A Sparkling Vintage Life

As summer winds down, I’m realizing I haven’t been to our local amusement park yet this year. Soon it will be open weekends-only, and then closed for the winter, its rides looming silent like sleeping giants as the snow swirls around them. I should try to work in a visit. I’m not much for scary attractions–my “thrill level” is set quite low; it doesn’t take much to get me screaming, and not in a good way–but I like to walk around and observe, and enjoy some of the milder rides, like the log flume and the (don’t laugh) merry-go-round.

Here’s a bit of Chicago nostalgia to brighten your day. Riverview Amusement Park opened in 1904. My older relatives spent a lot of time there, but I only got to go there once before it was razed in 1967.

Did you have a favorite amusement park when you were growing up? Where was it? Is it still there? What do you remember about it?