Page 58 - 2015 Travel Guide to California

CA.THEME PARKS
BY MATT VILLANO
Loads of Excitement
There’s fun for all at California’s theme parks
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 amusement, each
focusing rides and exhibits around dif-
ferent concepts such as fairies, film,
plastic blocks, sea life and an inimitable
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
between 9 and 14 cents), making it the first
official theme park in California, as well.
According to some, it was one of Walt
Disney’s inspirations for the eponymous
park he created five years later.
Today, Fairyland includes small rides
such as a mini Ferris wheel and carousels,
and life-sized sets depicting scenes from
timeless 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.
56 2015 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A
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