Best Carousels in America
Kit Carson, Carousel Park, Riverfront Park, Cedar Point, Highland Park, Trimper's Rides,
Glen Echo Park, Santa Monica Pier, Van Andel Museum

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    Top Ten Merry Go Rounds

1. Kit Carson County Fairgrounds, Burlington , Colorado
   "The Jewel of America" was built around 1905 and remains "the favorite of virtually every carousel enthusiast." Restored to its original paint for the U.S. bicentennial, the three-row machine boasts not only the usual horses, but also camels, deer, goats, a lion and a sea horse.

2. Carousel Park, East Providence, Rhode Island
   The turn-of-the-century Crescent Park Carousel, showpiece of Charles Looff, one of the top three carousel makers,"was constantly updated as new designs were developed." The four-row jumper still has an operational brass ring game, one of only 15 left in the USA:

3. Riverfront Park, Spokane, Washington
   "The horses on this grand carousel are more streamlined and stretched out than (those on) its older cousin, Crescent Park, to give the impression of
   speed."

4. Cedar Point Amusement Park, Sandusky, Ohio
   One of two classic carousels in Cedar Point, the three-row one built in 1921 by William Dentzel supplements its horses with rabbits, bears,
   ostriches, a mule and a tiger.

5. Highland Park, Meridian, Mississippi
   This elegant old carousel spun at the St. Louis Exposition of 1904 before settling here. The two-row, stationary machine, recently restored to its original, brighter colors, includes a lion, giraffe, tiger, goats, and deer.

6. Trimper's Rides, Ocean City, Maryland
   "In the midst of a collection of antique amusement-park rides" at the south end of the boardwalk, this brightly colored, three-row carousel, circa 1902, has "many of the familiar menagerie animals plus a cat, frogs, dragons, a stork and dogs - 16 varieties of animals in addition to horses."

7. Glen Echo Park, Glen Echo, Maryland
   "Currently undergoing a slow restoration to its original colors," this 1921 three-row jumper just outside Washington, D.C., has a Wurlitzer band organ and "classic Dentzel horses, as well as a lion, tiger, giraffe, ostriches, rabbits and deer," plus three spectacular horses carved by Muller.

8. Van Andel Museum, Grand Rapids,Michigan
   Built around 1928, this carousel spins downtown "in a glass building that juts out over the river," thrilling riders "as they seem to soar over the water." Reopened in 1994 after restoration, it retains its original ticket booth.

9. Six Flags Over Georgia, Atlanta
   "One of the largest carousels in the USA and the largest in its original configuration," this five-row beauty made its debut in 1908 in Chicago's Riverview Park. Still known as the Riverview Carousel, it was
   recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

10. Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, California
    "A rather plain three-row carousel" and one of the West Coast's last seaside machines, this 1922 merry-go-round is probably the country's most famous. Having appeared in many TV shows and commercials, it hit the big screen as the site where Paul Newman met Robert Redford in The Sting.