Page 56 - 2014 Travel Guide to California

CA.THEME PARKS
BY MATT VILLANO
Excitement Overload
There’s fun for all at California’s theme parks
DISNEY’S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE, Anaheim, above;
castle at Disneyland, top.
AMUSEMENT PARKS
Europeans started the concept of
amusement parks centuries ago with
fairs and pleasure gardens created
for people’s recreation. The world’s
oldest amusement park is Bakken,
just north of Copenhagen, Denmark,
which opened in 1583. The oldest
theme park in the United States is
Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari
(called Santa Claus Land from its
opening in 1946 until 1984) in Santa
Claus, Indiana. California’s theme
parks date from 1950.
Diversions are as plentiful as sunshine in
California. One of the most popular out-
lets: original theme parks.
These attractions are meccas to amuse-
ment, each focusing rides and exhibits
around different concepts such as fairies,
film, plastic blocks, sea life and an inim-
itable mouse. Most of the parks are
situated in the southern part of the state
(where the weather is generally warmer)
but the granddaddy of them all is up north.
Each of the parks is worth a closer look.
Fairyland
Believe it or not, the first theme park in the
U.S. to cater to families with young kids
was Children’s Fairyland, a blink-and-
you’ll-miss-it theme park on the shores of
Lake Merritt in Oakland. The place opened
in 1950 (original admission started at 9
cents), making it the first official theme
park in California, as well. According to
some, it was one of Walt Disney’s inspira-
tions for the eponymous park he created
five years later.
Today, Fairyland includes small rides
such as a Ferris wheel and carousels, and
life-sized sets depicting scenes from time-
less storybooks (Pinocchio’s castle and the
Humpty Dumpty wall are two favorites).
The theme park also is home to the Story-
book Puppet Theater, which opened in 1956.
A number of the country’s most famous
puppeteers got their start here, including a
teenager by the name of Frances Oznowicz.
You likely know him as Frank Oz.
KIRT EDBLOM/CREATIVE COMMONS. TOP: SHANE MORRIS/DEPOSITPHOTOS. OPPOSITE: DAVE PARKER/CREATIVE COMMONS; SHANE MORRIS/DEPOSITPHOTOS; TSIBAN/DEPOSITPHOTOS
54 2014 T R AV E L G U I D E T O C A L I F O R N I A