Why Did the Bronx’s Freedomland Fail As An Amusement Park?

Freedomland was a theme park that aspired to greatness, but was undone almost as soon as it began.

by Rich Watson 

In the northeast corner of the Bronx, where Co-Op City resides, there once was an amusement park that for a brief time in the sixties, challenged Disneyland in popularity.

Freedomland USA sought to bring America’s past, however selective and biased, to life in a variety of rides, attractions and reenactments. At eighty-five acres, it was presented as the world’s biggest entertainment center.

So why didn’t it survive?

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Queens’ North Beach, Co-Created By the Piano-Making King

The man who was pivotal to the growth of Queens also helped develop a popular 19th-century beachfront resort.

by Rich Watson 

La Guardia Airport was established in 1929. Before that, the site on which it resides was home to a popular resort and amusement park. 

It was built by an influential figure in the history of modern Queens, particularly the Astoria neighborhood: piano manufacturer William Steinway.

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Happyland Amusement Park Helped Bring a Touch of the Riviera to Staten Island

Happyland was part of a tourist attraction that made Staten Island a hot spot in the early twentieth century.

by Rich Watson 

The Happyland Amusement Park was part of Staten Island’s South Beach area. Once upon a time, during the early twentieth century, “the Riviera of New York City” was a summer getaway spot that had hotels with bathing pavilions, beer gardens, casinos, and more.

Happyland occupied fifteen acres on the storefront. Its entertainment options rivaled Coney Island.

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