Rocky Point Amusement Park facts for kids
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| Location | Warwick, Rhode Island, United States |
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| Coordinates | 41°41′21″N 71°22′03″W / 41.68917°N 71.36750°W |
| Status | Closed |
| Opened | 1847 |
| Closed | 1994 |
| Slogan | We've Got Your Summer at Rocky Point |
| Operating season | Memorial Day Weekend thru mid-September |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 24+ |
| Roller coasters | 2+ |
| Water rides | 1 |
Rocky Point Park was a fun amusement park located right on the water in Warwick, Rhode Island, United States. It was open for a very long time, from the 1840s until it closed on November 7, 1994. The park officially went out of business in 1996.
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History of Rocky Point Park
The idea for Rocky Point Park came from Captain William Winslow in the 1840s. By 1847, he bought some land and started offering fun activities and serving dinner.
On September 6, 1903, a baseball game was played at Rocky Point. The National League's Boston Beaneaters played the Philadelphia Phillies there. This happened because of old rules that stopped games on Sundays in Boston. Boston won the game 3-2.
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From the 1950s to the mid-1990s, Rocky Point Park was super popular in Rhode Island. It had many exciting rides. Some of these included the Skyliner, the Corkscrew Loop Roller Coaster, and the Log Flume. There was also the Freefall ride, which dropped 13 stories at 55 miles per hour (89 km/h).
The park was also famous for its Shore Dinner Hall. This huge dining area could seat over 4,000 people at once. They were known for their delicious clamcakes, steamers, lobsters, and clam chowder. Later, a cartoon lobster tipping his hat became the park's well-known logo. You could see it in TV ads and on posters. The park's "Castle of Terror" dark ride, later called "House of Horrors," was also a big hit.
Concerts at the Palladium
Besides rides, Rocky Point also had a concert hall called the Palladium. Many famous music artists performed there. Some of the bands included The Yardbirds (1967) and Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin (1968). Other big names were Sly and the Family Stone (1969), AC/DC (1978), and Ramones (1991).
Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam played there in 1991. Pixies (1991) and Sonic Youth (1992) also performed. Even "Weird Al" Yankovic (1992) had a show. The very last concert at the Palladium was Roomful of Blues in 1994.
The park even inspired a piece of music! A composer named Ron Nelson wrote a song called Rocky Point Holiday in 1966.
Final Years and Closure
In the early 1990s, Rocky Point Park started having money problems. The company that owned the park began to lose money. Rocky Point closed in 1994. It then opened again briefly in 1996 for a special farewell to its visitors.
Many of the park's rides were sold off in an auction. For example, the Flume and Corkscrew rides were bought by other amusement parks. The Corkscrew was sold for $850,000. It went to Wild Waves Theme Park in Washington state. There, it was renamed the Wild Thing and is still running today.
What Happened After the Park Closed
After the land was bought for $8.5 million in 2003, the park's main building, called the "Big House," was damaged. On September 2, 2004, someone set it on fire. Police thought the fire was suspicious because the building had no electricity.
Another fire happened on October 16, 2006, in an office building near the water. Smoke from this fire could be seen from miles away. Luckily, no one was hurt in either fire.
In May 2007, the remaining parts of the park's midway (the area with rides and games) started to be torn down.
A documentary film about the park, called You Must Be This Tall: The Story of Rocky Point Park, came out on September 7, 2007. It was very popular and got great reviews.
In 2008, the city of Warwick bought about half of the land that used to be Rocky Point Park. This included much of the beautiful bay view. In 2010, people voted to use state money to buy the rest of the land. The goal was to turn it into a public park.
On March 28, 2013, the state of Rhode Island officially bought all 82 acres of the former amusement park. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) now takes care of the property. Another film, Tales of Rocky Point Park, came out in 2016. It shared stories and legends about the park.
Rocky Point Reopens as a State Park
On June 26, 2011, Rocky Point was opened to the public again! It now has a new paved walking path about a mile long. This path runs along the beautiful shore of Narragansett Bay. The old Shore Dinner Hall was torn down, and most of the amusement park area was cleared. It is now an open field for people to enjoy.
A few things from the old park still remain. You can see the top and bottom stations for the old Skyliner gondola ride. There are also ruins of an old water tank. A large arch near the entrance is also still there. This arch was originally built for the 1964 World's Fair in New York City before it was moved to Rocky Point.
As of November 2014, the State of Rhode Island and the City of Warwick are working together to develop Rocky Point State Park. The DEM Parks and Recreation office manages how the public uses the park.
Images for kids
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The Ferris Wheel was a classic ride at Rocky Point Park.
