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Quassy Amusement Park — Middlebury, Conn.

 milst1, Flickr

Image: milst1, Flickr (license)

With a history dating back to the early 20th century, Quassy Amusement Park is the Platonic ideal of a vintage leisure spot. Open and airy, with a gorgeous lakeside setting that begs to be seen on a beautiful summer night, Quassy is the kind of comfortable and classic place people have gathered in for decades. 

But while other classic parks have tried to keep their classic charm relatively unblemished, Quassy embarked on an unusual  course of action and decided to swing for the fences.

In 2011, the park debuted Wooden Warrior, a compact airtime machine designed by the mad scientists at The Gravity Group. Ranked among the top wooden roller coasters in the world by the Golden Ticket Awards and coaster enthusiasts alike, this small roller coaster put Quassy on the map in a big way.

So, yes, make sure to stop at Quassy Amusement Park to enjoy the top thrills of Wooden Warrior, but while you’re there, don’t forget to enjoy the classic charm of an old-style American trolley park.

Luna Park - Brooklyn, NY

 Filipp Solovev, Flickr

Image: Filipp Solovev, Flickr (license)

It doesn’t matter that Luna Park opened to the public in 2010. It also doesn’t matter that the vast majority of its major attractions were built in the last 10 years. Luna Park is everything you want a classic amusement park to be, and then some. 

Named after the park that stood nearby from 1903-1944, Luna Park is an ode to Coney Island’s history as a leisure spot for overworked New Yorkers. It’s seaside location and care-free atmosphere capture the optimism and whimsy that Coney Island exhibited during the American middle class’s boom years of the 1940s and 50s. It’s new attractions are a combination of retro and envelope-pushing, with rides like the Thunderbolt offering a modern homage to a demolished classic.

But then, of course, there’s the master. 

One of the most important roller coasters ever built, and one of the most iconic roller coasters on the face of the earth, the Coney Island Cyclone calls Luna Park home. A masterpiece of engineering and design, the Cyclone is a testament to both the enduring history of American leisure and the importance of historical preservation. It was standing when the stock market crashed in 1929, and it was standing still when the housing market crumbled in 2008. It stands today, offering the same thrills it has offered to generations of New Yorkers since its birth in 1927. 

The Coney Island Cyclone is the definition of a bucket list ride — something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime. And its home, Luna Park, is located in one of the birthplaces of classic American fun. If you love theme parks and amusement parks, Coney Island is hallowed ground. 

 
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