Lakeside Amusement Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Lakeside Amusement Park

Previously known as White City
Tower of Jewels at Lakeside Amusement Park
Location	Lakeside, Colorado, Colorado Denver, U.S.
Coordinates	39°46′42″N 105°03′34″W / 39.77833°N 105.05944°W / 39.77833; -105.05944
Opened	May 30, 1908
Owner	The Lakeside Park Company
Slogan	Enjoy the Ride!
Operating season	First weekend in May to Labor Day
Attractions
Total	25
Roller coasters	2
Water rides	1

Lakeside Amusement Park is a super fun, family-owned amusement park in Lakeside, Colorado. It's right next to Denver! This park first opened its gates way back in 1908.

It's the oldest amusement park in Colorado that's still running in its original spot. Lakeside is also the last "White City" park left in the United States. The park covers almost half of the small town of Lakeside. It's famous for its amazing Tower of Jewels and the thrilling 1940 Cyclone roller coaster.

A Look Back: Lakeside's History

Aerial view of Lakeside Amusement Park in 1966

A wide view of Lakeside Park in 1908

Lakeside Park was built by a group led by a Denver brewer named Adolph Zang. It was set up on about 57 acres next to Lake Rhoda. When it first opened, people called it "Lakeside Park," "The White City," or even "The Coney Island of the West."

The park's buildings were designed in beautiful Beaux-Arts and Neoclassical styles. These styles were popular for big exhibition parks back then. Imagine, it was lit up by about 100,000 electric light bulbs! A special trolley line brought visitors right to the park.

Original Buildings and Fun

The park's main entrance featured the impressive 150-foot Tower of Jewels. There was also a three-story casino building with restaurants and a theater. Other cool spots included a swimming pool, a huge ballroom, and a roller skating rink. You could also find a boat house with a long pier and a miniature train station. This station looked just like Denver's Union Station.

The main entrance led to a big central park area. At first, rides were mostly at the south end of the park. The northern part was for social activities like music, dancing, boating, swimming, and roller skating.

Early Rides and Changes

Some of the first rides included the Lakeshore Railroad, a merry-go-round, and a Ferris wheel. There was also a funhouse called the Third Degree and a "Shoot-the-Chutes" water ride. A long Scenic Railway and the Velvet Coaster were also popular. The Velvet Coaster was a mix of different coaster styles, with 3,600 feet of track.

In 1911, a new racing coaster called the Derby Racer was added. This big ride was built in the northern part of the park. This started a shift away from the park's original "White City" look.

Fires caused some damage in 1911 and 1912. The Scenic Railway was destroyed, and the skating rink was damaged. The swimming pool was later turned into a new roller skating rink for a while.

Modern Makeover

In 1935, Ben Krasner bought Lakeside. He made many big changes and added new rides. This made the park look even more different from its original design. The famous Cyclone roller coaster was built in 1940, replacing the Derby Racer.

Many new buildings and features were built in the cool Art Deco style. This included individual ticket booths for most rides. Even though tickets are now sold at the park entrance, you can still see many of these old ticket booths. Architect Richard L. Crowther designed much of the park's Art Deco look. He used lots of bright neon lights in his designs.

You can find interesting recycled items around the park. For example, the main restaurant has a marble bar from Denver Union Station. One picnic area uses parts from an old ride. The pool for the Skoota Boats ride used to be the "Shoot-the-Chutes" ride. The main office even uses an old-fashioned manual telephone switchboard!

In 1973, a fire destroyed the pool building, which was used for storage. Many ride parts and plans were lost. The park's ballroom, where many musicians performed, closed in 1972. It was mostly taken down in 1974.

Lakeside Speedway: Racing Fun

From the late 1930s until 1988, Lakeside Amusement Park had its own race track called Lakeside Speedway. It was a 1/5-mile oval track where different types of cars raced. The track was built where the park's baseball field used to be. After a serious accident in 1988, racing stopped at Lakeside. The track and stands are still there, but they are now used for storage.

Awesome Rides at Lakeside

Lakeside has many exciting rides for everyone!

Roller Coasters

The Cyclone is one of the park's most popular rides. It was built in 1940 and is a classic wooden coaster.

Other Cool Amusement Rides

• Loop-O-Plane
• Satellite
• Hurricane
• Auto Skooters (Bumper Cars)
• Crystal Palace
• Ferris Wheel
• Flying Dutchman
• Heart Flip
• Matterhorn
• Merry-Go-Round
• Lakeshore Railroad (miniature railway)
• Round-Up
• Roll-O-Plane
• Rock-O-Plane
• Scrambler
• Skoota Boats (Bumper Boats)
• Spider (a new version was added for the 2018 season)
• Sports Cars
• Tilt-A-Whirl
• Whip
• Wild Chipmunk
• Zoom

Fun Facts About Some Rides

• The merry-go-round and the miniature railroad are original rides from 1908! The merry-go-round is in a different spot now.
• The miniature railway has special steam train engines called "Puffing Billy" and "Whistling Tom." These came from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair! It also has the world's first miniature diesel train.
• The 1908 carousel has animals from different carousels. Many of them look like they were carved by the famous artist Charles I. D. Looff.
• Lakeside has almost every type of "O-Plane" ride made by Eyerly.

Carousel Details

• Type: It has 4 rows, a park style, and a 3-level platform, all made of wood.
• Figures: You'll find 16 jumping horses, 16 standing horses, and 4 chariots. Plus, there are 2 bears, 4 donkeys, 3 deer, 4 dogs, 5 goats, 2 lions, 4 pigs, 4 rabbits, 2 tigers, 2 zebras, 2 panthers, 1 cheetah, 2 monkeys, and 3 cougars!
• Music: It plays band organ music through speakers. There's also a non-working Wurlitzer #157 Band Organ that looks cool.

Kiddie Rides

Past Attractions

Some rides and attractions that are no longer at the park include the Shoot-The-Chutes (a water ride), the Scenic Railway, and the Derby Racer coaster. The old "Funhouse" used to have a laughing mannequin named Laffing Sal. Her loud laughter filled the park! The Funhouse had slides, moving floors, and spinning discs. It was taken down in 1985 due to safety and upkeep challenges. The Dragon coaster is now in its place.

The 1908 tower and casino building are still standing, but they are not open to the public. They are used for storage and park offices. The Riviera nightclub, which was part of the original ballroom, is also still there but closed.

A Lawsuit for Fairness

In 2014, a group training service dogs was not allowed on the miniature train ride unless they left their dogs behind. Because of this, a group called the Cross Disability Coalition filed a lawsuit against the park. They said the park broke the Americans with Disabilities Act and Colorado's laws about access for everyone. The police and the town of Lakeside were also part of the lawsuit.