Lakeside Amusement Park — Attraction in Lakeside

Hey everyone! 👋 Recently, I visited a park that held a special place in the hearts of my friends, as they had fond memories from the childhood However, my experience turned out to be quite different than expected. Allow me to share my thoughts and concerns in this post. Upon arrival, it was disheartening to discover that the park appeared to be frozen in time since the 60s, with no significant improvements or renovations. The only noticeable change was the heightened security presence, which seemed to be more like uniformed police officers rather than park personnel. As I strolled through the park, capturing moments with my camera, I was approached by one of the security personnel. They politely requested that I refrain from taking photographs, citing security reasons. Understanding their concerns, I complied. However, this encounter led me to wonder about the safety of this park for children and families. After my visit, I stumbled upon a video showcasing the true state of the park - one of complete and utter devastation. It was alarming to think that amidst such risks, people still bring their children here. While I understand the sentimental value and nostalgia associated with this park for my friends, I must emphasize that it is not an ideal place for young children. Moreover, it is worth noting that even if you do choose to visit, photography is strictly limited to capturing self-portraits only. No images of the park's amenities, no carousel rides, and certainly no other people in the background are allowed. It's a shame because I genuinely believe that social media can help bring attention to the need for improvement and revitalization. After this experience, I find it essential to share these facts with all of you. While my friends' affection for this park is understandable, it is crucial to prioritize the safety and well-being of our children. As much as we hold onto nostalgia, let's also acknowledge the need for progress and ensure that our experiences are enjoyable and secure. Please remember, this post is not meant to discourage anyone from visiting, but rather to shed light on the current state of affairs at this park and encourage everyone involved to take action. Together, we can make...

Great old school park, lots of super old rides most were operating when we went. Staff was light but so was the crowd, we went on a weekday. Lines were very short. Operators let my kids ride over and over again if the line was short which it was on almost everything except the cyclone even that one moved very fast. If a ride wasn’t operating in the kids area an operator with no line would come over and fire it up for us. Super cool atmosphere from staff and guests. Everything is a very old and may need a bit of paint here and there but you can’t duplicate a place like this! Lakeside is magical and you really should check it out. The cyclone still uses manual brakes!!! The comet at Hershey park used to be like that when I was a kid but not anymore I think they added pneumatic brakes in the late 90s It was so cool watching them run the cyclone also super fun to ride may be my favorite wood coaster defiantly my wife’s favorite but she grew up 5 minutes from lakeside so she may be biased. My tragically short 5 year old even got to ride the cyclone! He isn’t allowed to ride the comet yet... he is a quarter inch too short to be a Hershey bar... we rode the cyclone 5 times together! His first real roller coaster and he LOVED it! He also got to go on the bumper cars with me, he is too short to ride them anywhere else. All the rides seemed very old but very well maintained and incredibly original. For example the Ferris wheel stamped with a patent date of 1922 looks like it was still using the original electric motor! The train that goes around the lake seemed like it was built on site 80 years ago by some dude with a curly mustache and big meat hands and was super cool! Food was good and very affordable. Lakeside was definitely one of the best parts of my Vacation to Denver! Forget what the haters say check this place out! Parks like this are going extinct in America! The parks like this we had near Baltimore have all shut down or turned to a horrid six flags full of miserable rude line cutting thieving jerks such a shame... at least we still have Hershey park... Will definitely visit lakeside every time we come to visit the...

It's sort of wonderfully decrepit, like they've never made enough money to fix it up so it's stuck in time, like a major time-warp back to the 50's or even the early 1900's when it was first built. So that means on the one hand there's lots of fun retro neon signs, the original "tower of jewels" and spanish-style entrance, lots of different interesting architectural styles going on, often built one on top of the other. On the other hand, lots of those lights are burned out/broken, lots of rides are defunct but still standing, the overall feeling is one of disrepair. Two examples - it's really cool to see the lakeside dock where there used to be some sort of speed boat attraction, but it's definitely crumbling into the lake. And the tower is really cool looking, but the lights on it never came on during my visit. It's sort of like, "that's so cool" and "it's too bad" all wrapped up in one.

Officially, there should be 4-5 roller coasters at the park, but only the 1940's Cyclone and a kiddie coaster were operating on my Sunday night visit. The Wild Chipmunk and another kid/family coaster weren't operating, and another new (surely relocated) coaster is just standing in a field behind the picnic pavilion. Another ride of note is the train that goes all the way around the lake, and was relocated from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Views of the illuminated park across the lake are pretty cool.

In other news, they take cards at the front where you buy your admission - but cash only in the rest of the park for food, games, or if you want to buy ride tickets at the merry go round. I had a churro and an ice cream during my visit and both were above average, so they do okay on the food front. Prices are cheap too - $2 for a churro, $1 icees, $2 for a regular ice cream. $4 admission and 50 cents per ride ticket, meaning you can ride the Cyclone for $3 and the train for $2.50.

Overall, I had a much better time here than at Elitch Gardens, which was a big disappointment! And more "gardens" here too - they at least keep their...