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Do you consider fairs and carnivals to be amusement parks?


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Let me say first off that I have been to so few regional parks but if I throw in carnivals, the number pretty much doubles (7 regional with one defunct, and one of them when I was like 2, and 6 carnival/fairs). Though that isn't important and those numbers will change soon, I just am curious. Because, I was asked once what my three favorite amusement parks are and I said "Cedar Point, island's of Adventure, and the Ohio state Fair".

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I guess it would depend on the nature of the fair. The Texas State Fair midway stays open in the summer independently of the fair itself.

 

However, many carnivals are "amusement parking lots."

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While they are fairs/carnivals by definition before they are amusement parks, there is a gray area in my opinion.

 

I consider the Washington State Fair to be an amusement park in a way, because I would consider Stricker's Grove an amusement park even though it has had more limited operations in the past, and I consider parks that have rides primarily through fair ride company leases to still be amusement parks due to their permanent location and structures.

 

The North Georgia State Fair now has a permanent chair lift and a permanent roller coaster, so while it may be a fair it stands out as more than a standard fair to me.

 

Still, by definition really there is a solid distinction between the two.

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Fairs and Carnivals are essentially temporary amusement parks. However, I still would never call them an amusement park. It's two completely different operations, generally lower quality facilities, lower quality employees, etc.

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If you wanna call it a stretch, Beech Bend could almost have been considered an example that would fit the bill, as long as it was pre-2005. Even though its my home park, it definitely looked like a cross between an old, somewhat worn amusement park (on the side where the Haunted House and Wild Mouse are) , and a permanent carnival (Where Kentucky Rumbler sits today.)

 

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2005 Aerial: Look at all that asphalt and them trailer-mounted rides!

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A traveling carnival is not an amusement park. A permanent carnival is an amusement park. A fair is not an amusement park unless the rides are permanent...otherwise it is an event that has a traveling carnival as one of it's attractions. My general rule of thumb is that if a collection of rides can be experienced at multiple locations on a regular basis, it is a traveling carnival and not an amusement park. Also, for something to be considered an amusement park it must be a space primary used to host rides and other amusement attractions, not an area repurposed temporarily for that use.

 

The individual rides at a carnival are just as valid for consideration as those at a permanent amusement park, but comparing a carnival to a permanent park doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

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I guess, but I do not like them. These creepy two men kept following me around trying to get me to come to their house to learn karate (They were employees). Not all, but lots of carnivals and fairs kind of suck. I guess if they have rollercoasters then they are amusement parks. I just don't think Cedar Fair, Six Flags, Disney, Busch Gardens, etc. would hire someone like this.

carnie.jpg.a1ce3c63d97086bc2b26f064e8663181.jpg

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