Survivors of earlier era: 11 Beloved trolley parks

Posted | Contributed by Jeff

Before Disneyland and Six Flags, before steel coasters went 50 mph and rides were named for cartoons, movies and superheroes, there were trolley parks. The parks were built by trolley companies at the end of the line in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as a way to get workers and their families to ride streetcars and railways on weekends. They had carousels, picnic grounds and live entertainment, and they were often located by lakes, rivers or beaches where visitors could take a boat ride or swim.

Related parks

Pacific Ocean Pier, still open, was also a trolley park. One segment of the Red Line ended at the pier.

Isn't Lake Compounce also a trolley park? They still have a full size trolley that runs along one side of the lake.

Before you can be older and wiser you first have to be young and stupid.

What about Lakeside Park in Denver? The song for the park included the line "Take a quick trolley ride out to jolly Lakeside."

Arthur Bahl

Pacific Ocean Pier and Lake Compounce were not started by the Trolley companies. individual owners opened the parks the trolleys simply went there.

It's good to see these old parks getting some attention. Too often the attention falls often the large theme parks and even then only one one mega ride they offer.

Lakeside is a great little park. I occasionally am in Denver for business and have visited the park a couple of times. I had no idea they had a theme song.

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