Seabreeze Amusement Park

Seabreeze Amusement Park

July 2006
Slogan "More Smiles per hour!"
Location Irondequoit, New York, United States
Coordinates 43°13′59″N 77°32′37″W / 43.233041°N 77.543542°W / 43.233041; -77.543542Coordinates: 43°13′59″N 77°32′37″W / 43.233041°N 77.543542°W / 43.233041; -77.543542
Owner Norris family
Opened August 5, 1879
Previous names Dreamland
Operating season May - September
Rides
Total 35
Roller coasters 4
Water rides 8
Website http://seabreeze.com/

Seabreeze Amusement Park, known locally as Seabreeze, is a historic amusement park in Irondequoit, a suburb of Rochester, New York, United States.

Seabreeze is in northeast Irondequoit, where Irondequoit Bay empties into Lake Ontario. It opened on August 5, 1879,[1] and, according to the National Amusement Park Historical Association (NAPHA), it is the twelfth-oldest operating amusement park in the world (fourth-oldest in the United States). Its most celebrated ride is the Jack Rabbit, an "out and back" roller coaster, and the fourth-oldest operating roller coaster in the world (opened 1920). It is owned and operated by the Norris family, many of whom lived on the property for years.

History

Like many historic amusement parks, Seabreeze did not begin with rides or attractions but as a trolley park that provided a park and picnic grounds at the end of the trolley line. With Seabreeze's prime location and with its scenic views of Irondequoit Bay and Lake Ontario, rides were added beginning in 1900.

Its popularity was such that during the early part of the twentieth century, it was often referred to as the "Coney Island of the West." The park was known as Dreamland for approximately thirty years during the post-World War II era.

Rides and Attractions

Early rides included its centerpiece carousel added in 1915. (The carousel was almost completely destroyed by fire on March 31, 1994; a new carousel of hand-made parts, potentially one of the last to be made in this way, was commissioned to replace it, using four horses that survived the fire.) Four roller coasters were added in the 1920s, including a ride called the Virginia Reel, and the "world's largest salt water swimming pool - sections of which still exist inside of a huge storage building on the south end of the property beyond the edge of the jackrabbit." [1]

Today, in addition to the carousel and the Jack Rabbit, the park includes a spinning coaster called "The Whirlwind," the "Raging Rivers" water park, and other modern and classic amusement rides.[2]

Along the list of attractions, the Quantum Loop was built but then removed at the end of 2003 after receiving negative reactions from many people who visited the park. It would soon be replaced with the Whirlwind coaster in 2004 and the Revolution 360 in 2010. In 2014, the Wave Swinger, formerly the Yo-Yo and Great Balloon Race opened.

Dry Rides and Attractions

Roller Coasters

Thrill Rides

Family Rides

Kiddie Rides

Waterpark

All of Seabreeze's lifeguards are certified through Ellis and Associates' International Lifeguard Training Program. Each month, lifeguards face "safety audits," conducted by E&A National Staff, to test each guard's "rescue readiness." The park also employs "Timmy," the Vigilance Awareness Training (VAT) doll that simulates a drowning toddler, to test lifeguards' abilities to recognize a drowning victim.

Former Rides and Attractions

The Jack Rabbit

The Jack Rabbit is an "out and back" wooden roller coaster at Seabreeze. Opened in 1920, it is the fourth oldest operating roller coaster in the world and second oldest in the USA.[3] Currently, is America's oldest continuously operating roller coaster.

References

External links

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