The Unique Hike That Takes You Through An Abandoned Amusement Park In Connecticut
Most people know that Connecticut is home to the oldest continuously operating amusement park in the nation, Lake Compounce. That theme park was opened in 1846 and has slowly grown into a premier destination for thrill-seekers, teenagers, and families. Many of Connecticut’s amusement parks were not quite as prosperous and only had short-lived runs during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Today, you can actually hike to one of these deserted venues and explore the remnants of an abandoned amusement park.
We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life as we all practice social and physical distancing. While we’re continuing to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, we don’t expect or encourage you to go check them out immediately. We believe that supporting local attractions is important now more than ever and we hope our articles inspire your future adventures! And on that note, please nominate your favorite local business that could use some love right now: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nominate/
Suburban Park was open for just ten years between 1895 and 1905. It built by the Hartford Suburban Trolley Line as the last stop on its line between Hartford and Unionville. Many trolley companies during the time period built parks like this to attract more customers to their transportation services.
When Suburban Park was an amusement park, there were wide open grassy areas, a swimming lake, a dance hall, a merry-go-round, and more. Today the park is heavily wooded with trails crossing through the ruins of the deserted theme park.
Discover foundations and walls of buildings slowly being reclaimed by nature. Only if you stretch your imagination to its limits, you can recreate the busy weekend atmosphere of a cheerful theme park.
A favorite spot for the kids along the trails is the underground cold storage cellar used for food refrigeration. Climb on in and explore this underground structure.
The crown jewel of the park was a colorful electrified fountain. This water display was extremely unique. Our street lights were still lit by gas in those days, so an electric fountain was quite an attraction!
You don't have to travel through the abandoned amusement park willy nilly trying to guess what the ruins are. During the past months, Timmy Germano and his crew of volunteers cleaned up the trails and posted guide signs as an Eagle Scout project. It makes your tour much easier and very informative.
The signs give details of the deserted structures and in some cases pictures of them in their heyday. The trails are well-marked and easy to navigate but you can expect a little hill climbing to see all of the abandoned attractions.
Take a look at more of Suburban Park in this short video by YouTube user, Sue Peters.
Address: Park Pond Place, Unionville, CT 06085
Did you know about this abandoned amusement park? Have you ever taken a hike through it? If you like exploring Connecticut’s ruins, check out these trails that take you to an abandoned village and a deserted zoo.
