Lakemont Park
Encyclopedia
Lakemont Park, located in Altoona, Pennsylvania
, houses the world's oldest-surviving roller coaster
, the Leap-The-Dips
. The park opened in 1894 (four years before Kennywood Park) as a trolley park
and became an amusement park in the summer of 1899. It is the 8th oldest in the United States
. The park was owned by the Boyer Candy Company from May 23, 1986 until July 1, 1988, when it was called Boyertown USA.
Lakemont was once home to a Schmeck
wooden roller coaster named "Twister" from 1927-1935. This ride was damaged in a flood on in March, 1936, before being removed a year later. The park also had an Allan Herschell Mad Mouse, which closed in 2003, due to excessive maintenance.
Lakemont has numerous other rides:
Altoona, Pennsylvania
-History:A major railroad town, Altoona was founded by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1849 as the site for a shop complex. Altoona was incorporated as a borough on February 6, 1854, and as a city under legislation approved on April 3, 1867, and February 8, 1868...
, houses the world's oldest-surviving roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
, the Leap-The-Dips
Leap-The-Dips
Leap-The-Dips is the world's oldest operating wooden roller coaster and North America's last surviving side friction roller coaster. It is located at Lakemont Park in Altoona, Pennsylvania and was built in 1902 by the E. Joy Morris Company. Leap-the-Dips operated until 1985, when it closed due to...
. The park opened in 1894 (four years before Kennywood Park) as a trolley park
Trolley park
In the United States, trolley parks, which started in the 19th century, were picnic and recreation areas along or at the ends of streetcar lines in most of the larger cities. These were precursors to amusement parks. These trolley parks were created by the streetcar companies to give people a...
and became an amusement park in the summer of 1899. It is the 8th oldest in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The park was owned by the Boyer Candy Company from May 23, 1986 until July 1, 1988, when it was called Boyertown USA.
Roller Coasters
| Ride | Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Leap-The-Dips Leap-The-Dips Leap-The-Dips is the world's oldest operating wooden roller coaster and North America's last surviving side friction roller coaster. It is located at Lakemont Park in Altoona, Pennsylvania and was built in 1902 by the E. Joy Morris Company. Leap-the-Dips operated until 1985, when it closed due to... |
1902 | A wooden, figure-eight type ride with three, four-seat trains. Only two figure-eight type roller coasters still survive in the world. Leap-The-Dips is one of the few surviving roller coasters with side friction. It is a simple, gentle ride with 3/8 miles of track, or 1980 feet (603.5 m).That ride was closed for all but two weeks in 2005, because of maintenance on an old-age roller coaster. The ride was also SBNO from 1986 to 1998. |
| Little Leaper Little Leaper Little Leaper is the name of a steel roller coaster located at Lakemont Park in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Its height is 15 feet and length is 280 feet. It has a drop of 6 feet. It has a max speed of 35 mph.... |
A standard Allan Herschell Little Dipper kiddie coaster. The park currently does not allow adult riders on this coaster, or anyone over the age of 12. | |
| Skyliner Skyliner (roller coaster) Skyliner is the name of a wooden roller coaster located at Lakemont Park in Altoona, Pennsylvania. It originally opened in 1960 at New York's Roseland Park, and was John C. Allen's first full-size coaster design. John Allen designed three kiddie coasters prior to this one... |
1987 | The Skyliner was relocated from Roseland Park Roseland Park Roseland Park is a now defunct amusement park previously located at 169 Lake Shore Drive in the city of Canandaigua, New York. The park is located along the north shore of Canandaigua Lake. Roseland started operation in 1925 under its founder and original owner, William Muar... in Canandaigua, New York Canandaigua (city), New York Canandaigua is a city in Ontario County, New York, USA, of which it is the county seat. The population was 11,264 at the 2000 census... , where it was built in 1960. The move was to build up the park for the failed Boyertown USA project. This marks one of the few instances of a moved wooden roller coaster in the 80s. Skyliner today borders the outfield of the Blair County Ballpark Blair County Ballpark Blair County Ballpark is a 7,210-seat baseball-only stadium in Altoona, Pennsylvania that hosted its first regular season baseball game on April 15, 1999, as the tenants of the facility, the Altoona Curve defeated the Bowie Baysox, 6-1... , home of the Altoona Curve Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a minor league baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve . The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates major-league club... , next door. |
| Toboggan Toboggan (Lakemont Park) Toboggan is the name of a steel roller coaster located at Lakemont Park in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The coaster had previously traveled in Florida with Deggeller Shows.... |
1971 | A portable Chance Rides Toboggan coaster. The ride features four trains with two seats per train. |
Lakemont was once home to a Schmeck
Herbert Paul Schmeck
Herbert Paul Schmeck was an American roller coaster designer. From 1923 to 1955, Schmeck designed 84 coasters for the Philadelphia Toboggan Company...
wooden roller coaster named "Twister" from 1927-1935. This ride was damaged in a flood on in March, 1936, before being removed a year later. The park also had an Allan Herschell Mad Mouse, which closed in 2003, due to excessive maintenance.
Rides
- SkydiverSkydiver (ride)The Skydiver is a carnival ride produced from 1965 to 1987 by Chance Rides Manufacturing, Inc., an American manufacturer of amusement rides based in Wichita, Kansas....
- German Swings
- Paddle Boats
- Twister
- Tin Lizzy's (Antique Car ride)
- Tilt-A-WhirlTilt-A-WhirlTilt-A-Whirl is one of the best-known flat rides, designed for commercial use at amusement parks, fairs and carnivals in which it is commonly found. The rides are manufactured by Sellner Manufacturing of Faribault, Minnesota...
- Go-Karts
- Round-Up
- ScramblerTwist (ride)The Twist, also known as the Twister, Cyclone, Sizzler, Scrambler, Merry Mixer, Jambalaya, or Grasscutter is an amusement ride in which suspended riders spinning in cars experience the illusion that they will crash into other suspended, spinning cars. Riders are seated in small carriages clustered...
- Octopus
- Bumper Cars
- Lakemont Park Railroad
- Ferris wheelFerris wheelA Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on...
- Merry-Go-Round
- Wet Boats
- Starfighters
- Pony Carts
- Kiddie Wheel
- 4X4(Now Open)
Pay Extra Rides
- Leap-the-Dips: $2.50 per Ride
- Kid's Mini-Indy: $2.50 for a 3 minute race around the kid's track.
- Monster Motorway (Go-Karts): $4.00 for 3 and a half minute ride around the track. Riders must abide by the rules of the track and must be at least 56 inches to drive the go-kart alone, or they must ride with a parent in a double car. The track is located near the SkylinerSkyliner (roller coaster)Skyliner is the name of a wooden roller coaster located at Lakemont Park in Altoona, Pennsylvania. It originally opened in 1960 at New York's Roseland Park, and was John C. Allen's first full-size coaster design. John Allen designed three kiddie coasters prior to this one...
. - Traintown Mini Golf
Water Park
- Three Water Slides
- Pool
- Pirate's Cove (Small Pirate Ship with Water Canons and Palm Trees)