Vintage Amusement Parks Mean Big Fun For Small Kids - 2

Retro Rules in Bartlesville, Okla.

I thought Memphis Kiddie Park was one of kind—and in a way, of course, it is. But it turns out that you can provide your preschooler equally cheap, retro fun in Bartlesville, Okla., as well.

Bartlesville’s Kiddie Park has a couple years on Cleveland’s version—it was established in 1947, and relocated to its current location sometime between 1959 and 1960, according to manager Bill Alexander.

Located 46 miles north of Tulsa, Bartlesville is a small town of about 34,000—all of whom felt so strongly about their local landmark that it was taken over by a foundation in order to prevent it from closing down.

All of the profits from the park go back into operating costs, and a board of directors provides oversight.

“The park is a vital part of summer life here,” says Alexander. “Kiddie Park is so ingrained in this community that it is incredible.”

And how could you not fall in love with a children’s amusement park that charges 25 cents per ticket, with rides taking no more than two tickets?

“Where else can you spend 20 bucks, ride all night and eat hot dogs?” Alexander asks.

Where else, indeed.

• Two boys pose for the camera as they enjoy the Red Baron Bi-Planes at the Kiddie Park in Bartlesville.
• Courtesy of the Bartlesville Kiddie Park

Alexander says that the park draws visitors from all over Oklahoma and Kansas, as well as from just about every state in the union. A 36-foot vintage rollercoaster currently operating under the name “Little Fireball” and a circa-1956 carousel are two of the most popular attractions.

But rides and prices aside, Alexander says that the real charm of Kiddie Park is the happiness that it brings to small children, and, by extension, their parents.

“The best part is seeing the little kids have fun,” he says. “It’s a great place, because parents can take their kids and not spend hardly any money at all. The kids are having a great time, and their faces are just lighting up with joy, and it isn’t going to cost an arm and a leg.”

And while Cleveland has the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a trip to Bartlesville will allow you to see a true architectural rarity—this small city is also home to the only skyscraper ever built by Frank Lloyd Wright: the Price Tower.

Letting the Little Ones Ride in San Antonio

If Texas is more your style, be sure to stop at San Antonio’s Kiddie Park. This may very well be the granddaddy of them all—it was established in 1925, and is the oldest children’s amusement park in the United States.

But beware; according to the park’s Web site, no grumps are allowed.

Guess I won’t be going there anytime soon.

• Kids love the boat ride at the oldest children’s park in the United States.
• Courtesy of San Antonio’s Kiddie Park

Anyhoo, $8.25 buys your kid unlimited rides from 10 a.m. to dark Monday through Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to sunset on Sundays. Owner Bob Aston, 57, grew up going to Kiddie Park.

“As a child I even asked my daddy to buy it for me,” Aston says. “I waited a few years, until I was 27, and then I bought it for myself.”

Located just 30 blocks from The Alamo, this San Antonio institution has been operating continuously for 82 years. The park’s most famous attraction is its Hershell-Stillman carousel, installed in 1959.

“We’ve had five generations of the same family riding that carousel,” Aston says. “We get folks bringing in their great-great-grandchildren.”

Those great-grandparents will recall when the only rides were live ponies and goats. The first mechanized attractions were installed in 1935.

Set on a tiny one-acre lot, the park boasts 10 strategically arranged rides, including a 40-by-100-foot steel rollercoaster, also called the Little Dipper, as at the Ohio Kiddie Park. Parents wishing to ride with their kids can do so on the merry-go-round or on the park’s newest ride, the helicopters, installed in 1962 and manufactured right in San Antonio.

Above all, Aston says, his park is a place for families to spend time together and have a great time building memories.

“We are like one big happy family,” he says. “My kids had a wonderful time growing up here, and now my grandkids come here. It is great fun to watch them.”

Kiddie Park is open year-round, thanks to the balmy climate of southern Texas. But beware—if the thermometer drops below 55, the park closes its doors.

Now all I have to do is make sure my kid never gets wind of that, or we’ll have to relocate to Texas.