Crystal Beach Amusement Park

Please note that the Crystal Beach page will contain primarily images of the park. To avoid too much duplication, please go to Crystal Beach Park for a very detailed history of the Park and other photographs.

The Comet

Giant Coaster

The Cyclone

Crystal Beach's other Rides & Attractions

Miniature trains of Crystal Beach

Crystal Beach Brochures

In The Beginning

Crystal Beach Amusement Park

Crystal Beach park first opened on the shores of Lake Erie back in 1888 as a Chataqua/religious campground. Sometime around the turn of the century a carousel and some other rides were added. A pier was built into Lake Erie, and ferry service to Buffalo was started. There was even an electric monorail type railroad connecting Ridgeway to Crystal Beach called the Ontario Southern Railway. Over the years the park also hosted a number of roller coasters, including the world famous Cyclone.

Crystal Beach was a wonderful place to visit, and quite affordable too. Of course, one of the most popular items, other than the great coasters were the Crystal Beach Sugar Waffles, and Halls Suckers, both of which are still available from a private company in Fort Erie using the original Hall recipes. During the 1980's, the first 2 cars on each train of the Comet Roller Coaster were reversed giving the rider a completely new experience. However, in my opinion, riding backwards, even in that first seat was STILL not nearly as bad as riding the ride facing forwards.

The declining years and the end

During the 1980s the park was starting to decline. The carousel was sold off in pieces to pay for other park improvements and new rides for the 1985 season. However, despite these and other new additions, the park would not survive past the 1989 season, and on October 17th, 1989, Norton Auctioneers were on site to sell off the remaining rides and attractions. Most of the rides survived to find new owners, like the Comet, which has been rebuilt at Lake George New York. However, even though the very rare Giant Coaster, one of only a handful of side friction roller coasters left in the world was purchased at the auction, it was destroyed on site. The park is now home to condos owned mostly by Americans. It is very hard to even see where the park was, as the land was levelled for the condos.

A postcard view of the Lakefront Gardens
(Niagara Falls Ontario Library)

Looking at part of the midway, this view shows the whip in the foreground, while the Steeplechase & Skeeball can be seen in the back, along with some of the other shops and attractions.
(APHAN Collection)

This classic postcard shows just one of the entrances that was at the front of the park.
(Niagara Falls Ontario Library)

This postcard view of the midway and ballroom shows what visitors coming off the boats would see.
(Niagara Falls Ontario Library)

Looking towards the Cyclone coaster along the promenade, one can also see the tower ofthe plane ride at left, and the track of the Tumble Bug, in front of the Ballroom.
(Niagara Falls Ontario Library)

One of the ticket booths located throughout the park, this one locatedin front of the "Bump The Bumps" ride sold tickets for 5c (or 3cents, it's difficult to tell), which were good anywhere in the park.
(Niagara Falls Ontario Library)

4 35cent tickets, possibly from the late 70's.
(APHAN Collection)

4 10cent tickets from 1975.
(APHAN Collection)

A postcard view of the new entrance to Kiddieland. (APHAN collection)

This postcard view shows the entrance to the midway The Roller Rink entrance is at the right, while other stores and attractions are visible in the centre.. (APHAN collection)

Here is a list of the rides and attractions the park had at closing in September 1989: