Waldameer ("woods by the sea" in German) is one of my favorite parks to visit. Located in the northwestern corner of Pennsylvania, they've expanded rapidly over the past 15 years while still retaining a wonderful old amusement park feel. Waldameer also has a scenic setting on Lake Erie and a solid ride collection with a few classics.
Ravine Flyer II opened in 2008 after years of planning and will forever be one of my favorite roller coasters!
The oldest ride in the park is the 1951 Comet coaster. Since I visited with an enthusiast group, we got "exclusive ride time" on it before opening, and the park's 87-year-old owner came by and told us some stories of when they built the ride. He's been working at the park since he was 11.
It was fun to experience the park's Pirate's Cove funhouse again, as it was closed last season. I'm amazed that this 1972 walkthrough exists in such a well-preserved state!
I like how the picture below captures the moment the car is entering the building.
This paint job on the Shack's rotating barrel is new this year.
There's nothing like a good Sky Ride, and the Waldameer version runs right down the main midway. The building on the right houses the park's carousel, which is sadly a newer fiberglass machine. The park's antique 1908 carousel was sold piecemeal at auction in 1988 to fund the addition of a water park.
Here are a few examples of views from the Sky Ride.
I tried the "miniature" or "tilt-shift" effect with this shot.
I'll wrap up this report with an image of the L. Ruth Express, the park's C.P. Huntington train that runs along one side of the property and back.
I hope you've enjoyed these photos of Waldameer!
8 comments:
This looks like another fun vintage park!
Wow, such a shame about the park's carousel being sold off in "pieces." But I think you have pointed out in the past, that owners can get more money for a carousel that way. Sad!
I like the paint jobs and the lighting inside Pirate's Cove and the Wacky Shack! I just know that I would love both of those attractions.
I've never been on a sky ride, where your legs just "dangle." I guess I would give it a try, but it seems a little scarier than riding inside of a vehicle. By the way, I have also never been on a ski lift. (Because I don't ski!)
I don't think I've seen one of those "Chaos" rides before. It looks a little.....well, chaotic. I hope those restraints hold up for the duration of the ride!
This might be a dumb question, but....do the type of plants that are around that kiddie truck ride come back on their own, after each winter? Or do they have to be replanted every spring?
Thanks for another great tour/trip report, Andrew!
I'm glad that you enjoyed this post, TokyoMagic! I just rode the Cedar Point Sky Ride yesterday, and I definitely prefer the fast-paced Von Roll models to slow ones like this. What's even scarier is that on most Sky Rides where your legs hang down, the lap bar doesn't lock!
Those smaller pendulum rides like Chaos are much more intense than the larger versions because of the G-forces you get at the bottom when you're swinging, and of course, they go upside down!
I don't know about the plants... I would guess that they're perennials since that area has looked the exact same every time I've been at the park.
Andrew, I am always enjoying your informative posts. You have a great eye for detail.
Also a bit envious that the eastern states have all these fun little parks fairly close together. When I was a kid in California, Los Angeles and the Anaheim/Buena Park area had all the great parks and it was a long drive for us.
Santa Cruz boardwalk was almost as long a drive in the other direction, so I only went there once. I don't recall any parks in the SF Bay area until Great America opened much later.
Looking forward to the next post.
JG
Thanks for the nice remarks, JG. I'm sure that not having a park in your town made it all the more special and memorable when you did get to visit Disneyland and others. It sounds weird, but I think that most people here in Pittsburgh have a natural love for amusement parks. As a side note, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk looks like the best traditional park on the west coast, but of course, I have to visit to really find out.
Andrew, you are probably right about Santa Cruz being a great park, but as a kid, we never went up there. I didn't visit until almost high school and have only been back once or twice in 50 plus years since.
Dad always wanted to go to Disneyland, and his cousins lived in LA area, so we often visited family on the way back. There just wasn't enough draw to Santa Cruz to make a long trip (almost as far as Anaheim) for a half-day visit.
I remember a brief visit to the NuPike in Long Beach in "maybe" 1970 (if it was open then), but it was only once for a couple of hours, and that's the sum total of my "classic" amusement park experience. My kids went to Great America a couple of times on church trips, but I didn't go with them.
I enjoy your blog and the encyclopedic knowledge you and some of the commenters display about the rides. It's all new and interesting to me.
I really enjoy the Pixar Pier area in DCA, which is ironic, now that it is one of the better remaining examples of the old style park, which Disney wanted to surpass. He succeeded too well.
JG
Andrew, do you have more pictures of the Pirate's Cove funhouse? I know I'd love walking through there!
This park is kept up nicely - which is great to see. Thank you for taking us on a tour...would love to see more!
Thanks for the background on the trips you took as a child, JG. I'm glad that I'm teaching someone something about old parks!
I did a post on Pirate's Cove back in September, Sue, and you commented on it. :-)
Thanks, Andrew! I didn’t “tie the two together.” I just re-visited it now. That’s so cool!
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