The American Amusement Park

About this book

For more than a century amusement parks from Brooklyns Coney Island to Disneyland in Anaheim and todays "chain parks" like Six Flags have been among the most popular destinations for countless Americans in search of fun and thrills. This marvelous photographic retrospective distills more than 100 years of the sights sounds smells and vertigo-inducing thrills associated with the American amusement park. Nostalgic archival photography from private collections period print advertisements and exclusive modern color photographs illustrate the stories behind thrill rides arcades architecture park food pavilion entertainment fun houses tunnels of love and much more. Special focus is given to the roller coaster while sidebars highlight specific parks and rides whose influence on the development of amusement parks in general is undeniable.