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You are probably familiar with Disneyland, Six Flags, and other theme/amusement parks that dot the country's landscape. But, did you realize that this type of park started years ago around the year 1550? That is when places that were called "Pleasure Gardens" were first built in Europe. THese gardens were filled with games, music, and the first amusement rides. Finally, political problems caused many of the gardens to close down in the 1700's. Amazingly, one of these parks remains in existence today. It is called "Bakken" and it is located north of Copenhagen. It was originally opened in the 1580's. It is undoubtedly the world's oldest amusement park.
The number of rides continued to grow and become bigger when, in the sixteen hundreds, the Russians built a ride which used a sled on which to ride, and a long, icy slide. This ride is said to have evolved into the ever-popular roller coaster. An innovative man by the name of LaMarcus A. Thompson created what he called, "The Switchback Gravity Pleasure Railway" at the end of the 1800's. This was considered to be the first roller coaster in America. However, Lina Beecher created America's first vertical roller coaster in Toledo, Ohio a few years later.
Following the roller coaster was George Ferris who unveiled his wheel ride at the Chicago Columbian Exposition. The Ferris Wheel stood over two hundred and fifty feet high and it amazed young and old alike!
Amusement parks continued to grow in popularity with the invention of more and more rides. New York's Coney Island had started up in the 1870's, and their rides and games entertained a countless number of visitors.
An amusement place called Water Chutes Park was opened up for business in Chicago in the late 1800's. Its founder was Captain Paul Boynton. It was the first park that was actually enclosed. To gain admittance, visitors had to pay a charge. Boynton's park also had a midway full of games and other attractions. Unfortunately, the Water Chutes Park's history is short as it only lasted for about twelve years until it closed its doors. Boynton went on to open up his popular Sea Lion Park at Coney Island, though.
Then, in the early 1900's, Luna Park opened up at Coney Island too. By 1910, there were an estimated two thousand amusement parks in existence. Unfortunately, the public lost interest in the next five to ten years, and many parks were shut down because of economic conditions. The crash of the Stock Market in later years did not help either. More amusement parks were forced to close down.
Today, there are many theme/amusement parks in operation. Disneyland has enjoyed continued success since its beginning in the late 1950's. Six Flags in Texas was opened a couple of years later, and it continues to attract fun-seeking visitors. You can also visit Cedar Point which is located in Sandusky, Ohio, Dorney Park in Allentown, Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania, MGM Grand Adventures in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Universal's Islands of Adventure which is located in Orlando, Florida.
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