Stunning historic images of theme parks in full swing
A ride into the past

Coney Island, New York, USA

Coney Island, New York, USA

Blackpool Pleasure Beach, England, UK

Blackpool Pleasure Beach, England, UK

The tourist attraction is still going strong, and the Big Dipper, a wooden coaster first installed in the 1920s, is one ride that has become synonymous with the park. Here visitors in the 1950s brave one of the Dipper's epic drops.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach, England, UK

There was – and is – plenty more beyond the roller coasters and thrill rides at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, though. Here, in the late 1960s, a fun-seeking bunch slip down the park's mammoth nine-lane slide. Next stop? To a confectionary stand to pick up a stick of Blackpool's famous rainbow rock.
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Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park, California, USA

Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park, California, USA

Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park, California, USA

Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park, California, USA

Prater, Vienna, Austria

Tipped as one of the oldest amusement parks in the world, Wurstelprater (known better as Prater) is a quaint theme park in Austria's capital. The park has its roots in the 1760s, when the land here was first donated for public use and a medley of snack bars and amusements quickly sprang up. Its crowning jewel, the 200-foot (61m) Riesenrad Ferris wheel, was first erected at the end of the 19th century (though it was reconstructed after the Second World War) – it's pictured here in all its glory in the 1960s.
Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio, USA

Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio, USA

Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio, USA

Even today much of the action happens on the Main Midway (pictured), one of the oldest parts of the park. Cedar Point's Giant Sky Wheel, a vast double Ferris wheel (pictured right) debuted in the 1960s and delighted visitors right up until 1980. Meanwhile, the Centennial Theater (pictured back left) continues to entertain audiences as the Jack Aldrich Theater today.
Disneyland Paris, France

Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri, USA

Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri, USA

Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri, USA

Legoland, Billund, Denmark

Legoland, Billund, Denmark

Efteling, Kaatsheuvel, the Netherlands

Often tipped as Europe’s greatest theme park beyond Disney, Dutch site Efteling opened in the 1950s. At its heart is the Fairytale Forest, an elaborate woodland tribute to fairy tales including Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and The Frog Prince, complete with model figures and buildings. Of course, there’s no shortage of roller coasters, either, and the mighty loops of the Python roller coaster are shown in this 1980s shot.
Carowinds, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

North Carolina's Carowinds, now in the Cedar Fair Portfolio, began life as a charming park themed around the history of the Carolinas. And, luckily, it had immediate appeal: more than one million visitors poured through its gates in the very first season. While the 1973 oil crisis prevented the park's growth for a while, it remains a regional favourite today, attracting thrill-seekers from the Carolinas and beyond. The Skyway (pictured) was one of the opening attractions, granting riders sweeping views of the park until the ride's closure in 1981.
Carowinds, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

Carowinds also boasted a pair of steam trains, which offered gentle rides around the park. This one, which ran from 1973 up until 1977, was affectionately known as "Ole Blue". The other, named Melodia, operated during the same period at Carowinds, but actually had a long history beginning in Louisiana's cane fields in the late 1800s.
Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, Denmark

Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, Denmark

Palisades Amusement Park, New Jersey, USA

Palisades Amusement Park, New Jersey, USA

Any self-respecting park in the 1950s had bumper cars – or dodgems – and Palisades was no exception. Here, sometime around 1956, a staff member helps a beginner driver behind the wheel.
Hurricane Bay, Kentucky Kingdom, Louisville, Kentucky, USA

Dreamland, Margate, England, UK

Dreamland's history may have been rocky – with the war years and devastating fires both taking their toll – but this beloved theme park on the Kent Coast is still something of an institution. The site dates back to the 1870s, with its dance hall and restaurant drawing early visitors. Another of its initial attractions was the Sea-On-Land carousel, pictured here in the 1880s.
Dreamland, Margate, England, UK

It was in the 1920s, however, that the park began to take its modern shape. The Scenic Railway – a wooden coaster finished in 1920 – helped seal the park's success for years to come. It was badly damaged in the fire of 2008, but has once again been restored and remains a Grade-II-listed structure. It's pictured in action during the 1930s.
Check out these exciting roller coasters from around the world
Disneyland California, Anaheim, California, USA

Disneyland California, Anaheim, California, USA

Disneyland California, Anaheim, California, USA

Fantasyland was also an early part of the park, and it still delights visitors today. Among its whimsical attractions were the Alice in Wonderland–inspired Mad Tea Party ride, with its spinning rainbow teacups, and the Skyway, a gondola-lift-style ride that whisked visitors above the park. Both are in full swing in this 1960s snap.
Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida, USA

Probably the most popular theme park in the world (Disney doesn't release any official visitor numbers) Walt Disney World Florida actually came after its Californian cousin. The Floridian park opened its gates in 1971 and, just like in California, the castle – this time belonging to Cinderella – soon became a symbol of the park. Here eager visitors wander up Main Street U.S.A in the site’s early days.
Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida, USA

Disney World’s handful of magical lands – including Adventureland, Tomorrowland and Fantasyland – succeeded in pulling in the crowds. Attractions such as the Admiral Joe Fowler Riverboat (pictured) – which debuted in the 1970s, but was closed by 1980 – were early hits with park-goers.
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