Conneaut Lake Park Walk-thru

A tour of this historic Pennsylvania amusement park. Sadly, as of September 2021, a developer who purchased the park with the intention of turning it into an "events center" had leveled most of the midway and sold off nearly all the rides. I was very saddened to hear that, as the park had been recovering well until the pandemic hit. So enjoy this view of what no longer exists.
If you'd like to read more about the park, a full trip report can be found here: www.karenandjay.com/trips/trip...

[@sammy16510]

This video brought back so many childhood memories for me😍

[@MoonwolfeConsulting]

What a wonderful place. Brings back tons of fond memories of Lincoln Park which used to be in Massachusetts.

[@seanis74]

Used to go there a lot when the park was fully operational. Many great memories with family and friends. Thanks for the video, I wish the Ultimate Trip was there during your visit.

[@punchfisttop]

WOW. this place was a huge part of my childhood. was thrilled to see you when there. my heart broken that the hellhole is gone,but so glad to see the park is still going!!! thank u for this tour!!!!

[@jayducharme]

Lars Micha - The park seems to be doing increasingly well. Since my video, the waterpark is back in operation and more rides are being added. I’m glad people are returning to Conneaut!

[@punchfisttop]

THATS AWESOME! thank you so much for the update!!! Really love yer vids man!

[@nick22611]

I remember going to this park back in the 1970's. Next time I'm back up in PA I hope to visit Conneaut. Its been more than 30 years since my last visit.

[@bendythedancingfiendajandr7966]

Thank you for making this. It made me feel like I was there again.

[@tributegirl5180]

Bendy the dancing Fiend AJ and random stuff same

[@bjscribble5997]

Great Job man! detailed informative....couldn't ask for a better video

[@fadgeplaysgames]

awesome video

[@stevensales7502]

Love your amusement park walk throughs. You should show merchandise in the gift shops

[@jayducharme]

For Conneaut, I wish I had since the gift shop has since been leveled. For other parks, I’ve occasionally shown gift shops if I found them different or interesting, and I often have photos in the accompanying trip reports.

[@davidbecksvoort5488]

I visited about a year after this video. Had a GREAT time! I was so sad to hear this year's news as well. A casualty of the pandemic for sure, as far as I'm concerned.

[@jayducharme]

Actually it looks more like it was the plan of an unscrupulous businessman who wanted the land but not the park.

[@davidbecksvoort5488]

@@jayducharme Yeah, there's that too...but I can't help but think that none of us would even know his name if not for COVID. A heartbreaking turn of events.

[@jayducharme]

@@davidbecksvoort5488 You’re right.

[@richardmorris7063]

We used to go here to Conneaut 66 67 68 and then we moved away for cicago my father had a company picnic and we had many good times the Blue Streak when I was 10 years old in 67 was my first roller coaster very unique head choppers it was a big toaster in 67 and very old coaster enjoyed it very much especially with my father many good memories Long Live Blue Streak

[@suzvalentino1901]

The tumblebug use to be at West View Park. The Jolly Caterpiller also came from West View Park.

[@stormgirl09]

even as a 27 year old my dream still is to live in or very very near an amusement park like that house....lol

[@jayducharme]

Mine too!

[@wildsmiley]

I basically grew up two blocks from a very classic amusement park. It was a home away from home during the summer. My brother and I went to sleep to the screams from the roller coasters. It was a beloved part of my old neighborhood for more than a century. It’s been gone now for more than twenty five years. I still miss it everyday.

[@stormgirl09]

@@wildsmiley that sounds neat! what park was it and why did the close down?

[@wildsmiley]

@@stormgirl09 Elitch Gardens in its original location at 38th Avenue and Tennyson Street in Denver, from 1890 through 1994. In 1995 they moved the park downtown and though they took a few of the rides there, the rest was torn down (including two classic wooden roller coasters, the Wildcat and Mr. Twister, and my favorite ride, a log flume called the Splinter). The classic, neighborhood ambiance and charm was lost and the newer location park has become an expensive corporate park with long lines. I refuse to go there. Nothing can replace the original.

[@stormgirl09]

@@wildsmiley oh ok. Yea I heard about that. The new one is like a discount bin Six Flags with very generic off the shelf steel coasters and a mediocre wooden coaster!

[@toniesedrick691]

Reminds me of KennyWood always fun for all ages and safe.

[@JeffSmith-rz2er]

Although I love love love old school amusement parks and I admire the volunteer staff which keeps Conneaut Lake Open, I think in reality the park needs to be dialed back quite a bit in order to survive.. I have seen other recent videos which show that park in various levels of disrepair, especially the wooden roller coaster. Again, I admire the ownership and volunteers who are trying to keep this park open, but if an accident were to occur on a ride, someone could get seriously injured and it could mean the end of the park. I think the park needs to be turned into a public park that offers a handful of easy to maintain rides. Examples such as Harrisburg City Island come to mind.

[@tjohnson2323]

CRosuel was installed in 1910, I think there are only 2 tumblebugs. Clp and Kennywood. The dreamland ballroom burned down on February 1st 2008. Great video

[@jayducharme]

Thanks for the corrections. There actually are three Tumble Bugs, though; the third is in Great Britain.

[@tjohnson2323]

+Jay Ducharme cool, 2 in the United States then. My oldest son rode both of them last summer in the same week. Lol

[@wooster0015]

Remember going there as a kid in the early/mid 80's. wasn't my favorite park but it was ok. Was packed back in the day.

[@zacharylunsford2]

But what about Wild Mouse coaster? What happened to old Wild Mouse coaster at this park?

[@tributegirl5180]

zacharylunsford2 They took it out a few years back. But I think it got too unsafe or it got damaged in the fires

[@mattman237]

Looks like you may have visited in the parks final season :(.

[@jayducharme]

+Matt Man I sure hope not, but given recent developments it doesn't look good for the park. IMO, the community is cutting off its nose to spite its face if it allows Conneaut to go out of business. The crowds this year demonstrated there's a demand for it. The problem is that the owners can't pull themselves out from under the massive debt they inherited. If it does shut down, I'm sure there will be some real estate developers who will make a killing on the property.

[@tributegirl5180]

Well u didn’t. Three or two summers ago was the first year they made profit. This park is getting fixed up more and more ppl are coming with all the events they have

[@mikep8375]

A Hotel + Beer + Woodie = Sign Me Up, Great Video :)

[@BBHouseRodent]

OK, now i know the rest of the story. I think i assumed the park closed soon after the ball room burned down. I just have not kept up on park news. Ah the Tempest.. Memories of Mountain Park.

[@jayducharme]

+88BillTCat88 I wish I had video recording equipment when Mt. Park was still around. A guy named Ricky Sommersett got some amazing footage of the park in 1982. It's on a VHS/DVD collection titled Gone But Not Forgotten, which is hard to find but worth tracking down.

[@lakerboy16]

Unique layout!!! Built scattered around a neighborhood. No wonder they've struggled. Interesting

[@pamperpamper1605]

Iam really sorry to everyone had i known that todd joesph was gonna destroy this huge piece of americana i would have contacted a really good friend of mine who went thru this kinda of thing back in northwest Indiana i should have contacted them when i found out this was going thru bankruptcy i would have left northwest Indiana chicago to come here and stopped all this i wish i had the resources cuz i would have stayed here till we all got this beautiful park back on track My heart 💓❤️💓💓 goes out to all of yiu in Pennsylvania I went thru the same thing in northwest Indiana i know how you all feel going thru Iam really sorry it looked like a beautiful park and a big piece of AMERICANA i love parks like this wish i had money and per capital to make parks and americana beautiful again

[@QUICKIRONS]

And now it's gone. Torn down by an outsider.

[@jamesklatt]

With the blue streak burnt down this park now is good as dead.

[@jayducharme]

Joseph was bulldozing the coaster (without a permit) before the fire. He clearly had no intention of maintaining the park as it was.