Columbia Carousel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Columbia Carousel
The Columbia Carousel at Six Flags Great America in 2005.
California's Great America Area Celebration Plaza Status {{{status}}} Cost $1,500,000 Opening date 1976
Six Flags Great America Area Carousel Plaza Status {{{status}}} Cost $1,500,000 Opening date 1976
Ride statistics
Attraction type	Carousel
Manufacturer	Chance Rides
Model	Double Deck Carousel
Height	100–101 ft (30–31 m)
Vehicles	Over 100
Riders per vehicle	1 per animal; 6 per bench

The Columbia Carousel (known as Carousel Columbia at California's Great America) is a very tall, two-story carousel. There are actually two of these amazing carousels! One is at Six Flags Great America in Illinois, and the other is at California's Great America in California.

Both parks were first built by the Marriott hotel company. They were like "sister" parks, meaning they were very similar. Later, different companies bought them. Now, Six Flags owns the one in Illinois, and Cedar Fair owns the one in California. The Carousel Columbia in California is currently the tallest carousel in the world!

History of the Carousels

In recent years a stage has been set up in front of the carousels at both parks.

The first Columbia carousel opened in the Santa Clara park (California) in 1976. The Columbia carousel in Gurnee (Illinois) opened later that same year. So, both carousels have been around for a long time!

The carousel in California is called Carousel Columbia. The one in Illinois is known as Columbia Carousel.

In 1994, the Carousel Columbia in Santa Clara got some small updates. This was because it appeared in the movie Beverly Hills Cop III, which was filmed at the theme park.

In the early 2000s, both carousels were painted with touches of red and blue. Originally, they were mostly white with gold details. Some of the gold trim can still be seen today.

In 2011 and 2012, the Carousel Columbia at California's Great America was repainted again. The Columbia Carousel at Six Flags Great America also got a fresh coat of paint during its 40th-season celebration.

Music You'll Hear

When you ride the Columbia Carousel, you'll hear a variety of classic and fun songs. Here are some of the tunes that play:

• Carousel Waltz
• Al Jolson Medley
• Bozo's Song
• Chinatown My Chinatown
• Danny Boy
• Entry of the Gladiators
• Florida Fight Song
• Give My Regards to Broadway
• His Honor
• Illinois Loyalty
• Jay Jay the Jet Plane
• King Kong March
• Liberty Bell March
• Mickey & Friends Medley
• Nellie the Elephant
• Onward and Upward
• Paddington Bear
• California, Here I Come
• The Carousel Song

How the Carousels Were Designed

The first ideas for the carousel, which was then called "The Columbia," came from Randall Duell Associates. More fancy scrollwork and decorations were added by Chris Mueller.

Each carousel has 106 animals, including horses and chariots. Every single one is a copy of a very famous carved carousel animal from around the world. In front of each carousel, there's a large pond that reflects the carousel. Along the sides of the pond, you can see historic copies of American flags flying. These flags still fly today!

Inside each carousel, there are sixteen original oil paintings by an artist named George Gibson. These paintings show different moments from American history. Some parts of the Carousel Columbia were even used in old movies like Marie Antoinette (1938) and The Swan (1956).

The Carousel Columbia in Santa Clara is 101 ft (31 m) tall, making it the tallest carousel in the world! Its sister carousel in Gurnee is just one foot shorter, standing at 100 ft (30 m). You can tell the two carousels apart by looking at their roofs. The California carousel has a gold roof, while the Illinois one has a green roof. Also, the Gurnee carousel has carpet on its floor, but the Santa Clara one has a wood floor.

The Columbia carousels are often linked to "The Carousel Song." This song was written especially for the Marriott's Great America theme parks by Gene Patrick. At the Santa Clara park, the Carousel Song plays several times a day. At the Gurnee park, it usually plays only right before the park closes.

Carousel Animals

The carousels have 106 fiberglass animals and chariots for riders. Here's what you can find:

The horses on the carousel are copies of many different famous carousel horses. These include cavalry-style horses, Parker horses, and Dentzel horses. There's even a copy of the 1928 "Silver Anniversary Horse" on the Gurnee carousel. The original 1928 armored horse is kept in the Circus Hall of Fame. The chariots are copies of ones first made in 1918 by Daniel Carl Muller.

Gallery

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  Carousel Columbia at California's Great America

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  Columbia Carousel at Six Flags Great America

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  Carousel Columbia (2014)

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  Columbia Carousel (2011)

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  Carousel Columbia at night (2016)

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  Columbia Carousel at night (2014)

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  Jumping horses on Carousel Columbia

• 37°23′50″N 121°58′28″W / 37.39731°N 121.97445°W / 37.39731; -121.97445 (Columbia Carousel at California's Great America) at California's Great America
• 42°22′10″N 87°56′07″W / 42.36942°N 87.93533°W / 42.36942; -87.93533 (Columbia Carousel at Six Flags Great America) at Six Flags Great America

More Information

Images for kids

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  Columbia Carousel during Holiday in the Park (2020)