New Jersey tops a Cracked list of amusement rides

[Rune Blackwings]

http://www.cracked.com/article_19302_the-6-most-terrifying-theme-park-rides-ever-built.html

[3RDegree_Robert]

I went to Action Park all the time. I very much remember the Alpine Slide and Tidal Wave Pool. I did marvel at how there were no seat belts or you didn't really need to wear them on the Alpine Slide. I also remember well, not being a strong swimmer-almost dying in the Tidal Wave Pool. Now it's Mountain Creek for skiing (formerly Vernon Valley)

[WHORG]

My Dad rode the "Lightning" in Revere Beach back in the 1920's when he was young - - - he said that several adults actually cracked ribs - and there was a nurse at the end of the ride.

His description was that the first drop was WAYYY to steep, then everything after that was a blur.

Fuck yeah !!!

[nosebone]

Great link, thanks.

I've always been fascinated by dangerous amusement park rides.

Dark rides also, http://www.dafe.org/

[JKL2000]

I went to Action Park all the time. I very much remember the Alpine Slide and Tidal Wave Pool. I did marvel at how there were no seat belts or you didn't really need to wear them on the Alpine Slide. I also remember well, not being a strong swimmer-almost dying in the Tidal Wave Pool. Now it's Mountain Creek for skiing (formerly Vernon Valley)

I once found a really funny web site full of reminiscences about how dangerous Raceway Park was, and how all the water was freezing cold. I never went there, but I remember the radio spots. I did go to Palisades Park once, but it was just to go in the big wave pool.

I grew up going to Rye Playland, and in fact I took my kids there last summer and plan to go again soon. Nosebone, thanks for the dark rides link. I love those rides too. Rye Playland has three great ones, The Flying Witch, Zombie Castle, and Ye Old Mill. The first two are so old and in such bad shape that they're hilarious. Add in the focus on torture scenes and it's really weird. Metal skeletons of the figures, rags hanging off, flailing spasmodically. It's less about being scared and more laughing at the state of disrepair.

Ye Old Mill is in better shape as it was refurbished fairly recently. Also, you ride in a boat, which is nice, and the whole thing has a "dwarves mining gems" theme, with some trolls and a dragon. Pretty cute, though it was a bit too scary for my younger son last year. He still has conflicted feelings about it. Scarred for life, but in a good way.

The Dragon Coaster at Rye Playland was my first rollercoaster - rode with my Dad, and now it's my older sons first and he rode it with me. So that's cool.

Of course I love The Cyclone too - rode that once six times in a row!

For some reason I can't access the Cracked site...

[ronmac]

Hilarious article!

[nosebone]

I grew up going to Rye Playland, and in fact I took my kids there last summer and plan to go again soon. Nosebone, thanks for the dark rides link. I love those rides too. Rye Playland has three great ones, The Flying Witch, Zombie Castle, and Ye Old Mill. The first two are so old and in such bad shape that they're hilarious. Add in the focus on torture scenes and it's really weird. Metal skeletons of the figures, rags hanging off, flailing spasmodically. It's less about being scared and more laughing at the state of disrepair.

Ye Old Mill is in better shape as it was refurbished fairly recently. Also, you ride in a boat, which is nice, and the whole thing has a "dwarves mining gems" theme, with some trolls and a dragon. Pretty cute, though it was a bit too scary for my younger son last year. He still has conflicted feelings about it. Scarred for life, but in a good way.

The Dragon Coaster at Rye Playland was my first rollercoaster - rode with my Dad, and now it's my older sons first and he rode it with me. So that's cool.



I grew up going to Playland in Rye also!

Ye Old Mill must be at least 70 years old.
A young boy died a few years ago in that ride after standing up in the boat, hitting his head and drowning .

Do you remember Laugh in the Dark and the Funhouse ?

They both burned down in a late 70s fire.

The Dragon Coaster was my first rollercoaster ride also.

That first hill still kicks!

[Jefferson James]

For some reason I am fascinated with amusement park ride accidents (http://www.rideaccidents.com/), and I can't resist those little mom-and-pop "fairs" that come around here routinely, the ones with a crappy little rollercoaster or a Scrambler, maybe some flying swings. I love those cheap, old, worn-out, due-for-mechanical-failure-soon rides assembled by -- in my mind -- meth-mouthed carnies on their fifth day of a binge. "Every one a winner!"

[izz_brian]

I grew up going to Playland in Rye also!

Ye Old Mill must be at least 70 years old.
A young boy died a few years ago in that ride after standing up in the boat, hitting his head and drowning.

That was awful. I know that family; what a devastating tragedy. I have to admit to being fascinated by these things, too. In our litigous society, it's a shock that these shoddy rides go on in their dilapidated states. I imagine there's a safety board that inspects amusement park rides, but maybe not. I was an Action Park attendee back in the day, and am lucky enough not to have sustained any injuries. I did, however, hop off a line for a ride that just looked remarkably unsafe. I don't think all the reports of injuries had quite reached the general public at that time, but even as a kid I thought, "How in blazes are they getting away with all this?"

[JKL2000]

^ I heard the kid got out of the boat, and that he got caught in the mechanism that pulls the boats and that's how he drowned. Either way, terrible.

I do sort of remember Laugh in the Dark. I always heard there was a fire there in the 70s, which resulted in deaths, but never knew the details.

Yeah, the Dragon Coaster is still a good ride!

[ffroyd]

LOL Action Park!!! I remember that place well. People nicknamed it "Traction Park" because if you went there enough times that's how you would end up. I went to boarding school about 5 miles down the road from that place but only went to the park a couple times. I remember that frightening loop-de-loop thing at the park but I never remember it being open. I remember this one water ride where you got on this plastic mat-like thing, slid across this narrow plank and just dropped about 25-30 feet into a pool that wasn't deep enough. I think they just intended on hurting people. The people that worked there had absolutely no concern for the customers. I think the lifeguards were only there to pick up chicks and unlike that article states I don't remember there being 12 of them at the wave pool, at the most there was 2 and the pool was always way too crowded. There was also some kind of twisted bungee slingshot that just looked like whiplash waiting to happen. As much bad publicity as it got, the safest ride in the park was probably the Alpine Slide and that was a nightmare. I still have marks on my knees from that ride...Ah memories!!!

[izz_brian]

I remember this one water ride where you got on this plastic mat-like thing, slid across this narrow plank and just dropped about 25-30 feet into a pool that wasn't deep enough.

THAT was the one I was referring to!! LOL - the one I actually left the line over. Man, everyone behind me on the ladder had to go back down so I could get off...they were pissed, but I didn't care! I wasn't going to risk that.

[Rune Blackwings]

Great link, thanks.

I've always been fascinated by dangerous amusement park rides.

Dark rides also, http://www.dafe.org/

I love dark rides! I wish that the ones from when I was a kid were still around because my parents would not let me ride them then (too young).

Bridgeton has a rather interesting connection to dark rides: Pretzel Amusement Rides started in Tumbling Dam Park here (the developed side of the former Sunset Lake now). They created the Whacky Shacks and the Haunted Pretzel rides at quite a few amusement parks and the single track system was used in many other rides (I think they also created or had their system used in the Dante's Inferno/Dante's Dungeon rides in Wildwood and Coney Island). One ride is rather infamous-Mars on Casino Pier in Wildwood-where a fire underneath the pier engulfed the ride and killed three children in 1964.

http://www.angelfire.com/nj/wwbysea/CASINO/marsride.htm
http://www.shorenewstoday.com/snt/news/index.php/wildwood-mainmenu/in-another-time/6370-in-another-time-g-historic-fires-cause-destruction-tragedy-.html

If you look at one of the photos, you can see one of the trademark Pretzel cars (there's a metal pretzel designed into the front curve). The other was the barrel car.

[JKL2000]

I forgot to mention that Coney Island used to have a couple of pretty good Dark Rides which I'm sure have been removed by now. One had really bizarre spraygun art outside which haunted my young son (at the time) for years. He used to make us avoid going near the ride. Crazy shit like a guy with a person growing out of his tongue and something that looked like a plucked chicken walking around. Probably scarier than the ride itself.

[Rune Blackwings]

I forgot to mention that Coney Island used to have a couple of pretty good Dark Rides which I'm sure have been removed by now. One had really bizarre spraygun art outside which haunted my young son (at the time) for years. He used to make us avoid going near the ride. Crazy shit like a guy with a person growing out of his tongue and something that looked like a plucked chicken walking around. Probably scarier than the ride itself.

this one?
http://themeparks.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=themeparks&cdn=travel&tm=22&gps=112_80_1600_817&f=10&su=p1097.10.147.ip_p284.13.342.ip_p531.60.342.ip_&tt=2&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.laffinthedark.com/

Here's the guy from Bridgeton...wonder if he was related to my godfather?
http://themeparks.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=themeparks&cdn=travel&tm=22&gps=112_80_1600_817&f=10&su=p1097.10.147.ip_p284.13.342.ip_p531.60.342.ip_&tt=2&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.laffinthedark.com/

[JKL2000]

I think it was the one called Dante's Inferno - I wish there were some pictures. The one called Spook-o-Rama was fun, because during the ride the car left the dark part and drove around outside for a bit in a little "cemetery," then went back inside.

[Rune Blackwings]

I think it was the one called Dante's Inferno - I wish there were some pictures. The one called Spook-o-Rama was fun, because during the ride the car left the dark part and drove around outside for a bit in a little "cemetery," then went back inside.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/37/109137189_450c27eff1.jpg

the one in Wildwood, NJ. One is a copy of the other:
http://www.darkinthepark.com/Wildwood/dante'sinferno.jpg

http://www.wildwoodpizzatour.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Dantes-Dungeon-2.jpg

Spook-a-Rama is a Pretzel Ride.

[philsunset]

I don't have anything to contribute here except to say what a great thread! Love this stuff..Twisted Americana.

[JKL2000]

Thanks, Jen! You can see the guy growing out of the demon's tongue! Forgot that part wasn't airbrushed, but in genuine 3D. Crazy, the ride should be called Psychotic Drug Visions or something.

[trurl]

Man, I live 15 minutes away from an Alpine Slide but they sold the park about 10 years ago and shut it all down. That thing was bad-ass.

[Rune Blackwings]

Thanks, Jen! You can see the guy growing out of the demon's tongue! Forgot that part wasn't airbrushed, but in genuine 3D. Crazy, the ride should be called Psychotic Drug Visions or something.


There's something about amusement rides and Hell. Several of the rides in Wildwood were related to the Underworld. There was one called Hell Hole where the floor felt like it fell out from under you (similar to Gravitron). There was another house of satanic horror that used parts of another Neptune ride on its facade (not unusual for parts of rides to be repurposed on new or revamped rides I noticed).

[Rune Blackwings]

Found footage of the Mars ride in late 1950's

http://youtu.be/L1vWrWtWhQ0

[WHORG]

Kennywood Park (Pittsburgh) was a yearly summer stop on our trips to visit my Mom's family there. I actually soiled myself there at the tender age of 6 in the Noah's Ark fun-house. There's tons of information on the web about this famous amusement park - some pretty dark stuff too.

[ronmac]

Kennywood Park (Pittsburgh) was a yearly summer stop on our trips to visit my Mom's family there. I actually soiled myself there at the tender age of 6 in the Noah's Ark fun-house. There's tons of information on the web about this famous amusement park - some pretty dark stuff too.

We go there every year. Not the greatest park, but the best one around here. Noah's Ark is still there, but it has a haunted theme now.

[trurl]

We go there every year. Not the greatest park, but the best one around here. Noah's Ark is still there, but it has a haunted theme now.

Haven't been to Kennywood since I was 14! Which was '78, so pre- any kind of metal coaster. The Thunderbolt is still the best ride in the universe as far as I'm concerned.

[JKL2000]

Hey, what’s the Northernmost, good NJ beach town with a boardwalk, amusement parks, etc., good for families and not too many drunk Jerseyites?

How is Long Beach Island?

[3RDegree_Robert]

Point Pleasant-and you can take the train there. It’s the last stop out of NY Penn Station


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rune Blackwings]

Shore points on the ocean:
http://myoceanfrontrentals.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/jerseyshoremap.jpg

Most people forget though that the Jersey Shore actually has another part to it and there were amusement parks along it as well until as late as the 1960's:
https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.researchgate.net%2Fpublicatio n%2F318022005%2Ffigure%2Fdownload%2Ffig1%2FAS%3A51 0816342339584%401498799514357%2FMap-of-the-New-Jersey-side-of-Delaware-Bay-New-Jersey-with-the-sites-where-shorebirds.png&f=1

[Rune Blackwings]

https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/nj2/chap9a.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Breeze,_New_Jersey