A Ride Down Memory Lane

A few months ago Joe and I headed out on an adventure: our mission- to uncover some remains of old abandoned amusement parks for him to take pictures of. Despite the soggy and muddy conditions it was still really interesting to discover these little pieces of lost history. We even found a lake community with all these unique and beautiful homes and restaurants, it was like a mini-vacation: stepping into someone else's world.


We never found anything useful for his pictures, but it piqued my interest in this kind of amusement park-archaeology. Or at the very least I began thinking about parks from my own youth.



As it happened I was bored at work (typical) and thought I'd check out WeirdNJ for old times sakes. I stumbled upon an article about a place I haven't thought about in YEARS: Action Park.

And right above the article they included the old 80s rainbow-colored sign..

I vaguely remember seeing the ads on TV but I could never forget that bright logo. Whenever we used to take small day trips I remember seeing the signs posted advertising both water and regular thrill rides. We never went, and after reading about how people were lucky to walk away with enough skin to cover their bodies, let alone their lives (and who lovingly nicknamed it "Traction Park" or "Accident Park") it was probably a good thing.

What I do remember is a place called "The Land of Make Believe," but then again, I don't so much remember specifics too much. I remember the sign, and a good-sized train that you could hop on that would take you around the park, and some characters that looked like the owner stopped by a costume shop and just asked for some generic animal outfits. There was a pirate ship thing too I think, that was obviously only active in the summer months, and was surrounded by a wide wading pool with mushroom fountains all over the place. I may not be able to pin down exact trips but those few times still somehow haunt the recesses or my memories.

I've been here in Maryland for a few years, and while I slowly start to adopt it as my home, there are still ways I keep my connection to New Jersey. It may not seem like a huge geographic change, yet the fact that I get to be part of a small section of people who actually remember these places keeps the Jersey in me alive.

I wonder what other local amusement parks people recall from their youths...guess that's gonna be for me to find out...

Anyway, time for bed. Goodnight!