Amusement parks nowadays are all flashing lights, branded merchandise, and high-tech animatronics. Back in the day, they were built out of wood and prayers. Even in the days before stringent safety requirements, people flocked to amusement parks in droves.
Some of these rides look really fun, and others I wouldn’t touch with a thirty-foot pole. Regardless, everyone is having a great time in these vintage photos.
Let these pictures transport you back to a time before Disney owned every company in the world and when, if you put your hands up on a roller coaster, you might fly out of the seat.
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A woman eating a hot dog at an amusement park in 1952
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Cedar Point’s Scenic Railway roller coaster, Ohio, circa 1920
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The Giant Coaster at Paragon Park, billed as the largest roller coaster in the world, Hull, Massachusetts, circa 1920
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Onsen Amusement Park and Tamagawa Station, Tokyo, Japan, circa 1930
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The Dipper roller coaster at Playland, 1946
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Tibidabo Amusement Park in Barcelona, Spain, 1936
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Park-goers at Pleasure Beach amusement park in Blackpool, England riding the Tumble Bug, circa 1930s
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A view of the beach and boardwalk from Coney Island’s Steeplechase ride, circa 1940s
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Crowds at Playland, 1932
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The Seaplane ride at Playland, 1932
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The Giant Whirl at the Playland amusement park in Seattle, 1932
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A couple standing outside the Tunnel of Love at the New Jersey Palisades Amusement Park, 1949
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Women riding the Tilt-A-Whirl at Knoebels Amusement Park in Pennsylvania, circa 1920s
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George “Tornado” Smith clips his pet lioness’s claws at Kursaal Amusement Park in Essex, England, 1936
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The Jackrabbit roller coaster in Kennywood Amusement Park, Pennsylvania, 1938
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Woman poses with a stuffed ape at Rockaways Playland, 1950
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‘Parachute Jump’ ride at Coney Island, 1952
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A family all dressed up to go to Coney Island Park in Havana, Cuba, circa 1955
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Bumper cars at Palisades Amusement Park, 1956
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A funhouse mirror at Palisades Amusement Park, 1956
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Two women at Rockaways Playland, 1953
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The Princesses of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway riding the teacups together at Disneyland in 1960
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Two models on the carousel at Rockaways Playland in Rockaway Beach, NY, 1950