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Amusement park in Irondequoit, New York, US From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Seabreeze Amusement Park (Seabreeze) is a historic family amusement park located in Irondequoit, New York, a suburb of Rochester, where Irondequoit Bay meets Lake Ontario. According to the National Amusement Park Historical Association (NAPHA), Seabreeze is the fourth-oldest operating amusement park in the United States and the thirteenth-oldest operating amusement park in the world, having opened in 1879.[1] The park features roller coasters, a variety of other rides, a midway, and a water park.
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Previously known as
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| Location | Irondequoit, New York, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | August 5, 1879 |
| Owner | Norris family |
| Operating season | May to September |
| Area | 35 acres (14 ha) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 25 |
| Roller coasters | 4 |
| Website | www |
In the 1870s, the lakeshore of Lake Ontario became a tourist destination for residents of the city of Rochester. Several hotels opened at the port of Charlotte and along Irondequoit Bay to entertain summer visitors, and rail lines were built from the city to both destinations. In 1879, the Rochester and Lake Ontario Railroad Company built a line from Portland Avenue in Rochester to the Sea Breeze neighborhood at the inlet of the bay.[2] The company purchased fifty acres to open a resort for picnicking and other summer activities, which opened to the public on August 5, 1879.[3][4]
The Rochester and Lake Ontario Railroad went bankrupt in 1899 and was reorganized as the Rochester and Suburban Railway. Facing competition from other amusement parks along the bay and lakeshore, the company began adding carnival attractions, and in 1903 the first permanent ride, a figure-eight roller coaster, was built in the park.[3] By the 1920s, Sea Breeze featured several permanent attractions, including roller coasters, dance halls, a Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel, and the Natatorium, a large outdoor saltwater pool.[4][5] The Natatorium was claimed to be the largest saltwater pool in the world at the time of construction.[6] Fires were a frequent problem and several rides and buildings burned down during this era.[4]
Sea Breeze was forced to downsize during the Great Depression, and the trolley line to the park, now owned by New York State Railways,[3] was closed in 1936. George W. Long Jr. began renting the park from New York State Railways in 1937, and purchased it in 1946, changing the name to Dreamland Park.[4] Long added several rides, including a log flume.[7]
Long retired in 1975 and was succeeded by his grandson, Robert Norris, as president. Norris renamed the park Seabreeze and launched another wave of additions and improvements to attract families and compete with the new Darien Lake theme park in Corfu, New York. A water park was opened in 1986 and expanded in 2001. The park's carousel was destroyed in another fire in 1994 and replaced two years later.[4][8]
During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Seabreeze remained closed for the entire 2020 season. Operations resumed during the 2021 season.[4]
Seabreeze features 25 amusement park rides and water park. The amusement park is home to a variety of roller coasters and rides, food concessions, midway games, an arcade, a museum, live entertainment, and picnic areas. The water park features a variety of waterslides, a lazy river, spraygrounds, a wave pool, sunbathing areas, a bathhouse, a retail location, and food outlets.
| Attraction Name | Manufacturer | Year Opened | Attraction Type | Description and Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roller coasters | ||||
| Bear Trax | E&F Miler | 1997 | Family Coaster/16 ft Outside Spiral CW | A kiddie roller coaster featuring drops and a helix. |
| Bobsleds | George W. Long | 1962 | Hybrid Roller Coaster | A roller coaster built with a tubular steel track on a wooden structure. The ride has a maximum height of 31 feet and a length of 1,240 feet.
The Bobsleds were built by George W. Long Jr. in the winter of 1961–1962, after he returned from California where he saw the new Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland. Long set out to build his own version of the attraction, transforming the smaller Junior Coaster (1954-1961) into a taller and wider ride with a new layout. The Bobsleds was the second roller coaster to use a tubular steel track, a standard that is used on most steel-tracked roller coasters today. |
| Jack Rabbit | Harry C. Baker and John A. Miller | 1920 | Wooden Roller Coaster | Built in 1920, the Jack Rabbit is the oldest continuously operating roller coaster in America. Designed by Miller & Baker, the giant wood coaster features a modified out-and-back layout. The 2,150 feet of track includes a 75-foot drop. |
| Whirlwind | Maurer AG | 2004 | Spinning Coaster / SC2000 | Roller coaster with spinning cars that features a 5-story swooping drop, an 85° banked turn, twists, turns, and helices. It originally operated as "Cyber Space" from 2000 to 2003 on the Spanish fair circuit with Family Fraguas before Seabreeze purchased the ride. |
| Amusement rides | ||||
| Barnstormers | Zamperla | 1991 | Barnstormer | An airplane ride in which riders control their height in the air by pulling back or pushing forward on control sticks in the aircraft's cockpit. |
| Bumper Cars | Lusse | 1938 | Bumper Cars | Bumper Cars are located in a building that, between 1915 and 1933, was the loading platform for the Greyhound Roller Coaster. The ride has operated various cars over the years. The current cars were built by Duce. |
| Carousel | Long family | 1996 | Carousel | A hand-carved wooden carousel designed and built by the fifth generation of the Long Family. Documentary: Circle of Dreams |
| Flying Turtles | Traver Engineering & R.E. Chambers | 1930s | A kiddie version of a classic Tumble Bug ride. | |
| Great Balloon Race | Zamperla | 2014 | Samba Tower | A spinning hot air balloon tower ride. |
| Kiddie Boats | Allan Herschell Company | 1949 | Boat Ride | A small boat ride with a lighthouse. |
| Kiddie Swings | Zamperla | 1988 | Swing ride | A kid's version of the popular swing ride. Previously operated at Mountain Park in Massachusetts. |
| Log Flume | O.D. Hopkins | 1984 | Log Flume | Originally called the "Whitewater Log Flume" when it opened in 1984 and was built by O.D. Hopkins. This ride replaced a similar water ride known as "Over The Falls." While that ride was removed to make way for the new attraction, the signature drop was retained and incorporated into the new attraction. |
| Music Express | Bertazzon | 2008 | Music Express | Previously operated at Wild West World in Kansas. |
| Revolution 360 | Zamperla | 2010 | Mega Disk'o | Riders sit on motorcycle-style seats around the perimeter of a giant disk. The disk rotates 360° while gliding back and forth along a parabolic track. |
| Scenic Train | 1974 | Train | Children and adults take a gentle ride on a train as it rings its bell across the Log Flume and the Jack Rabbit and under a tunnel. | |
| Screamin' Eagle | Zamperla | 1998 | Hawk | Riders climb aboard the Screamin' Eagle. Once fastened in, the floor lowers, and the ride begins to swing back and forth before looping around upside down, 70 feet in the air. |
| Sea Dragon | Chance Rides | 1991 | Pirate Ship | A swinging pirate ship. Previously operated at Conneaut Lake Park in Pennsylvania. |
| The Spring | Moser | 2003 | Family Drop Tower | A drop tower ride. |
| Star Rockets | Allan Herschell Company | 1955 | Rocket-themed kid's ride. | |
| T-Birds | Pretzel Amusement Company | 1958 | Track car ride | Miniature 1955 Ford T-Birds with two steering wheels (for two riders) that travel around an electrified track that controls the cars' movement and steering. |
| Tilt-A-Whirl | Sellner | 1948 | Tilt-A-Whirl | Originally installed in 1948. A new version was installed in the mid-1970's. |
| Time Machine | Technical Park | 2017 | Super Miami | A clock themed ride similar to the Wisdom Genesis. Stands 30 feet tall. |
| Twirlin' Tea Cups | Zamperla | 2011 | Teacups | A teacup ride. |
| Wave Swinger | Bertazzon | 2014 | Swing Carousel | A modern take on a classic swing ride in which the top oscillates as the swings go around in circles. The ride features single and double seats. The ride previously operated at Freestyle Music Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where it operated as Just A Swingin'/The Texas Swing. |
| Windstarz | Zamperla | 2024 | WindstarZ | An attraction where riders can control the ascent of their hang glider vehicle. |
| Attraction Name | Year Opened | Attraction Type | Description and Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooldown Cove | 2012 | Splash Area | A kid's play area, located on Paradise Island, in the center of the Lazy River.
Originally opened in 1990 as a splash area. Was used solely as a fountain in the middle of the Lazy River for many years. Refurbished and opened as a splash area in 2012. |
| Helix | 2006 | Waterslide | A water slide down a chute into a giant bowl.
Built by Proslide Technology (CannonBowl Slide) |
| Hydro Racer | 2012 | Waterslide | A four lane racing waterslide. Riders lay on their stomach, head-first, on foam mats, and slide around a 360° tunneled helix before drooping side-by-side into the splashdown area.
Built by Proslide Technology (Octopus Racer Slide) |
| Lazy River | 1990 | Lazy River | A slow-moving water channel on an inflatable tube with waterfalls and other water-spraying elements. |
| Looney Lagoon | 1988 | Splash Area | A water play area featuring a shallow pool, with two kiddie waterslides (Mini River and Mini Twister) and a water mushroom.
Originally Named Cascade Activity Pool. |
| Mini River | 1988 | Waterslide (Kiddie) | A kid's waterslide in Looney Lagoon. |
| Mini Twister | 1988 | Waterslide (Kiddie) | A Kid's waterslide in Looney Lagoon |
| Paradise Island | 1990 | Sunbathing Area | Surrounded by the Lazy River, Paradise Island features a grass-covered seating area with lounge chairs and a sprayground.
Remodeled in 2012. |
| Pipeline | 2019 | Waterslide (Kiddie) | An enclosed kiddie slide located in Soak Zone.
Built by Proslide Technology. |
| Riptide Tube Slide | 1990 | Waterslide | An open-air tube slide filled with twists, turns and dips.
Built by Proslide Technology. |
| Soak Zone | 1999 | Splash Area | An interactive water sprayground. Water features include water cannons, geysers, water guns, and a giant dumping bucket. Soak Zone features three different waterslides!
Soak Zone was designed in-house. It was remodeled in 2019 to include the new Twister and Pipeline water slides. |
| Twister | 2019 | Waterslide | An intermediate sized body slide located in Soak Zone.
Built by Proslide Technology. |
| Vortex Tube Slide | 1992 | Waterslide | An enclosed water slide.
Built by Proslide Technology. |
| Waterslide | 1999 | Waterslide (Kiddie) | A straight, double-lane, kiddie waterslide in Soak Zone. |
| The Wave | 2001 | Wave Pool | A 260,000 gallon wave pool that features waves up to four feet tall. Waves can be generated in five different patterns. |
| Name | Type | Description and Information |
|---|---|---|
| Cirque-En-Vol | Show | An acrobatics show on the Center Stage. Performances are seven days a week and begin the third week in June when the park opens daily. Showtimes for the day are posted at the stage. |
| Gift Shop | Retail | Located on the midway by the main gate, there are over 1,000 square feet of retail space in the Gift Shop. This store showcases park souvenirs, summer apparel, unique collectibles, a candy counter, and more. |
| Seabreeze Park Museum | Museum | The Carousel Museum contains photographs, artifacts, a timeline and other memorabilia from over a century's worth of park history. |
| Seabreeze Surf Co. | Retail | A gift shop located in the waterpark, sells beach-themed items including tees, swimsuits, flip-flops, and sundries. |
The star attraction at Seabreeze is the Jack Rabbit, an "out-and-back" wooden roller coaster built in 1920. It is the fourth oldest operating roller coaster in the world and second oldest in the USA.[9] Currently, is America's oldest continuously operating roller coaster. The Jack Rabbit celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2020.
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