I've been wanting to post this for a while as it's a ride I feel gets very undervalued and underrated at theme parks, fairs and even cities. Now, I am a huge coaster fan - can't get enough of them! But... sometimes you just want a nice gentle ride to break up the thrills and adrenalin rush (maybe it's my age). I am and have always been a fan of the traditional carousel and have ridden many beautiful ones in my time.
I think it would be a very sad day indeed if the carousel was to disappear altogether from our theme parks and fairs. I am a horse lover so this probably has a lot to do with it but that aside, the sheer level of care and craftsmanship that goes into designing carousels is something we MUST hold onto. I was sad to see the carousel at Thorpe Park go (even if it was a bit slow and boring). I find the ones at theme parks are a poor version of what a carousel should be like - I recently rode a proper steam driven carousel at a country steam fair and it was what a carousel should be like - quite fast and you got a really long ride on it (think I counted about 20 rotations). Plus it had the original organ playing old time music which was a gorgeous sound and the lights and decoration were just beautiful.
So I'm making a stand for our good old traditional carousel of all shapes, ages and sizes. Which ones have you seen that really stand out? Do you love them too? Would love to see pictures of your faves!
How do you feel about Carousels?
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NemesisRider
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I normal tend to avoid carousels because they don't have the same charm as certain dark rides and thrills of roller coasters and flats. However, the carousel at Six Flags Great America which I got to try last year was astonishing in scale and really quite beautiful. It had several stories and changed my mind a bit about this type of ride. There is a copy at California's Great America, but otherwise it is the largest carousel in the world.
