Seabreeze Amusement Park
| Seabreeze Amusement Park | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| July 2006 | |
| Location | Irondequoit, New York, U.S. |
| Website | www.seabreeze.com |
| Owner | Norris family |
| Opened | August 5, 1879 |
| Previous names | Dreamland |
| Operating season | May - September |
| Rides | 85 total
|
| Slogan | "More Smiles per hour!" |
Seabreeze Amusement Park, known locally as Seabreeze, is an historic amusement park in Irondequoit, a suburb of Rochester, New York, United States.
Seabreeze is in northeast Irondequoit, where Irondequoit Bay empties into Lake Ontario. It opened on 5 August 1879[1], and, according to the National Amusement Park Historical Association (NAPHA), it is the twelfth-oldest operating amusement park in the world (fourth-oldest in the United States). Its most celebrated ride is the Jack Rabbit, an "out and back" roller coaster, and the fourth-oldest operating roller coaster in the world (opened 1920). It is owned and operated by the Norris family, many of whom lived on the property for years.
Contents |
[edit] History
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2008) |
Like many historic amusement parks, Seabreeze did not begin with rides or attractions but as a trolley park that provided a park and picnic grounds at the end of the trolley line. With Seabreeze's prime location and with its scenic views of Irondequoit Bay and Lake Ontario, rides were added beginning in 1900.
Its popularity was such that during the early part of the twentieth century, it was often referred to as the "Coney Island of the West." The park was known as Dreamland for approximately thirty years during the post-World War II era.
[edit] Rides and Attractions
Early rides included its centerpiece carousel added in 1915. (The carousel was almost completely destroyed by fire on March 31, 1994; a new carousel of hand-made parts, potentially one of the last to be made in this way, was commissioned to replace it, using four horses that survived the fire.) Four roller coasters were added in the 1920s, including a ride called the Virginia Reel, and the "world's largest salt water swimming pool - sections of which still exist inside of a huge storage building on the south end of the property beyond the edge of the jackrabbit." [1]
Today, in addition to the carousel and the Jack Rabbit, the park includes a spinning coaster called "The Whirlwind," the "Raging Rivers" water park, and other modern and classic amusement rides.[2]
The park announced in November 2009 a new thrill ride, a Mega Disk'O by Zamperla, would be added in 2010. The ride will be named "Revolution 360°" with a width of 30 ft, length at 123 ft, height at 5 stories (47 ft),number of passengers is 24 adults,and about 30 mph.
[edit] The Jack Rabbit
The Jack Rabbit, is an "out and back" roller coaster located at Seabreeze Amusement Park in Irondequoit, New York. Opened in 1920, it is the fourth oldest operating roller coaster in the world and second oldest in the USA.[3]
It is a hard ride to learn to operate, there are several brake levers and it takes a while to learn the proper timing and sequence to accurately stop the cars at the platform.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Official Seabreeze website: History". http://www.seabreeze.com/gallery.asp?action=view&cat=6. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
- ^ "Official Seabreeze website: Coasters and More". http://www.seabreeze.com/gallery.asp?action=view&cat=1. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
- ^ "National Amusement Park Historic Association, World's Oldest Operating Roller Coasters". http://napha.org/nnn/LIBRARY/FactsFigures/WorldsOldestOperatingRollerCoasters/tabid/71/Default.aspx. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
[edit] External links
- Official Seabreeze website
- NAPHA FAQ listing historical parks and rides
- Rollercoaster database (Seabreeze)
Coordinates: 43°13′59″N 77°32′37″W / 43.233041°N 77.543542°W
