35 vintage photos of amusement parks that show how glamorous they used to be
Erin McDowell
- Amusement parks are popular destinations today, but they used to be much more glamorous.
- Back in the day, people dressed up to visit amusement parks.
Everything seemed more glamorous back in the day. from flying to hotel bars and shopping malls.
Even amusement parks, which are arguably unglamorous today, were places that called for dressing up years ago.
We rounded up 40 photos of amusement parks around the world taken from the 1930s to the 1970s to show you what a day at the park used to be like.
Keep scrolling to see vintage roller coasters, slides, bumper cars, and more.
Sarah Schmalbruch contributed to an earlier version of this story.
Amusement parks were a little simpler back in the day.
Pictured in the 1950s, a dragon on the Hell-N-Back ride at Rockaways Playland in Rockaway, New York, managed to really scare these two women.
It didn't take nearly as much to scare or thrill people.
This woman came face-to-face with a faux ape at the Rockaway Playland Amusement Park in Belle Harbour, New York.
Funhouse mirrors were all the rage in the 1950s.
Here, Ingrid Goude, who competed for Sweden in the Miss Universe Pageant in 1956, examines herself at the Palisades Amusement Park in Cliffside Park, New Jersey.
As were various forms of bumper cars.
These carts at the Palisades Amusement Park were known as dodgem cars.
These may look like bumper cars but they were actually part of the flying-saucer ride at Disneyland circa 1962.
Disneyland used to host commencement parties for high schools. The newly graduated students in the picture above, which was taken in 1962, were lucky enough to attend one.
An amusement-park visit was an occasion that called for dressing up.
This photo shows a family leaving the Coney Island theme park in Havana, Cuba.
Regular people dressed up, and so did famous people. Here, Elvis Presley poses on a wagon at Knott's Berry Farm in California.
Knott's Berry Farm is still open today — Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson even went on a date there.
Celebrities were often photographed at amusement parks.
In this 1954 photo, actress Jayne Meadows and TV and radio personality Steve Allen, as well as Allen's children from a previous marriage, make their way through the revolving barrel at Rockaways Playland in New York.
Even royalty occasionally made a visit to a park.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester can be seen riding in a bumper car at the Empire Exhibition at Bellahouston Park near Glasgow, Scotland, in 1938.
So did athletes.
Here, Rose Queen Barbara Hewitt escorts the Purdue Boilermakers as they visit Disneyland, just before they played Southern California in the Rose Bowl in 1966.
Models provided inspiration for artwork at the parks.
In the photo above, two models pose for the art director at the Rockaway Playland Amusement Park.
Many of the early amusement-park rides were fairly tame.
The Swiss sky ride at the New York World's Fair in 1964 looks particularly relaxing.
Big slides always made for a great time.
These sliders thoroughly enjoyed themselves on the Astro ride at Pleasure Beach in Blackpool, England, in 1969.
This Coney Island ride from 1946 provided great views of the boardwalk and beach below.
Coney Island is still popular today.
Carousels were always an ideal choice for little kids.
This merry-go-round was located at Butlin's amusement park in Skegness in Lincolnshire, England, in the 1930s.
Other rides provided more of a thrill, like the Parachute Jump in the 1950s.
This Coney Island ride took passengers high into the air and let them dangle before dropping them — with a parachute, of course.
For those with a need for speed, there were, of course, roller coasters.
Coney Island's wooden coaster, the Cyclone, is still running today.
In the early days, roller coasters were made of wood.
This coaster was known as the Jackrabbit and was located in Kennywood Amusement Park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania.
Throughout the years, coasters evolved and became more streamlined.
When this photo was taken in 1976, the Screamin' Eagle (pictured above) at the Six Flags in Eureka, Missouri, was considered the world's longest, tallest, and fastest roller coaster.
It was 3,872 feet long and could reach speeds of up to 65 miles per hour.
The Tidal Wave at Marriott's Great America Amusement Park in Gurnee, Illinois, was billed as the world's tallest roller coaster when it opened in May 1978.
The ride boasted a 76-foot-high vertical hoop.
Later that year, Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, introduced the Colossus, which they said was twice as big as any previous roller coaster.
The ride was constructed from 1,209,687 feet of lumber, the Orange County Register reported.
Water rides provided relief on hot days.
Magic Mountain's Jet Stream ride let people cool off.
The White Water Rampage was introduced to the Six Flags in Gurnee, Illinois, in the '80s.
Judging by the ponchos, it seems not every rider wanted to get wet.
Just as it is today, upkeep of the rides back then was essential. Although, it was done without the technology that we now have access to.
In this circa-1952 photo, two men ride on top of one of the carriages on Coney Island's Wonder Wheel in order to inspect the ride and make sure it was safe.
Besides rides, amusement parks used to offer impressive acts.
In this 1962 photo, the Wallenda family forms a human pyramid as they do their high-wire act at Palisades Amusement Park in New Jersey, where they headlined the King Brothers-Sells and Gray Circus.
Here, a facial contortionist named Alfred Hyland gets into character at Glasgow's Empire Exhibition.
Hyland frequently performed wearing a Popeye costume.
Some acts were geared more towards adults.
This performer at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark, was imitating Dagmar Hansen, a cabaret singer from the early 1900s.
Animals were also used in performances.
Here, a performer known as George "Tornado" Smith clips the claws of his pet lioness, Briton, at Kursaal Amusement Park. Briton rode alongside Smith in a sidecar as he conquered the "Wall of Death" on a motorcycle.
Sea creatures like dolphins were also frequently exhibited at amusement parks.
Here, a keeper dressed up as a bear feeds a jumping dolphin at an unidentified amusement park.
While you'll still see dolphins at aquariums and places like SeaWorld, animal activists have advocated against the use of animals in entertainment at circuses, theme parks, and more.
Often, attractions were advertised by a fairground barker, who enticed visitors to see or do certain things thanks to the help of a microphone.
The photo above shows a young employee at Palisades Amusement Park.
As is the case today, part of the fun of amusement parks was the food and drinks you'd enjoy while there.
Amusement parks also used to be a lot cheaper, judging by this photo of a $0.15-cent snowball cart.
Hot dogs were a park staple from the start.
Hot dogs and amusement parks have a long history.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, park employees sometimes ate amongst props.
In the photo above, a staff member at the Six Flags Over Texas Amusement Park enjoys her lunch in the prop room.
Disney World's Magic Kingdom first opened in 1971.
Disney World has changed quite a bit since then.
Many of the original Disneyland rides have also changed since the park opened.
The "Alice in Wonderland" ride, pictured above in 1973, opened in 1958. The present version of the ride later opened in 1984, and was updated again in 2014, according to the blog The Disney Classics.
No matter your age, theme parks used to provide fun for the whole family — with a slightly more glamorous feel.
These bathing beauties are on the helter-skelter ride at Coney Beach Amusement Park in Porthcawl, Wales.
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