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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.
Previously known as
| |
 | |
| 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 |
History
editIn 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]
Rides and Attractions
editSeabreeze 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.
Amusement Rides
edit| 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. |
Waterpark Attractions
edit| 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. |
Shows, Retail & Museum
edit| 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 Jack Rabbit
editThe 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.
Former Rides and Attractions
edit- Banzai Pipeline : A 5-story drop body waterslide. Removed in 2011 and replaced by Hydro Racer. Manufactured by ProSlide (SpeedSlide model).
- Bermuda Triangle : A collection of three similar body slides that twisted around each other; two regular body slides (Zoom Flume and Radical Run) and the Banzai Pipeline. Removed in 2011 and replaced by Hydro Racer.
- Bunny Rabbit : A steel kiddie roller coaster manufactured by Allen Herschell Company. Operated from 1985 to 1996 and replaced by Bear Trax.
- Crazy Cups : An old fashioned version the Tea Cups ride. Removed in 2011 and replaced by Twirlin' Tea Cups.
- Figure Eight : This was Seabreeze Amusement Park's first roller coaster. Opening in 1903, this roller coaster was designed by Fredrick Ingersoll at a cost of $20,000. The ride featured individual cars with upholstered leather seats, finished in cream and maroon colors. The ride was located just to the south of where the Jack Rabbit's station is today. The coaster was of a side-friction design. It closed at the end of the 1915 season and was removed in the winter of 1915–1916.
- Flying Scooters : A predecessor to the most recent Seabreeze Flyers. The design and location of the ride were almost exactly the same.
- Ghost Train : Another one of the rides burnt beyond repair in the 1994 fire. The ride consisted of powered carts that moved past low light spooky scenes inside a small show building. The ride was re-themed to the Enchanter in the 1970s.
- Goofy House : A fun house attraction next to the Ghost Train featuring a rotating barrel through which you entered, shifting stairs, rollers over which you could glide, mirrors that distorted your bodily proportions, a room with a heavily tilted floor and a slide. It was operated from 1949 until it was destroyed by the 1994 fire.
- Greyhound : A wooden side-friction design wooden roller coaster. Opened in 1916 as "Dips", but renamed for no known reason in 1926 to Greyhound. Closed in 1933.[5]
- Gyrosphere : An indoor scrambler ride with laser effects and music. Removed in 2007 and replaced by Music Express. Manufactured by Eli Bridge Company (Scrambler model).[10]
- Over the Falls : A predecessor to the current log flume, open from 1958 to 1984.[7]
- Paratrooper : A circular ride with swinging gondolas connected along a frame. When the ride starts, the frame spins at about a 45-degree angle, sending the gondolas for a fling.
- Quantum Loop : A steel looping roller coaster manufactured by Soquet. Opened in 1994 after the fire at the park's north end destroyed many of the park's other rides. The ride consisted of an almost six story climb, then dropped down to rush through two consecutive vertical loops and then went through a few turns before hitting the final brake run. The ride had yellow painted track and white painted supports. The ride was removed in 2003 to be replaced by Whirlwind. After removal, Seabreeze sold the ride to Salitre Magico in Colombia where it still operates as Double Loop.
- Radical Run : body slide that was part of the Bermuda Triangle.
- Rock-O-Plane : An inverted Ferris wheel where riders sit in an enclosed seat using a hand brake to lock the car in place, and release it to flip around.
- Round up : A ride that consisted of a circular rotating platform that kept riders stuck to the wall using g-forces while the platform raised to a more vertical position.
- Seabreeze Flyers : A classic Bisch-Rocco Flying Scooters ride. Installed in 1944 or earlier. It was retired after 2023 to make way for the Windstarz.
- Virginia Reel: An early popular coaster type with free-sliding circular tubs descending a gently sloped track with lots of twists and turns. Nearby Ontario Beach had had one for several years before Seabreeze's opened in 1921. Rethemed "Jack and Jill" in 1928; damaged by fire in 1930 and never re-opened.[11]
- Wild Cat : A wooden roller coaster designed by Herbert Paul Schmeck and built by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters. The Wild Cat was located in the large ravine that bisects the park, where the Log Flume is located today. Wild Cat operated from 1926 to 1935.[5]
- WipeOut! : twin racing tubular waterslides. Removed in 2005 and replaced by Helix.
- Yo-Yo : A swing ride that simply raised the chairs and spun in circles. Removed in 2013 and replaced by Wave Swinger. Manufactured by Chance Rides (Yoyo model).
- Zoom Flume : body slide that was part of the Bermuda Triangle.
References
edit- ^ "World's Oldest Amusement Parks Operating in the Same Location". NAPHA. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
- ^ McKelvey, Blake (July 1946). "Rochester Learns to Play: 1850-1900" (PDF). Rochester History. VIII (3): 22–23.
- ^ a b c Smith, Florence C. (January 1994). "Irondequoit Bay: The Business of Pleasure" (PDF). Rochester History. LVI (1): 11–23.
- ^ a b c d e f Greenwood, Marcia (June 3, 2021). "Seabreeze became a Rochester NY landmark in spite of disaster, obstacles". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ^ a b c Kyriazi, Gary (October 23, 2014). "Seabreeze – a shining example of survival". Park World. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ^ Greenwood, Marcia (June 3, 2021). "Jack Rabbit, Bobsleds and other popular rides at Seabreeze". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ^ a b Morrell, Alan (July 14, 2018). "Whatever Happened to ... Seabreeze's Over the Falls ride?". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ^ Cho, Janet H. (April 1, 1994). "Emblem of Area History is Gone". Democrat and Chronicle. p. 11. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
- ^ "National Amusement Park Historic Association, World's Oldest Operating Roller Coasters". Retrieved 2008-06-21.
- ^ Morrell, Alan (August 5, 2017). "Whatever Happened to ... the Gyrosphere?". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/SeabreezeAmusementPark/posts/pfbid0R7hvnYALRiCeGe6XpJWMiK9emifuV2y92U6hddYiDDymjk8z6B6RSLYBfKEndPE3l [bare URL]