People Will Drive From All Over New York To Playland For The Nostalgia Alone
By Christy Articola|Published June 29, 2022
×
Christy Articola
Author
Christy Articola has lived in Colorado since 2013 and considers herself a Centennial State enthusiast and expert through and through. She's based in Denver metro, but over the past decade, she has traveled to every corner, river, village, park, town, and city in the state and continues to explore it deeper and further whenever she can. Christy simply can't get enough of Colorado, and loves sharing all her adventures with you through Only In Your State! She graduated with a degree in journalism from Fordham University and is thrilled to be working as a full time travel writer for this and other sites - she finally found her perfect niche - and is so grateful for that.
Playland, also known as Rye Playland and Playland Amusement Park is a popular amusement park in Rye, New York. This Westchester County attraction opened in 1928 and it has been going strong ever since. At almost 100-years-old, this park has seen several generations of young people and their families pass through. Because of this fact, people drive from all over to visit Playland today with their own children, and to ride some of the rides they rode, their parents rode, and even their grandparents rode many years ago. This place is nostalgia encapsulated, and it’s a wonderful place to visit every year if you can. Read on to learn more.
The Westchester County Park Association bought two existing theme parks - Rye Beach and Paradise Park - in the 1920s. The county hired veteran park manage Frank Darling to design and run its new park, Playland.
The Grand Carousel was one of the rides available to patrons on the first day the park opened. It's still operational and is enjoyed by all. The horses are hand painted, of course.
Another ride that has been in the park since the very beginning is the Dragon Coaster. This wooden coaster offers a ride that is a minute and forty seconds in length; the highest point is 80 feet.
All the rides at Playland are popular, but many returning guests most enjoy riding rides that they themselves rode as children, now with their own children at their side.
The Ice Casino is another feature that dates back to almost the very beginning. It was built in 1929 and its Art Deco design is striking. Inside, park visitors can ice skate.
Playland is wonderful, and it seems likely that this park will be around for generations to come. It's no wonder that it has such a special place in the hearts of so many.
Playland is the perfect place to go if you want to step back in time and be reminded of the ways that life seemed so much simpler back then. Even if you’ve never been to Playland before, it has a magical ability to transport visitors back to their youth. You’ll fall in love with this place. Plan a trip there today!