don’t think that I took pictures of Howes Cavern because it’s hard to do underground and at one time they turned off all of the lights to show how dark it is in a cave, some children cried but I was proud that Cathy and Paul didn’t they were just fascinated with how dark it was, me I was a little scared but Ronnie wasn’t.
Ive been in quite a few of the Pennsylvania caves and one in Virginia, They are all different so that’s why I like them.
July 21st, 2008 at 10:12 pm
I wish my parents had taken more pictures of us at Disneyland. How I would love to see what we looked like on our favorite annual trips, and how cool to see those old rides. I hope people will start posting a lot of old Disneyland pictures on this site so I can see if we’re in any of them. Wouldn’t that be the most amazing thing?
August 17th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
We certainly didn’t get to go to Disneyland every year even though I also lived only about an hour away. But I have some vivid memories of the times we did get to go. I think it was my first trip to the park and although I had seen a lot of the animated movies, I don’t think that I made the connection that this was magical in the same way those movies were. I remember seeing the big sign as we drove into the parking lot and suddenly I knew I was in for something BIG! Whereas I had been totally blase in the car, I now became excited as only a 5 year old can. I remember walking toward the entrance thinking I was the luckiest kid on the planet. I was so happy. My aunt, who was with us, took my hand and said “Let’s run!” and maybe it was only a couple of yards, but clearly she understood how important it was for me to get to the entrance NOW. I always think how cool it was of my aunt to recognize that need in me. Now that I’m older I also realize Walt knew a thing or two about building excitment into an entrance! The day turned out perfectly but Funny enough, I still remember the excitment I felt that morning before I even got into the park
August 19th, 2008 at 1:52 am
In the 1960’s we would go to Edgewater Amusement Park in Detroit, MI. It was close to home, not very expensive, and my Dad’s work (fleetwood) would have their yearly picnic there. It wasn’t very big but it was our Disneyland. The Roller Coaster was rickety to say the least but we rode it. What I remember most was the music being played on the load speakers, scratchy at best, of Solder Boy, Leader of the Pack, Da-Do-Ron-Ron, and all the hits of the day. And over in the picnic area some guys were always on stage doing their best Sam and Dave impersonation. Some were pretty good. But the smells of the park were just overwhelming, on the good side. The smells of all the Bar-B-Q’s in the picnic with Chicken, Kielbasa, and Ribs with sauce of course. In the vendors area and all over the park the sweet smells of childhood. Popcorn, Carmelcorn, Cotton Candy, Candied Apples, Turkish Taffy, and all the oders of a child’s life. The city. Let’s not forget the older folks with the Beer and a couple dozen or so big thick cigar’s. The White Owls and the Stroh’s. Sure does take me back to a simpler and wonderfuly warm summer Motown day. How about you?
August 19th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
You make me wish I was there right now, Johnny!