Photo TR: Atlantic Beach Park

[VinTheAttendant]

There are tons of seaside amusement parks up and down the Atlantic coast, and despite its charm, Westerly RI's Atlantic Beach Park doesn't really stand out that much. However, I decided to post this trip report in the event that some dorks out there (like myself) were interested in grabbing the bragging rights to riding the only operating coaster in Rhode Island (or at least the only coaster listed as operating on RCDb).

 

Here's a video I made of the trip (I was given permission to film on the coaster):

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I discovered this park's existence about a week ago. Considering the drive was not far at all, I decided to do a little credit whoring.

Yup, it's a dragon wagon. But after that drive tire lift, it is powered by gravity, so it counts as a credit!

The restraint is a chain covered with a hose. Ghetto, but points for improvising.

A view of the park from the coaster.

Like most beach parks of this size, you have to find an employee to operate the rides, as lines are non-existent.

I over-heard locals who were surprised that there was now a coaster. Based on pictures from the park's website, a frog hopper used to be in its place.

Looks like the ride has had quite a history with New England.

And there you have it, Rhode Island's very own coaster. Head down now, and you too can claim riding the Ocean State's fiercest coaster, and you'll be one step closer to riding a coaster in all 50 states.

Atlantic Beach Park also has a classic carousel from 1915.

I LOVE riding classic carousels; and although this one doesn't have the brass ring challenge like its older brother in Watch Hill, it was still a great pleasure getting to experience it.

I've always admired the craftsmanship on carousel horses, and I always will.

THIS was the coolest part though, the classic all-in-one symphony was on display for everyone to see, and was still playing carousel tunes.

I did not see one part of it that wasn't working, and everything sounded great.

I love nerdy stuff like this.

The sign outside the carousel. Oddly enough, there was no sign for Atlantic Beach Park. Aside from the GPS, the only reason I knew which place I was pulling into was because of the coaster out front.

The bumper car arena was very small, and the cars were slow. Still, there was no wait, and I'd been wanting to go head to head against my sister some time!

Hurricane simulator; considering the weather we tend to get in New England, this hardly seemed necessary.

A Himalayas ride.

Whenever I see one of these, I always flashback to the video of Robb and his friends spinning ridiculously fast while the other cars slowly rotate around them.

It wouldn't be Atlantic Beach Park without the beach outside the park overlooking the Atlantic.

It was a fantastic day to be out on the water. Perfect temperature, a very nice breeze, I was a little upset that I only had enough time to take pictures.

We weren't the only ones who agreed that the weather was great. If you think this is crowded, you should have seen the beaches about half a mile to the west. "Lot Full" signs were everywhere, we were lucky to even be able to park at the park.

Typical Rhode Island beaches have very gentle waves, very ideal for boogie boarding.

However, the seagulls are VERY aggressive. My sister and I witnessed this flock bully a kid away from his fries.

Angry gull.

Also a staple of beach parks: the arcade.

This arcade was tucked away behind the carousel, and was actually quite small. There were a couple good games, but nothing that really separates this one from Ocean Beach Park about half an hour away.

Before we headed out, I decided to snap a few pictures at the attractions across the street. (Not a very reassuring name for a waterpark, I know).

Water Wizz had two sets of slides. The speed slide here was the more extreme slide, and the one on the left here actually gave adults some really good airtime.

The other slide was a bit more child friendly, but had much more twists and turns down a man-made hill.

Next to Water Wizz was an entertainment center. I wish I could say this go-kart track is bigger than it looks.

It did have bumper boats though.

 

So that was Atlantic Beach Park. To be brutally honest, it's not really worth anything more than a half an hour drive at most. While it is cool that it holds the only operating coaster in Rhode Island, the star attraction will always be the beach; the park knows that, and I know that. However, I do know there are people out there who like to jump on the opportunity to ride a new coaster, no matter how big or small, and I'm one of them. And to those people who wouldn't mind the quick visit or pitstop to ride a dragon wagon, this trip report is for you. It is a very nice park with nice people operating it. The food was good, and the beach looked like a great place to spend an entire afternoon. So whether you're a credit whore or just looking for a nice beach to take the kids to, Atlantic Beach Park is a very considerable option.

[gisco]

Probably a nice place to visit if you are in the area but I'm with you, not something I would go out of my way to ride a dragon wagon.

[larrygator]

It reminds me of the park in New London, Connecticut.

[cfc]

It's nice to see a carousel "all-in-one symphony" music box that still works (as does the one at Conneaut in Pennsylvania).

[DirkFunk]

I spent a lot of time in the area when I was young and remember walking what must have been a couple miles down the beach to get to this park prior to it having a coaster. In fact, I was the guy who alerted that they added a Dragon Wagon to the park to Duane w/RCDB. There's some definite differences with the surroundings to Ocean Beach in New London, CT, but that's pretty TL;DR material. Water Wizz's old mat slides were a blast when I was like, 9. Kinda shocked they're still there.