Our World: Amusement Parks

Life is like a carnival ride. You can play it safe and ride the merry-go-round, it's predictable. But, myself personally, I will ride the rollercoaster, for all it's glory and thrills, It's ups and downs, twists and turns, and rushes. - Lynette Mack

Lets Do Something!

The weather is getting nice and I'd like to do something. Can't afford a trip, say to a tropical island, maybe to the beach , although everyone goes there, and the movies are a night time thing so that only leaves amusement parks... but there are so many different kind. I'll try to tell you the difference.

Carnivals

Originally, carnivals were a religious event, a festive season which occurred immediately before Lent In the days before Lent, all rich food and drink had to be disposed of. The consumption of this, in a giant party that involved the whole community, is thought to be the origin of Carnival.

Carnivals are like circuses, they travel a lot. In fact the one distinction between a carnival and other amusement parks was its temporariness, it wouldn't stay in one place for very long. But unlike a circus, usually held inside a large circular tent or ring set up outdoors, a carnival may cover a large space outdoors, in which the crowd can walk along to choose their desired form of entertainment.

EDC Trailer

Billed as North America's largest electronic music and arts festival, the Electric Daisy Carnival is growing and growing. You can see more by clicking on the image caption.

Amusement Parks

Ride a Ferris Wheel

An amusement park is a group of entertainment attractions, rides, and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people. Amusement parks evolved from European fairs and pleasure gardens, which were created for people's recreation and should not be confused with Theme Parks, regarded as a distinct style of amusement park. A theme park has landscaping, buildings, and attractions that are based on one or more specific themes or stories.

Carousel Horse Race

Apparently, several centuries ago amusement parks evolved into places of entertainment for the masses, where the public could view freak shows, acrobatics, conjuring and juggling, take part in competitions and walk through menageries.

Of course I can't forget Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, on the Atlantic Ocean. It was first visited by pleasure seekers who would ride a horse-drawn streetcar line to the beach beginning in 1829. Today it houses multiple (theme) parks and can host as many as a million people in a day.

Coney Island in 1940

Theme Parks

In common language, the terms theme park and amusement park are often synonymous. Theme parks are a specific type of amusement park, usually much more intricately themed to a certain subject or group of subjects than normal amusement parks. Disneyland, for example, located in Anaheim, California, was built around the concept of encapsulating multiple theme parks into a single amusement park. The opening of Disneyland, in 1955, completely changed the landscape of the amusement park industry.

Theme Parks can be further broken-down into three categories; Educational, Family-owned, and Regional.

Educational Theme Parks

Sea World's "One Ocean" Shamu Show

Some parks use rides and attractions for educational purposes. Disney was the first to successfully open a large-scale theme park built around education, named Epcot. Holy Land, USA, in Waterbury, Connecticut, was built to inspire Christian piety. While the three Dinosaur World parks (Florida, Texas, and Kentucky) entertain and educate families with dinosaurs, the SeaWorld chain of parks houses several thousand animals, fish and other sea life in dozens of attractions and exhibits focusing on animal education.

Family-owned theme parks

Knott's 300 Foot Tower Swing Ride

In the 1920s, Walter Knott and his family sold berries from a roadside stand and today we have Knott's Berry Farm. A Ghost Town was added but it wasn't until 1968 that it officially became an amusement park.

The Herschends family have several theme parks including Dollywood; located in the Knoxville-Smoky Mountains metroplex in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; Celebration City; in Branson, Missouri; and Wild Adventures; located 5 miles from Valdosta, Georgia.

Regional parks

Walt Disney World Resort Hotels

The first regional theme park, Six Flags, was Six Flags over Texas and helped create the modern, competitive theme park industry. In a few years was the opening of the Walt Disney World resort complex in Florida.

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