Bay Beach Amusement Park facts for kids
| Previously known as Bay View Beach (until approx. 1920) | |
Train depot
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| Location | 1313 Bay Beach Road, Green Bay, Wisconsin |
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| Coordinates | 44°31′51.3″N 87°58′51″W / 44.530917°N 87.98083°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | 1892 |
| Owner | City of Green Bay, Wisconsin |
| Operating season | May - September |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 23 |
| Roller coasters | 1 |
Bay Beach is a fun amusement park in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It's owned by the city! You can find it near where the Fox River flows into Green Bay. The park has lots of rides, places to buy snacks, a roller coaster, and a food area. You can also find a building where dances, movies, and other events happen. Right next door is the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary, a great place to see animals.
How Bay Beach Started
The park's story began way back in the 1890s. A person named Mitchell Nejedlo bought the land. He first wanted to sell it for summer homes. But then, he decided to open it as "Bay View Beach."
Bay View Beach had a dance hall, a bar, and a bathhouse. However, it was a bit swampy and had lots of mosquitoes. So, not many people visited at first.
In 1908, Captain John Cusick bought the park from Nejedlo. Captain Cusick built a long dock, about 570 feet into the bay. He then bought a steamboat to bring visitors from the Walnut Street Bridge to Bay View Beach. When swimming became popular, he started renting swimsuits for just 10 cents! On a good day, he could make as much as $450.
In 1901, a roller coaster was built at the park. Then, in 1908, Captain Cusick added a ride called "Shoot the Chutes." This ride used a flat-bottomed boat that could hold 12 people. The boat would slide down a 50-foot ramp and splash into the water. This ride also cost 10 cents.
In 1911, Frank Emery Murphy and Fred A. Rahr bought Bay View Beach. In 1920, they gave the 11 acres of land, along with all its buildings and rides, to the city of Green Bay. It then became a city park, called Bay Beach Park.
For many years, the park had a public beach. But over time, the water became polluted, and the swimming beach had to close. From the 1930s to the early 1970s, the park's main building hosted concerts, dances, and Fourth of July fireworks. On August 9, 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt even visited Bay Beach! He was there to celebrate Green Bay's 300th birthday since the French explorer Jean Nicolet arrived in 1634.
Today, Bay Beach is a wonderful family park. It has beautiful views and many rides for children. These include bumper cars, two small train rides, a big slide, and a Ferris wheel.
New Rides and Changes
In 2006, the park bought more land to make it bigger and better. There were plans to replace the old Ferris wheel and add new rides.
A very exciting change happened in 2010. The city of Green Bay decided to buy the almost 100-year-old Zippin Pippin wooden roller coaster. This famous coaster used to be in Memphis, Tennessee. Construction on the Zippin Pippin started in September 2010 and finished in April 2011. Now, it's a popular ride at Bay Beach!
In 2013, a big plan for Bay Beach was suggested. The first part of this plan included adding a "Sea Dragon" ride. It also involved making the train tracks longer so they would loop under the Zippin Pippin by 2015.
In 2014, new narrow-gauge trains and three cars, like those at the Milwaukee zoo, were given to the park. These trains started running on over 3,000 feet of track in 2015.
More new rides arrived in 2017 and 2018. In 2017, the "Falling Star" ride was added. In 2019, a huge 100-foot-tall Ferris wheel opened, giving amazing views of the park and the bay!
Images for kids
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Bumper car building
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The Scat ride
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View from the top of the Ferris wheel
