Here is just a sampling of the many FunFacts available from a truly exciting industry. Enjoy!

• The world’s oldest operating amusement park is Bakken in Klampenborg, Denmark, which dates to 1583. The oldest continually operating amusement park in the United States is Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut, which opened in 1846.

• There are more than 1,300 roller coasters in the U.S. At 456 feet tall and reaching speeds of 128 miles per hour, Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey is the world’s tallest and fastest coaster.

• The word “fun” appears in more amusement park names than any other descriptive word.

• Many people believe that America’s fascination with amusement parks began with the opening of the Cyclone roller coaster at Coney Island, New York, in 1927. Originally costing only $175,000 to construct, the coaster still operates at Astroland amusement park in New York.

• The largest amusement park, by acreage, is Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, which encompasses 47 square miles.

• The first carousel-like rides were used in the 1600s to train European princes for horse competitions.

• The popular amusement park ride, the Tilt-A-Whirl, can accommodate 500 people every hour.

• Former Today show host Dave Garroway’s popular chimp, J. Fred Muggs, spent his retirement performing at Busch Gardens Tampa, earning $50,000 a year.

• Paramount’s Carowinds Park in North Carolina has the state line of North and South Carolina running right through it.

• Spaceship Earth, the star spangled geosphere at Walt Disney World’s Epcot Center weighs 16 million pounds and is 180 feet tall, and can be spotted by aircraft flying along the Eastern Coast of Florida.

• Favorite amusement park foods: Cotton Candy was invented in the late 1800s and made its international debuts at the 1900 Paris Exposition and the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. Americans consume 7 billion hotdogs between Memorial Day and Labor Day. There are six different types of corn, but only one type (called “popcorn”) can be used to make popcorn

• The popular amusement park game Whac-A-Mole has been around for more than 25 years and Hasbro even sells home versions!

Special thanks to our sources: National Amusement Park Historical Association, Cedar Fair, Ltd, Amusement Park Guide, Astroland, Amusement Business, Sellner Manufacturing Corp, National Confectioners Association, National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, the Popcorn Board, The Walt Disney Company, BSR, Roller Coaster Database.

 
 
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