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Six Things to Ride at Lake Erie’s Waldameer Park

  Located along the banks of Pennsylvania’s Lake Erie is one of only thirteen trolley parks left in the United States. Meaning “woods by the sea” in German, Waldameer Park is the fourth oldest park in Pennsylvania and the tenth oldest park in the nation.    When you head to any amusement park, one of …

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The Blue Streak: Farewell to a Historic Roller Coaster

I’ve been trying to figure out how to write this post for the past two weeks. It’s never easy to say goodbye, even if you know the goodbye may be imminent. Those of us here in Pittsburgh know about these sorts of goodbyes all too well when we had to experience it with the closure …

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Devil’s Den at Conneaut Lake Park Let’s You Stick it to the Devil

*On January 2, 2022 “Devil’s Den Tom and his wife Arlene announced that they were stepping down as being the ride’s volunteer caretakers. No further details were provided but the tone of the Facebook post did not sound promising for the Devil’s Den remaining at Conneaut Lake Park.* I’m painfully aware of the changes that …

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The Tumble Bug: The Midway’s Classic Flat Ride

**Update: Sadly, I have to update this post to say that in the summer of 2021 Conneaut Lake Park lost their Tumble Bug when its mechanism was scrapped. The cars, however, were saved and apparently sold to a collector who has aspirations to rebuild the ride. I would love to again update this post to …

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Cascade Park’s Legacy of the Roller Coaster in the Woods

*Note: Special thanks to Fedele Musso, who took most of the vintage photos from the 1980s when the park closed. I was able to come across Mr. Musso’s photos on Ebay and purchased them for use in my own collection. While they are watermarked with the blog’s name so they cannot be stolen, they were …

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Abandoned Storyland Park in Schellsburg Pennsylvania

Note: Storyland is located on posted, private property and trespassing is strictly forbidden. Enjoy the trumpeter and statues that can be seen from the road from exactly that — the road. I’ve visited a lot of amusement parks over the years. While I love the historic value and unique rides that can be found at …

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Four Must-Do Chocolate-Themed Attractions in Hershey

If you are a first-time visitor to Hershey it’s my guess you are probably making the trip in order to experience the town’s one-of-a-kind connection to chocolate. There are tons of fascinating things to do in the Harrisburg and Hershey area, but if it is your first time in the area the chocolate attractions are …

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Idlewild’s Former Mister Rogers Neighborhood of Make Believe Ride

Tucked away in a heavily wooded section of Idlewild is a life-size tribute to the late Fred Rogers in ride form. I’m talking about Mister Rogers Neighborhood of Make Believe. During my freshman year of college in 2003, Mr. Rogers passed away from stomach cancer. I felt a special connection to Mr. Rogers, who was …

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The Fall of Aliquippa Park and Rise of the Aliquippa Works

It might surprise you that in the late 1800s and early 1900s, amusement parks were much more common in Western Pennsylvania than they are today. In fact, dozens of parks were operating all around the Pittsburgh area including Woodlawn’s Aliquippa Park located in Beaver County. I’ve written in the past about how I was shocked …

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Ivyside Park: How An Amusement Park Became a University

I’ll let you in on a little secret. When I was in college I was one of the students who would give campus tours to prospective students. One of my favorite stories to tell the families was the story of how a one-time amusement park, Ivyside Park, eventually became the branch campus of Penn State …

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