The first theme park in RI opened almost 200 years ago. Here's its story
As the weather gets warmer, it's almost time to return outdoors to some of your favorite summer attractions, including beaches, festivals and theme parks.
While it might be custom today to travel outside of Rhode Island and over to Massachusetts for a day at the amusement park, nearly 200 years ago, the state was home to one of the oldest theme parks in the country. Though closed now, Rocky Point Amusement Park was one of the state's biggest attractions during its near 150-year run.
Here's the story of the oldest theme park in Rhode Island: how it started, where it went and what remains of Rocky Point today.
Rocky Point Amusement Park dates back to the 1840s, when steamboat captain William Winslow purchased the park's property and started hosting picnics there.
Various owners throughout the following decades added attractions, including a baseball field where Babe Ruth once played and a ballroom that hosted performers like Janis Joplin. Meals also continued to draw crowds to Rocky Point, which became known for its clambakes at the Shore Dinner Hall.
Rocky Point grew into a success as an amusement park in the 1950s-60s, with popular rides including a Ferris wheel, the Corkscrew Loop Roller Coaster, the Log Flume and the Castle of Terror.
However, throughout the 1980s, attendance at the park declined, and financial struggles pushed Rocky Point Amusement Park to close in 1994. The following years saw rides sold and demolished, leaving nothing but scattered parts and memories in the Warwick lot.
Today, the old grounds of Rhode Island's first theme park stand as Rocky Point State Park, a 120-acre park that offers hiking, fishing, biking, picnicking, birding and more. While the former amusement rides have been removed, some structures still remain on the grounds for exploration, along with plaques explaining the old rides.
Rocky Point Amusement Park is free to visit daily from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. The park is located at 1 Rocky Point Ave., Warwick.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: What was the first theme park in RI? It closed in the 90s
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
a day ago
- Associated Press
This Date in Baseball - Baltimore's Cal Ripken Jr. begins his record consecutive games streak
May 30 1894 -- Boston's Robert Lowe became the first player in Major League history to hit four home runs in a game, leading the Beaneaters to a 20-11 win over Cincinnati. After hitting four straight homers, all line drives far over the fence, Lowe added a single to set a major league record with 17 total bases. 1922 -- Between the morning and afternoon games of a Memorial Day twin bill, Max Flack of the Chicago Cubs was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Cliff Heathcote. They played one game for each team. 1927 -- In the fourth inning of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, shortstop Jim Cooney of the Chicago Cubs caught Paul Waner's liner, stepped on second to double Lloyd Waner and then tagged Clyde Barnhart coming from first for an unassisted triple play. 1935 -- Babe Ruth made his last major league appearance. He played one inning for the Boston Braves against the Philadelphia Phillies. Jim Bivin retired Babe Ruth on an infield grounder in the Babe's final major league at-bat. 1940 -- Carl Hubbell of the New York Giants threw 87 pitches in a 7-0 one-hitter against the Brooklyn Dodgers. He faced the minimum 27 batters. Johnny Hudson, who singled, was caught stealing. 1956 -- Mickey Mantle hit a home run that came within a foot-and-a-half of leaving Yankee Stadium. It hit the face of the upper deck in right field, 370 feet from home plate and 117 feet in the air. Mantle became the first player to hit 20 home runs by the end of May as the Yankees beat the Washington Senators 4-3. 1961 -- Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Bill Skowron each hit two homers to lead the New York Yankees to a 12-3 rout of the Boston Red Sox. Yogi Berra also added a homer. 1962 -- Pedro Ramos of the Cleveland Indians tossed a three-hitter and hit two home runs, including a grand slam, for a 7-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. 1977 -- Cleveland's Dennis Eckersley pitched a 1-0 no-hitter against the California Angels. 1982 -- Baltimore's Cal Ripken Jr. began his record consecutive games streak by starting at third base against the Toronto Blue Jays. 1987 -- Eric Davis hit a grand slam in the third inning, breaking two National League records and leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 6-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Davis became the first NL player to hit three grand slams in a month and his major league leading 19 homers broke the NL record for most homers in April and May. 1992 -- Scott Sanderson became the ninth pitcher to beat all 26 major league teams as New York defeated Milwaukee 8-1. Sanderson joined Nolan Ryan, Tommy John, Don Sutton, Mike Torrez, Rick Wise, Gaylord Perry, Doyle Alexander and Rich Gossage as those who have defeated every club. 2001 -- Barry Bonds hit two home runs, moving past Willie McCovey and Ted Williams into 11th place on the career list with 522. Bonds with 17 home runs in May, surpassed the mark set by Mark McGwire in 1998 and Mickey Mantle in 1956. 2003 -- Ken Griffey Jr. hit a game-tying home run in the ninth and a go-ahead homer in the top of the 11th to lead Cincinnati over Florida 4-3. 2006 -- Vernon Wells hit three home runs and Troy Glaus added two more in Toronto's 8-5 victory over Boston. 2009 -- Travis Tucker hit an RBI single with one out in the top of the 25th inning, leading Texas to a 3-2 victory over Boston College in the longest game in NCAA history. The game eclipsed the previous record of 23 innings, set in 1971 when Louisiana-Lafayette defeated McNeese State 6-5. 2010 -- Albert Pujols hit three long home runs to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 9-1 win over the Chicago Cubs. Pujols homered in the first, fifth and ninth innings for his fourth career three-homer game. 2011 -- Jo-Jo Reyes won for the first time in 29 starts by throwing his first career complete game to lead Toronto to an 11-1 rout of Cleveland. Reyes avoided becoming the first pitcher to go winless in 29 starts. Oakland's Matt Keough went 28 starts between wins in 1978 and 1979, matching the dubious mark first set by Boston's Cliff Curtis in 1910 and 1911. The left-hander went 0-13 with a 6.59 ERA in his 28 starts between wins. 2011 -- Arizona's Kelly Johnson became the second player in the majors this year to have four extra-base hits in a game as the Diamondbacks beat the Florida Marlins 15-4. Johnson hit solo home runs in the third and sixth, doubled in the fourth and tripled in the seventh. 2015 — The Dodgers snap a 42-inning scoreless road streak in beating the Cardinals, 5-1. They are held hitless for five innings by Michael Wacha to beat an unenviable club record dating back to 1908, until a run-scoring single by Howie Kendrick in the 6th puts the team on the board and a three-run homer by Yasmani Grandal gives them the lead. It is Wacha's first loss after opening the year with seven straight wins. _____
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Beach season is here. This RI spot was named one of the 'most underrated' in America
It's not a secret in Rhode Island, but now U.S. News and World Report is telling everyone that Block Island is one of the 'Best Underrated Travel Destinations in the U.S.' The media company ranked the island off the coast of Rhode Island as the fifth best underrated destination in the list released May 12. U.S. News and World Report uses both user and editors scores to rank vacation destinations. The destination's user score is calculated by tallying the percentage of 'yes' votes compared to the total votes a given destination receives. The editors' score is based on the average score a destination receives on categories including sights, culture, adventure, and food. U.S. News and World Report said that Block Island 'remains an understated getaway for East Coasters.' 'The island's 17 miles of beaches are largely undeveloped, and shorelines range from the rugged Mohegan Bluffs to the idyllic Crescent Beach,' said the ranking. 'You can also bike to the historic Southeast and North lighthouses or take an aquarium tour at the Block Island Maritime Institute. For a fun and different activity, search for handmade glass orbs (hidden along beaches and trails) as part of the Glass Float Project, a public art installation and scavenger hunt.' Block Island is located 12 miles south of mainland Rhode Island. You can get to Block Island by personal boat, ferry, or plane. A ferry can take 30 minutes to one hour, depending on if you go on the high-speed one or not and weather conditions. The top underrated travel destination in the U.S. according to U.S. News and World Report is St. Simons Island in Georgia. Here are the top ten best underrated travel destinations on the list: St. Simons Island, Georgia Sawtooth National Recreation Area, Idaho Door County, Wisconsin Chattanooga, Tennessee Block Island, Rhode Island Big Bend National Park, Texas Portsmouth, New Hampshire Duluth, Minnesota Charlottesville, Virginia Crested Butte, Colorado (The photo was changed on this story.) This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Block Island named one of 'best underrated' destinations in America
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
The first theme park in RI opened almost 200 years ago. Here's its story
As the weather gets warmer, it's almost time to return outdoors to some of your favorite summer attractions, including beaches, festivals and theme parks. While it might be custom today to travel outside of Rhode Island and over to Massachusetts for a day at the amusement park, nearly 200 years ago, the state was home to one of the oldest theme parks in the country. Though closed now, Rocky Point Amusement Park was one of the state's biggest attractions during its near 150-year run. Here's the story of the oldest theme park in Rhode Island: how it started, where it went and what remains of Rocky Point today. Rocky Point Amusement Park dates back to the 1840s, when steamboat captain William Winslow purchased the park's property and started hosting picnics there. Various owners throughout the following decades added attractions, including a baseball field where Babe Ruth once played and a ballroom that hosted performers like Janis Joplin. Meals also continued to draw crowds to Rocky Point, which became known for its clambakes at the Shore Dinner Hall. Rocky Point grew into a success as an amusement park in the 1950s-60s, with popular rides including a Ferris wheel, the Corkscrew Loop Roller Coaster, the Log Flume and the Castle of Terror. However, throughout the 1980s, attendance at the park declined, and financial struggles pushed Rocky Point Amusement Park to close in 1994. The following years saw rides sold and demolished, leaving nothing but scattered parts and memories in the Warwick lot. Today, the old grounds of Rhode Island's first theme park stand as Rocky Point State Park, a 120-acre park that offers hiking, fishing, biking, picnicking, birding and more. While the former amusement rides have been removed, some structures still remain on the grounds for exploration, along with plaques explaining the old rides. Rocky Point Amusement Park is free to visit daily from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. The park is located at 1 Rocky Point Ave., Warwick. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: What was the first theme park in RI? It closed in the 90s
