Seabreeze Amusement Park
Previously known as
| |
Interactive map of Seabreeze Amusement Park | |
| Location | Irondequoit, New York, United States |
|---|---|
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | August 5, 1879 |
| Owner | Norris family |
| Operating season | May to September |
| Area | 35 acres (14 ha) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 25 |
| Roller coasters | 4 |
| Water rides | 9 |
| Website | www |
Seabreeze Amusement Park is an amusement park located in Irondequoit, New York. Seabreeze is the fourth-oldest operating amusement park in the United States and the thirteenth-oldest operating amusement park in the world, having opened in 1879.[1] The park features roller coasters, smaller rides, a midway, and a water park. It is a trolley park.
History
In the 1870s, the lakeshore of Lake Ontario became a tourist destination for residents of the city of Rochester. Several hotels opened at the port of Charlotte and along Irondequoit Bay to entertain summer visitors, and rail lines were built from the city to both destinations. In 1879, the Rochester and Lake Ontario Railroad Company built a line from Portland Avenue in Rochester to the Sea Breeze neighborhood at the inlet of the bay.[2] The company purchased fifty acres at the end of the line to open a resort for picnicking and other summer activities, which opened to the public on August 5, 1879 as Sea Breeze Grove.[3][4]
The Rochester and Lake Ontario Railroad went bankrupt in 1899 and was reorganized as the Rochester and Suburban Railway. Facing competition from other amusement parks along the bay and lakeshore, the park, which was then known as Sea Breeze Park, began adding carnival attractions. In 1903, the first permanent ride, a figure-eight roller coaster, was built in the park.[3] By the 1920s, Sea Breeze Park featured several permanent attractions, including roller coasters, dance halls, a Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters carousel, and a large outdoor saltwater pool known as The Natatorium,[5] which claimed to be the largest saltwater pool in the world.[6]
Sea Breeze Park was forced to downsize during the Great Depression, and the trolley line to the park, now owned by New York State Railways,[3] was decommissioned in 1936. George W. Long Jr. began renting the park from New York State Railways in 1937, and officially purchased it in 1946, changing the name to Dreamland Park.[4] Long added several rides during his tenure, including a log flume.[7]
Long retired in 1975 and was succeeded by his grandson, Robert Norris, as president. Norris renamed the park Seabreeze Amusement Park. A water park was introduced in 1986. The park's carousel was destroyed in a fire in 1994, and replaced two years later.[4][8]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Seabreeze remained closed for the entire 2020 season. Operations resumed for the 2021 season.[4]
Current rides and attractions
Seabreeze Amusement Park features 25 amusement park rides and water park. The amusement park is home to a variety of roller coasters and rides, food concessions, midway games, an arcade, a museum, live entertainment, and picnic areas. The water park features a variety of waterslides, a lazy river, spraygrounds, a wave pool, sunbathing areas, a bathhouse, a retail location, and food outlets.
Roller coasters
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Year opened | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Trax | Steel children's roller coaster | E&F Miler Industries | 1997 | |
| Bobsleds | Hybrid steel roller coaster | George W. Long | 1954 | Originally known as Junior Coaster from 1954 to 1961 |
| Jack Rabbit | Wooden roller coaster | John A. Miller and Harry C. Baker | 1920[9] | |
| Whirlwind | Steel spinning roller coaster | Maurer AG | 2004 | Originally operated on a Spanish fair circuit with Family Frahuas from 2000 to 2003, where it was known as Cyber Space |
Thrill rides
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Year opened | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music Express | Music Express | Bertazzon | 2008 | Previously operated at Wild West World in Park City, Kansas |
| Revolution 360 | Mega Disk'O | Zamperla | 2010 | |
| Screamin' Eagle | Hawk | Zamperla | 1998 | 70 feet tall[10] |
| Time Machine | Super Miami | Technical Park | 2017 | 30 feet tall |
| Wave Swinger | Swing ride | Bertazzon | 2014 | Previously operated at Freestyle Music Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where it was known as Just-A-Swingin' and The Texas Swing |
Family rides
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Year opened | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bumper Cars | Bumper cars | Lusse | 1938 | The ride's building previously served as a station for the Greyhound roller coaster. The cars were built by Duce. |
| Carousel | Carousel | Long family[11] | 1996 | |
| Great Balloon Race | Balloon Race | Zamperla | 2014 | |
| Log Flume | Log flume | Hopkins Rides | 1984 | Originally known as Whitewater Log Flume. Reused parts of the park's previous water ride, Over the Falls. Has one of the steepest drops on any log flume ride.[12] |
| Sea Dragon | Swinging ship | Chance Rides | 1991 | Previously operated at Conneaut Lake Park in Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania |
| The Spring! | Miniature drop tower | Moser's Rides | 2003 | |
| Tilt-A-Whirl | Tilt-A-Whirl | Sellner Manufacturing | Mid-1970s | |
| Train | Train ride | Unknown | 1974 | |
| Twirlin' Tea Cups | Teacups | Zamperla | 2011 | |
| Windstarz | WindstarZ | Zamperla | 2024 |
Kiddie rides
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Year opened | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnstormers | Barnstormer | Zamperla | 1991 | |
| Flying Turtles | Miniature Tumble Bug | Traver Engineering & R.E. Chambers | 1930s | |
| Kiddie Boats | Spinning boat ride | Allan Herschell Company | 1949 | |
| Kiddie Swings | Miniature swing ride | Zamperla | 1988 | Previously operated at Mountain Park in Holyoke, Massachusetts |
| Star Rockets | Spinning rocket ride | Allan Herschell Company | 1955 | |
| T-Birds | Miniature car ride | Pretzel Amusement Company | 1958 |
Water park
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Year opened | Description and Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBA | Raft slides | ProSlide Technology | 2026 | A pair of dueling water slides[13] |
| Helix | Bowl raft slide | ProSlide Technology | 2006 | |
| Hydro Racer | Mat racer slide | ProSlide Technology | 2012 | A four-lane racing water slide |
| Lazy River | Lazy river | Unknown | 1990 | |
| Rip Tide Tube Slide | Raft slide | ProSlide Technology | 1990 | |
| Soak Zone | Children's water play area | ProSlide Technology | 1999 | Contains three water slides: Twister and Pipeline (introduced in 2019), and Waterslide (introduced in 1999) |
| Tad Pool | Children's water play area | Unknown | 1988 | Contains two water slides: Mini River and Mini Twister. Originally known as Cascade Activity Pool and later as Looney Lagoon. |
| The Wave | Wave pool | Unknown | 2001 | |
| Vortex | Raft slide | ProSlide Technology | 1992 |
Former rides and attractions
Amusement park
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Years operated | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bunny Rabbit | Steel children's roller coaster | Allan Herschell Company | 1985–1996 | |
| Crazy Cups | Teacups | Unknown | Unknown–2011 | |
| Figure Eight | Wooden side friction roller coaster | John A. Miller, Frederick Ingersoll, and Irwin Vettel | 1903–1915 | |
| Flying Scooters | Flying Scooters | Bisch-Rocco | Unknown | |
| Ghost Train | Dark ride | Unknown | Unknown–1994 | Previously known as Enchanter in the 1970s. Destroyed in a fire. |
| Goofy House | Funhouse | Unknown | 1949–1994 | Destroyed in a fire |
| Greyhound | Wooden side friction roller coaster | Unknown | 1916–1933 | Originally known as Dips from 1916 to 1926. Damaged in a fire in 1930, but was rebuilt. Ultimately destroyed in another fire in 1933. |
| Gyrosphere | Scrambler | Eli Bridge Company | 1970s–2007 | Enclosed in a building with laser effects and music[14] |
| Jack 'n' Jill Scenic | Wooden spinning roller coaster | George W. Long | 1921–1930 | Destroyed in a fire[15] |
| Kaleidoscope | Unknown | Unknown | 1970s–unknown | |
| Lightning Bug | Tumble Bug | Traver Engineering | 1950s–unknown | |
| Loop-O-Planes | Loop-O-Plane | Eyerly Aircraft Company | 1970s–unknown | |
| ManHandlers | Unknown | Unknown | 1970s–unknown | |
| Over the Falls | Log flume | Unknown | 1958–1984 | Part of Over the Falls was reused in the creation of the park's current log flume ride |
| Paratrooper | Paratrooper | Unknown | 1970s–unknown | |
| Quantum Loop | Steel roller coaster | Soquet | 1994–2003 | Originally traveled a French fair circuit with showman Henry Vancraeyenest, where it was known as Colossus. Sold following the 2003 season to Salitre Mágico in Cundinamarca, Columbia, where it has operated as Doble Loop since 2004. Has two inversions. |
| Rock-O-Plane | Rock-O-Plane | Eyerly Aircraft Company | Unknown | |
| Round Up | Rotor | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Seabreeze Flyers | Flying Scooters | Bisch-Rocco | 1944–2023 | |
| Tilt-A-Whirl | Tilt-A-Whirl | Sellner Manufacturing | 1948–mid-1970s | |
| Wild Cat | Wooden roller coaster | Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters | 1926–1935 | Destroyed in a fire |
| Yo-Yo | Swing ride | Chance Rides | Unknown–2013 | |
| Unknown | Steel children's side friction roller coaster | Unknown | Unknown | Known to have operated as early as the 1940s[16] |
Water park
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Years operated | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bermuda Triangle | Body slides | ProSlide Technology | Unknown–2011 | Consisted of three water slides called Banzai Pipeline, Radical Run, and Zoom Flume |
| WipeOut! | Water slides | Unknown | Unknown–2005 | Two racing water slides |
References
- ^ "World's Oldest Amusement Parks Operating in the Same Location". NAPHA. Archived from the original on April 27, 2025. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
- ^ McKelvey, Blake (July 1946). "Rochester Learns to Play: 1850-1900" (PDF). Rochester History. VIII (3): 22–23. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 31, 2023.
- ^ a b c Smith, Florence C. (January 1994). "Irondequoit Bay: The Business of Pleasure" (PDF). Rochester History. LVI (1): 11–23. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 27, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Greenwood, Marcia (June 3, 2021). "Seabreeze became a Rochester NY landmark in spite of disaster, obstacles". Democrat and Chronicle. Archived from the original on April 27, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ^ Kyriazi, Gary (October 23, 2014). "Seabreeze – a shining example of survival". Park World. Archived from the original on April 27, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ^ Greenwood, Marcia (June 3, 2021). "Jack Rabbit, Bobsleds and other popular rides at Seabreeze". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Morrell, Alan (July 14, 2018). "Whatever Happened to ... Seabreeze's Over the Falls ride?". Democrat and Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 28, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ^ Cho, Janet H. (April 1, 1994). "Emblem of Area History is Gone". Democrat and Chronicle. p. 11. Archived from the original on April 27, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
- ^ "National Amusement Park Historic Association, World's Oldest Operating Roller Coasters". Archived from the original on April 27, 2025. Retrieved June 21, 2008.
- ^ "Screamin' Eagle | Seabreeze". seabreeze.com. Retrieved 2026-03-17.
- ^ Burger, Frederick (January 1, 1996). Circle of Dreams [The Making of the Seabreeze Carousel] (motion picture). Rochester, New York, USA: Burger, Frederick. Archived from the original on June 22, 2023.
- ^ "Log Flume | Seabreeze". seabreeze.com. Retrieved 2026-03-17.
- ^ "New Dueling Tube Slides | Seabreeze". seabreeze.com. Retrieved 2026-03-17.
- ^ Morrell, Alan (August 5, 2017). "Whatever Happened to ... the Gyrosphere?". Democrat and Chronicle. Archived from the original on August 4, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ^ "🗣 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐘 ‼️... - Seabreeze Amusement Park". Facebook. Retrieved 2025-01-11.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "unknown - Seabreeze (Rochester, New York, United States)". rcdb.com. Archived from the original on 2025-05-09. Retrieved 2026-03-17.