# Small amusement parks

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-amusement-parks/174667>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [May 12, 2003, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-amusement-parks/174667 "2003-05-12T11:52:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-amusement-parks/174667/21 "2003-05-13T03:08:07Z")

</div>

I once worked at a small amusement park on an island in the Detroit River called Boblo. It is closed now. It was rather park-like, and quite laid back.

The town in which I live, Thunder Bay, Ontario, has a public park which is almost an amusement park – beach, picnic areas, zoo, rollercoaster, pavillion, etc. It too is very laid back.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BadBaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71c47a/32.png) [@BadBaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BadBaby)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-amusement-parks/174667/22 "2003-05-13T03:39:49Z")

</div>

I don’t know if it was big enough to qualify as small, but Marshall Scotty’s near San Diego was the bee’s knees when I was younger. Pony rides, a ferris wheel that went up maybe 12 feet, a roller coaster track not much bigger than a swimming pool, it was all super cool for birthday parties.  
Does anybody know the name of that western-themed park near Oklahoma City? I still have nightmares about when the stagecoach ride was stopped and the masked gunmen tried to take my bag of pennies!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-amusement-parks/174667/23 "2003-05-13T13:51:03Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by PaperBlob \*  
> \*\*Last summer my family went to **Knoebels Amusement Park** in Pennsylvania (coupla hours north of Harrisburg). We had a great time - there’s a good mix of rides, you can camp there, parking and admission are free, the food is good, and the ride plans and the food are pretty cheap.
> 
> Anybody know of any small amusement parks in New England (this year’s vacation destination)? \*\*

Knoebel’s was the first place that came to my mind. Like you said, no admission, good food (pierogies, birch beer, pickles on a stick!), free parking…plus, it’s set out in the central PA countryside. We might make a trek that way around the fourth of July…I think I’m more excited than the kids!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-amusement-parks/174667/24 "2003-05-14T05:16:39Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> Ohhhhh!..I thought this was a thread about amusement parks that weren’t very amusing (small amusement)
> 
> my bad
> 
> sorry
> 
> carry on

No, those would be “_be_musement parks.”\*  
\*Ned Flanders in “The Simpsons”

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-amusement-parks/174667.md?page=1)