Product Description

Playland offers an inviting look at the historic amusement park on the shore of the Long Island Sound in Rye. This book recalls the early days and the later years of Playland, a national historic landmark

and America’s only publicly owned amusement park. Opened in 1928 as part of the newly developed Westchester County Park System, Playland originally drew crowds that arrived via automobile, bus, and steamship for the circus acts, sideshows, and rides, such as the Swooper, an oval roller coaster, and the Derby Racer, one of only two left in the United

States. An all-purpose resort, the park included a beach, bathhouse, pool, and casino with restaurants and games. Today the park draws even larger crowds—nearly a million people each season—that come for the

Dragon Coaster and other rides, Kiddyland, the indoor ice rink, the pool, the beach, and the boardwalk.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #160382 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-14
• Released on: 2008-05-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

About the Author
Educator and author Kathryn W. Burke lives near Playland, and for more than 30 years, she and her family have been frequent patrons of the park. She also authored Hudson River Bridges with Arcadia Publishing. Now she has selected, primarily from the Westchester County Archives, some 200 spectacular images and has combined them with delightful narrative to produce Playland, an unforgettable experience of the region’s foremost amusement park. As Westchester County executive and a former history teacher, Andrew J. Spano has long been intrigued by Playland’s historical significance. He visited the park as a child and, over the years, has returned again and again with his own children and grandchildren.

Customer Reviews

Playland is a gem of an amusement park book!
This is a wonderful historical overview of Rye Playland. The book captures the flavor of Playland completely. The text gives due credit to Frank Darling, Fred Church, and others for the park creation. The many photos illustrate the rides, shows, and attractions past and present be it the tumblebug, old mill, Laff in the dark, Airplane and Dragon coasters, racing derby, merry go round, fun house, kiddyland, skee ball, promotional events, picnics, water activities, etc. Even park construction photos and photos of Rye Beach Park that preceded Playland are included. To every visitor of Playland, this book will surely revive grand old memories or expose them to the magic of its past days.

Great gift for my dad
My dad grew up going to Playland as a boy... this was a perfect gift for him! He loves looking through the pictures and reminiscing.