Back When the Rotor Rides Were Fun and Dangerous!
The Rotor is an amusement park ride, designed and patented by German engineer Ernst Hoffmeister in 1948. The ride was first demonstrated at Oktoberfest 1949, and was exhibited at fairs and events throughout Europe, during the 1950s and 1960s. The ride still appears in numerous amusement parks, although traveling variants have been surpassed by the Gravitron. Continue reading »
Subterranean Amusement Park Located 400 Feet Underground In A 17th Century Salt Mine
This isn’t your average amusement park, not by a long shot. The Salina Turda Durgău is located an incredible 368 feet underground in Transylvania. Continue reading »
Engineer Grandfather Turns His Backyard Into An Amusement Park For His Grandkids
Tired of waiting in lines at amusement parks? So was Steve Dobbs of Fullerton, California. More than that, though, the loving grandfather wanted his grandchildren to have a reason to come over to his house and spend time with him. Living so close to the Happiest Place on Earth in Anaheim, he could feel the pressure building that somehow, he needed to outdo Disneyland’s magical allure. Dobbs told the OC Register that “Disneyland is tough to compete with,” but he wasn’t going to give up. Continue reading »
Italian Restauranteur Spends 40 years Hand-building His Own Amusement Park
An Italian has created his very own theme park – built in his spare time over 40 years in the woods near his restaurant. The restauranteur, known only as Bruno, has hand-built the amusement park filled with swings, seesaws, a ferris wheel and even a roller coaster, in Montello, northern Italy.
Bruno started in 1969 shortly after setting up grill restaurant Ai Pioppi in northern Italy. He was looking for hooks to join chairs together in his restaurant when a local welder suggest he do the work himself. Since then, as well as building his restaurant to seat 500 people, he has also built increasingly bigger rides as part of his nearby hand-made amusement park.
The amusement park now attracts hundreds of fun-loving visitors, including Oriol Ferrer Mesia, who took pictures and video of his recent visit. Continue reading »
