The bright colors, rows of lights, and incessantly jaunty organ music make boarding a carousel feel like entering a magical portal. While technology becomes increasingly complex, the relatively simple carousel persists, transporting us back in time.
From the late 19th century to the early 20th century is considered the golden age of carousels, most built by companies around the United States, including Herschell-Spillman, the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, and Gustav Dentzel Company. Still, people continue to build new carousels and refurbish old ones, often as a community effort. And many of us still love to ride them.
What makes a carousel great? It’s part artistry, part music, and the lights. Sometimes it’s the nostalgia invoked by a century-old historic carousel, thinking of all the thousands (maybe millions?) who have circled the platform before you. Other times, it’s the creativity that goes into the shiny steeds. Some of us carousel lovers experience great excitement when glimpsing an animal we’ve never before seen represented.
While there are well-known (and highly visited) carousels around the country, including the Central Park Carousel and Seaglass Carousel in New York, and Flying Horses Carousel on Martha’s Vineyard, here are 10 wonderfully historic, creative, and downright magical carousels worth seeking out.
Dorothea Laub Balboa Park Carousel, San Diego, California
The Dorothea Laub Balboa Park Carousel is a lovingly preserved 1910 gem spinning just steps from the San Diego Zoo. With hand-carved animals, a vintage band organ, and one of the last brass ring games in the country, it’s a whimsical, nostalgic ride that delights kids and grown-ups alike.
Kiddie Park Carousel, San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio’s historic Kiddie Park, which claims to be the oldest children’s amusement park in America, has an incredible collection of century-old amusement rides, including the Herschell-Spillman hand-carved carousel.
Built in 1918 for traveling carnivals, it features 36 wooden “jumping” horses and two chariots, each horse uniquely carved and painted, with some having real horsehair tails.
City Park Carousel, New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans’ carousel history dates back to at least 1848, with early mentions in the Picayune newspaper of a riverfront ride, and a steam-powered carousel featured at the 1884 World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition. Today, the city’s most iconic example is the 1910 carousel in City Park, known affectionately as the Flying Horses.
Housed in a grand, 10-sided Victorian pavilion adorned with stained glass, the hand-carved horses (each with real horsehair tails) continue to delight generations. Both the carousel and its historic shelter are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Buffalo Heritage Carousel, Buffalo, New York
The Buffalo Heritage Carousel is part of the Rust Belt town’s riverfront revitalization. Built in 1924, the hand-carved, managerie-style carousel was painstakingly restored by artisans, including a master carver, a professional carousel restorer, and local volunteers.
The redesign features a specially carved chariot that accommodates two wheelchair users. Weekly quiet rides attract people with sensory issues. It’s also one of five solar-powered carousels in the world.
Paul Titus Carousel, Tacoma, Washington
Animals on the Paul Titus Carousel are all hand-carved and painted – Photo courtesy of Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
Salem’s Riverfront Carousel, Salem, Oregon
Volunteers built Salem’s Riverfront Carousel from the ground up. Salem residents who financially sponsored the carousel could choose an animal and give design input. You can ride some eclectic animals like Mr. Hopkins, a frog wielding a tennis racket, or Ramses, the smiling great white shark.
Carol Ann’s Carousel, Cincinnati, Ohio
This community-fueled carousel opened in Cincinnati’s Smale Riverfront Park in 2015. Following a $5 million donation from Carol Ann and Ralph Haile, Ohio’s Carousel Works built Carol Ann’s Carousel.
This carousel pays homage to Cincinnati’s unique sense of place with animals and scenes of the area. Pigs figure prominently, but each animal tells a story, such as Martha, the last passenger pigeon, whose death in the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914 led to the passage of stronger conservation laws. You’ll also find a praying mantis, bat, queen bee, cicada, and peregrine falcon. The fascia around the top of the carousel depicts 16 beloved Cincinnati parks.
Zootennial Carousel, San Antonio, Texas
The Zootennial Carousel — which celebrates the San Antonio Zoo’s first century — goes above and beyond in the unusual animal department. Guests can ride a red panda, lemur, okapi, manatee, and quintessentially Texas animals, such as the horned toad and jackalope. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the only U.S. carousel with an Ethiopian wolf.
Cullen Family Carousel, Detroit, Michigan
While the Detroit Zoo also features a stunning carousel with an anteater, snakes, and an ADA-compliant peacock chariot, the more intimate Cullen Family Carousel is a local favorite. Designed in 2006 for the Detroit River Conservancy, this carousel on Detroit’s riverfront features creatures indigenous to the river, including a heron, wood duck, snail, walleye, and even a (possibly fictitious) river monster.
1916 Number One Special Carrousel, North Tonawanda, New York
The star attraction at the Herschell Carousel Factory Museum in North Tonawanda is the beautifully restored 1916 Number One Special Carrousel. With 36 hand-carved wooden horses and more than 500 twinkling lights, this classic ride spins to the sounds of a vintage Wurlitzer band organ. Built right here in the former factory, it’s a rare chance to experience a working piece of American amusement history — no theme park required.
North Tonawanda, once an industrial powerhouse with 150 lumber mills, was the longtime home of the Herschell Company, which led the carousel industry from 1883 to 1970. Today, visitors from around the world come to ride the fully restored carousel; for true enthusiasts, the museum even offers hands-on carving classes.