Located on Long Island Sound north of New York City, Playland Park in the town of Rye is a classic park with a treasure trove of art-deco architecture. When it opened in 1928, Playland was unique in that its layout--situated around a grassy mall--was completely planned out before the park opened, marking the early origins of master-planned theme parks. The park is still beautiful today, yet sometimes it is forgotten by amusement park fans due to a lack of a notable roller coaster.
Named a National Historic Landmark for its art-deco buildings, Playland is one of only two amusement parks (the other being Kennywood) to have received such an honor.
In 1929, a year after the park opened, Playland debuted the Dragon coaster, which is still the park's most popular ride. It's one of the last remaining coasters by notable designer Frederick Church, but it doesn't offer much in the way of forces. The highlight is a dragon-styled tunnel that "eats" the train.
The iconic "Music Tower" is a wonderful art-deco centerpiece to the park. A wider view can be seen in the background of the first picture in this post.
Before Playland was laid out, there was a more haphazard amusement park on Long Island Sound. Its 1915 carousel is still spinning today and was completely restored in 2021. The repainted horses are delightful, but the LED lights are slightly underwhelming.
Seen below is an example of the art deco design found around Playland. The "WC" stands for Westchester County, where the town of Rye is located. For 90 years, Playland was the only government-operated amusement park in America. While this situation meant much of the park was preserved as it was for decades, it also means that some areas have fallen into disrepair. Starting this summer, Playland is being turned over to an independent operator to the tune of a $135 investment, which is in part going towards a complete rebuild of much of the park's original art-deco flourishes.
In 2021, Playland was home to three darkrides. The oldest of the bunch is Ye Olde Mill, which winds underneath the structure of the Dragon coaster. The displays inside are from the late 1980s, however.
Directly across the landscaped mall from the regular carousel (seen below), you'll find an identical building that houses Playland's signature ride, the Derby Racer.
An original ride from 1928, the Derby Racer has beautiful horses carved by the Marcus Illions factory, perhaps the finest designer of carousel figures. But the ride is intense! The platform thunders around at a speed much faster than an average carousel, with the horses sliding back and forth to determine a "winner" of each group of four.
The attraction that interested me most was the Flying Witch darkride, which opened in 1971. It has an extremely busy facade. Some may look at it as tacky, but it's a great example of amusement park ballyhoo in person.
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Here's an example of the terror that is found inside the Flying Witch.
The teeth of the Devil's face move back and forth like the cogs of a gear.
At the time, I had no idea that I was riding the Flying Witch in its last season at Playland. After being owned by the county for so long, the new owner is ending the leases of some of the independent concessions, and that includes the Flying Witch. While the ride will be leaving Playland, there are rumors that it will be set up at another park in the area.
Rye Playland had been on my bucket list for years, and it did not disappoint with its great collection of old rides. Above all, I am glad I got to ride the spectacular Flying Witch at its original home.
5 comments:
Andrew, I love the art deco architecture. When you say a "complete rebuild" of much of the art deco buildings, does that mean tearing them down and rebuilding from scratch? Or does it just mean a complete rehab of them?
It's nice to see so many vintage rides. I would like to try out a "Derby Racer," one day. Since it goes faster than a carousel, I wonder if they end up having very many incidents of people falling off their horses?
I really hope that Flying Witch attraction makes it's way into another park. It would be a shame to have that be completely lost!
TokyoMagic!, I don’t know if there have been accidents on the Derby Racer. Cedar Point, the biggest stickler for safety of any park, still has theirs, so it can’t be too dangerous of a ride. As for the restoration efforts, the “Colonnades” (the covered walkways in the last picture) were torn down and are being rebuilt in the original art-deco style that was covered over in the 1970s. The foundations were apparently in pretty bad shape after 90 years. Other buildings are being refurbished instead of replaced, like the skating rink.
Is the Whip more intense than the one at Kennywood?
I've never been to PLayland; every time I've been in the area there just wasn't time to check it out. Interesting news about the buyout. I hope they decide to preserve as much of the architecture as possible.
Andrew, these are great images — beautiful flowers and landscaping — and Art Deco is my favorite! Definitely a lovely historical park, and it looks like there’s stuff for everyone.
—Sue
Melissa (sorry for the month-late response!), the Kennywood Whip is my favorite because it's the largest ride of its type left, but this one was more intense because it was pretty jarring.
Sue, thanks! Playland is an important piece of amusement park history.
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