# Why Did Freedomland and Pleasure Island fail? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 5, 2006, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-freedomland-and-pleasure-island-fail/371485 "2006-09-05T06:37:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-freedomland-and-pleasure-island-fail/371485/41 "2006-09-06T18:42:04Z")
> [@](#): > > Huh? Riverside park has had several coasters in it’s pre-Six Flags history, including the Cyclone which I still think exists. During the 80’s & early 90’s, before the steel frame coasters took over, it always made the list of top 10 coasters in the USA. _I’m_ confused. Why “huh?” You don’t seem to be understanding me. Where do I say that Riverside had no coasters? I visited Riverside in its pre-six Flags days and rode all those coasters. _My_ point was, in fact, precisely that Riverside was an active, successgul park long before the Six Flags managers came on Board, and had already outlasted Freedomland and Pleasure Island, even before the predatory MBAs came on board and made the bottom line King of All. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-freedomland-and-pleasure-island-fail/371485/42 "2006-09-06T18:43:07Z")
Oh – I see what might be confusing you. I was saying that _Freedomland_ never had any coasters. Not Riverside. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-freedomland-and-pleasure-island-fail/371485/43 "2006-09-06T18:47:50Z")
By the way, Storyland does indeed have big rides that appeal to the over-12 crowd – Bamboo Chutes is a long-drop “flume” ride, and there’s Dr. Geyser’s Raft Ride and the Polar Coaster (which is pretty gentle, but nevertheless a Coaster. Not to mention the Buccaneer Boats and Story Land Queen. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-freedomland-and-pleasure-island-fail/371485/44 "2006-09-06T21:11:33Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] Oh – I see what might be confusing you. I was saying that Freedomland never had any coasters. Not Riverside. [/QUOTE] Gotcha. I misunderstood. [QUOTE=CalMeacham] By the way, Storyland does indeed have big rides that appeal to the over-12 crowd – Bamboo Chutes is a long-drop “flume” ride, and there’s Dr. Geyser’s Raft Ride and the Polar Coaster (which is pretty gentle, but nevertheless a Coaster. Not to mention the Buccaneer Boats and Story Land Queen. [/QUOTE] Well, I wouldn’t bring a group of nothing but 12+ year olds to StoryLand. All the rides you mention were mild enough for my timid and unadventurous 4 year old this summer, so while they might placate older kids dragged along with their younger siblings, I think a group of teenagers would be much better served at Canobie Lake or Six Flags. And I think my point still stands - all those rides you mention probably have a lower combined annual maintenance cost than a single large coaster at Six Flags. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-freedomland-and-pleasure-island-fail/371485/45 "2006-09-06T21:12:38Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] Is the book different? [/QUOTE] Only wildly. There _is_ an old asylum in the novel, but the eponymous theme park plays a far greater role, especially given the racial themes of the book. Indeed, the title itself is mordantly ironic given those themes, and so locating the action in a random derelict mental hospital - and finding the child’s body there, I assume - would make the movie lose a lot of the book’s punch. Here, in the abandoned park itself, the black detective gives a history of Freedomland to the missing child’s white mother: “My history.” He waited until she turned to him. “See, when they opened up here? They had music, live music, and the people would dance out here on the floor, right? And the first year they had whatever was left of the big bands, or, or polka bands, or jumpin’ jive, or whatever they called it - you know, stuff for your parents. But later, when the place started to get into trouble? The Hartoonians aimed, like, a little younger, and they hooked up with Motown, started having having Saturday afternoon concerts with Motown singers, because back in those days? Like the early sixties? Motown wasn’t real established yet, and they were probably sending their people out for next to nothing, you know, just to get the exposure. So, like, here comes the Miracles, the Four Tops, the Marvelettes, Marvin Gaye, and that was _fly_, except that what happened was, you start bookin’ those kind of entertainers? Your amusement park is gonna start changing color on you. You’re gonna start drawing a good deal of the public-housing kids from over in Dempsy, over in Darktown, see what I’m saying?” Richard Price, **Freedomland** ---
**Author:** ![Baffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@Baffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baffle)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-freedomland-and-pleasure-island-fail/371485/46 "2006-09-07T22:53:26Z")
[QUOTE=Foldup Rabbit] I guess that would explain the lack of amusement parks further north, in Canada. In fact, I can only think of two within a ten hour drive of here (Calaway Park and Playland) and only one other one (Canada’s Wonderland). [/QUOTE] The CNE, Wild Water Kingdom, Bingeman’s Park, Marineland, Sportsworld (I think this one actually did close within the last year), Ontario Place, and that’s just ones I’ve heard of. [This link shows some others.](http://www.themeparkcity.com/CAN_ont.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-freedomland-and-pleasure-island-fail/371485/47 "2006-09-08T00:15:52Z")
[QUOTE=Foldup Rabbit] I guess that would explain the lack of amusement parks further north, in Canada. In fact, I can only think of two within a ten hour drive of here (Calaway Park and Playland) and only one other one (Canada’s Wonderland). [/QUOTE] If you don’t mind crossing the border, Silverwood in Athol, Idaho is about 10 hours away… but not worth the trip, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-freedomland-and-pleasure-island-fail/371485/48 "2006-09-08T01:47:57Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] I have listed several going concerns that shut down for the winter in the Northeast that are still profitable. They must be – they’re still going. And have beenm much longer than Freedomland and Pleasure Island. [/QUOTE] There you have it. Competition. There’s a finite market for these operations’ services, it tends to be brand-loyal, and a newer arrival like Pleasure Island has to be more entertaining to win enough market share. Lame-ass operations like that one are doomed. People from the north-of-Boston area have been visiting Canobie Lake Park for generations, it has always been a better entertainment value, and the construction of I-93 made its ease of access compared to Pleasure Island an insignificant factor. Same story with New Yorkers and, oh, Great Adventure, I’d expect. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-freedomland-and-pleasure-island-fail/371485.md?page=2)