Down at Palisades Park

We had fun, fun, fun at the amusement park!

The Beach Boys’ ode to that famous New Jersey park, Palisades, seems a bit tame compared with all the thrills and chills of rides like the Cyclone, Wildcat and the Screamin’ Demon, but it does capture the image of the fantasy land of fun that was the American amusement park of the 1960s and 1970s. These were the days of the “thrill rides” and the expansion of “amusement parks” into elaborate “theme parks.”

A history of fun
Amusement parks, or pleasure parks, have been around for more than a century in the U.S. Experts trace the first one to the temporary Colombian Exposition of 1893. It was there where the concept of a central midway with food and vendors surrounded by rides and other amusements started.

The heyday of traditional amusement parks was in our grandparents’ time. From the turn of the century through the late 1920s, amusement parks cropped up coast to coast in cities large and small. Unfortunately, many of the early rides were made of wood and fire was a constant threat. The amusement park industry was hit hard by the Depression and then by the austerity of WWII.

After the war, the fate of the industry seemed sealed as more and more of the old parks were torn down to make room for expanding suburbs. But, wait! A few marvelous things happened to save the amusement park as we know it. Enter Walt Disney.

Hooray for Walt!
Cartoonist Walt Disney, turned his dream of a themed fantasy land into a reality in 1955 with the birth of Disney Land in Anaheim, California. Disney’s dream marked the end of the old-style amusement park and the beginning of “theme park” era. Unlike their mature predecessors designed for adult thrill seekers and young lovers, the theme parks were designed for the biggest audience around at the time—kids!

Large, sprawling parks sprung up all over the country such as Six Flags over Texas opening in 1961 (and later over Georgia and over Mid-America) all the way up to 1972 with the birth of Kings Island Amusement Park in Ohio. At the same time, some of the smaller and older parks revamped to capture the young audience. Mini parks, water parks and kiddie lands sprung up in older venues but also in shopping centers, drive-in movie theaters, fairs, beach areas and boardwalks.

Boomers remember
Most boomers have fond memories from the little merry-go-round outside the grocery store to the monster rollercoasters and fun houses in fantasy lands called “Aladdin’s Castle” and “Pirates Cove.” Many of those parks are still out there.

Now we take our kids or grandkids and watch them discover the thrills and chills for the first time. We can still go along “for the ride” and many of us still do. Here’s to a big splash on the log flume!

—Betty

Did you know:

Early electric companies charged trolley companies a standard monthly fee regardless of how much electricity they used.

A lot less people used the trolleys at night or on weekends, so the trolley operators looked for ways to get people to use the trolleys during slow periods.

From this, the "trolley park" was born — amusement parks created at the end of the trolley lines built to attract weekend riders.

While they made the song famous in 1962, the Beach Boys didn't write Palisades Park. It was written by Chuck Barris of Gong Show fame.

Check out these amusement park links:

Amusement Park History

National Amusement Park Historical Association

Ultimate Rollercoaster

Boom me back to the main archives page!