Pleasure Beach facts for kids
Pleasure Beach is a special sandy strip of land in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It stretches for about 2.5 miles and is connected to another area called Long Beach in Stratford, Connecticut. For many years, Pleasure Beach was like a ghost town because a fire in the late 1990s damaged the bridge that connected it to the mainland. This made it very hard to get to.
But good news! In June 2014, Pleasure Beach reopened to the public. It is surrounded by water on three sides: Lewis Gut to the north, Bridgeport Harbor to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south.
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History of Pleasure Beach
From 1892 to 1958, Pleasure Beach was home to a very popular amusement park. For some time, between 1904 and 1919, it was even called "Steeplechase Island." People could usually reach the park by taking a ferry or by driving over a wooden swing bridge that was built in 1927.
Some parts of the old amusement park are still there today. You can find the carousel, the building where the dodge-'em cars were, and a building that used to be a beer garden. The beer garden was later changed into a summer theater in the 1960s.
Becoming a Ghost Town and Reopening
In 1996, a part of the bridge burned down. This made it very difficult to reach Pleasure Beach. People could only get there by walking a long way along the shoreline or by using small private boats. Because it was so hard to get to, nature started to take over the area.
For many years, there were talks about bringing back access to the beach. Finally, in June 2014, Pleasure Beach officially reopened! Now, visitors can take a free water taxi to get there. The water taxis pick up beachgoers from a fishing pier on Seaview Avenue in Bridgeport.
Two water taxis, named the Lewis H. Latimer and the Gustave Whitehead, run regularly. Once you arrive at the T-Pier on Pleasure Beach, it's about a half-mile walk along a boardwalk to reach the main beach area.
Along the boardwalk, you'll pass an information center where you can ask questions. Further on, there's a pavilion and a relaxation area. This spot has bathrooms, showers, picnic tables, and a small snack stand. After walking through this area, you'll reach the beautiful beach.
Changes Over Time
The town of Stratford used to own 45 small houses, called cottages, on the Long Beach part of the peninsula. These were seasonal homes. Over time, it became difficult to protect them. In 2007, the people living in these cottages agreed to move out, and their homes were later taken down.
After the bridge fire, many buildings on Pleasure Beach, including some of the cottages, were damaged. The area also had a lot of trash. Officials worked to clean up the land. By May 2011, all the cottages had been demolished, leaving mostly just the beach. However, some of the park's old buildings, like the theater, still remained.
Nature and Wildlife
Pleasure Beach is a very important place for nature. It is a protected area for many animals and plants. You can find endangered birds like the piping plover and the osprey here. There are also special plants like the prickly pear cactus and southern sea lavender.
To protect the birds, especially during nesting season, some parts of the beach are roped off. Besides birds and plants, you might also see cotton-tailed rabbits, deer, foxes, and raccoons living on the beach. This sandy strip of land is one of the largest undeveloped beachfront areas left in Connecticut.
Other Structures
The tall towers for the radio station WICC (AM) are located on Pleasure Beach. When the radio station needs to bring supplies to the towers, they use a special boat called an amphibious landing craft, which can travel on both land and water.
