The Crescent Park Looff Carousel is a historic carousel that opened in Riverside, East Providence,…read moreRhode Island in 1895. It was built by Danish immigrant Charles I. D. Looff. He was born as Carl Jürgen Detlef Looff in Bad Bramstedt, Holstein (now Germany) in 1852. After immigrating to the United States in 1870 at the age of 18, Looff settled in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and found work as a carver for a furniture factory. He began a hobby of taking home leftover wood scraps from the factory and carving them into carousel animals. He created his first carousel in 1876 and it became Coney Island's first carousel and amusement ride. Looff soon opened his own carousel factory in Brooklyn and continued to build more of the rides. In 1886, Looff was commissioned to build a carousel for Crescent Park (known as "the Coney Island of the East") in Rhode Island. In 1895, he moved his family there and established a new headquarters. He built a second, larger and more elaborate carousel for the amusement park. He also built an adjoining workshop and showroom for prospective buyers. Looff relocated to California in 1910 so he could build carousels for amusement parks on the West Coast. He passed away in 1918 after building close to 50 carousels. Looff is regarded as one of the most important and influential carousel builders of all time. Crescent Park was damaged by the 1938 New England Hurricane. Repairs were made, but the park permanently closed in 1977 with most of the rides being sold at auction. The Looff Carousel was saved and was declared a National Historic Landmark. It has undergone a number of restorations over the years. The platform features 61 horses, a camel, two single dragon coaches and two double chariots. It is one of the last surviving carousels to still be standing in its original location with all of the original components. Today the carousel is open from June through October. It operates on Saturdays and Sundays from 12pm - 6pm. Rides cost $2. My family and I recently visited the Crescent Park Looff Carousel. My wife and I have been carousel enthusiasts since we visited the New England Carousel Museum a few years ago. We had heard that the carousel in Riverside was one of the best historic carousels that was still left. This carousel is absolutely beautiful! You can tell that all of the horses were carved by a master craftsman. We also really liked that this one is one of the few that still features a brass ring device. A wooden arm dispenses iron rings that carousel riders try to grab as they pass by. If a rider gets a 'brass ring', then they win a free ride. This whole concept adds a fun competitive element to the ride. As an added bonus, riders can throw them into the cut-out mouth of a clown face painted on a large canvas. We had so much fun riding the Crescent Park Looff Carousel. Our only complaint is that the band organ wasn't operating during our visit. Aside from that, we think that it is probably the BEST carousel that we have ever visited! We hope to return again and again!

Atmosphere was fine but service and price wasn't great. It made me pretty sad and my friend wasn't…read morevery happy.

Another spectacular visit to the Paragon Carousel. Still a wonderful summertime tradition. For…read moreeveryone young and old alike.

Maybe the horses (all named and either perpetually or seasonally "adoptable") are cracked for wear,…read moreshowing signs of their 90-year-old senior citizen status. Maybe they don't have the admittedly flashy variety of animalia found in newer carousels. Looking at you, grasshoppers and ostriches of the Greenway. Maybe they don't have the bronze rings of Oak Bluff's game. And luckily, that means you don't have jammed fingers or hyperextension pains. Maybe that'll have you proclaiming, "No gimmicks? It's not worth the $3 fee!" But these maybes just make you a fuddy-duddy. This covered delight is five minutes of innocent fun that'll put a priceless grin on your two (or 22) year old. Extra love for charging only a single admission when the parent has to stand with their kid. Safety first!

This park is AMAZING! There's so much to do, see, and explore here…read more Some of the highlights include: the historic Daggett House, the watercolor society, and Loof carousel. There's a dog park, covered pavilion and various picnic sites that can be rented, plus tennis and pickle ball courts. There's also frisbee golf, multiple baseball fields, a walking path along the 10 mile river, plus a playground. There are many places to take photos; Marconi garden with gazebo, a picturesque pond with bandstand, and an English garden (called friendship garden), plus countless places with lush grasses and trees. In the summer they offer family entertainment with various performers and music. They also offer a summer camp for kids as well as various exercise and dance classes for adults. All this information can be found on their website. The hidden gem of this park is its winter wonderland celebration where the community comes together to decorate 650+ Christmas trees along with displays and lights, it's absolutely magical. The park is clean and well maintained and is constantly undergoing updates and improvements. The one down side is there's only 1 small basketball court even though there is space to expand this area.

The Slater Park Looff Carousel is a historic carousel that was completed in 1895. It was built by…read moreDanish immigrant Charles I. D. Looff. He was born as Carl Jürgen Detlef Looff in Bad Bramstedt, Holstein (now Germany) in 1852. After immigrating to the United States in 1870 at the age of 18, Looff settled in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and found work as a carver for a furniture factory. He began a hobby of taking home leftover wood scraps from the factory and carving them into carousel animals. He created his first carousel in 1876 and it became Coney Island's first carousel and amusement ride. Looff soon opened his own carousel factory in Brooklyn and continued to build more of the rides. In 1886, Looff was commissioned to build a carousel for Crescent Park (known as "the Coney Island of the East") in Rhode Island. In 1895, he moved his family there and established a new headquarters. He built a second, larger and more elaborate carousel for the amusement park. He also built an adjoining workshop and showroom for prospective buyers. Looff relocated to California in 1910 so he could build carousels for amusement parks on the West Coast. He passed away in 1918 after building close to 50 carousels. Looff is regarded as one of the most important and influential carousel builders of all time. The Slater Park Carousel was originally built for a carnival called Lee Funland in upstate New York. It was moved to Slater Park in 1910 where it still stands today. It is one of only six historic carousels in the United States which still resides in its original building. The carousel is a "stander" or stationary carousel. This means that the animal figures are designed to stand on the platform with at least three legs on the ground and they don't move up and down. This contrasts with "jumper" figures which usually move up and down and have all four legs elevated as if in mid-gallop. The Slater Park Carousel is the oldest Looff-stander carousel in the world. The platform features 44 horses, a camel, a giraffe, a lion, three dogs, and two chariots. Today the carousel is open from April through October. It operates on Saturdays and Sundays from 12pm - 5pm (daily in July and August). Rides cost $1. My family and I recently visited the Slater Park Looff Carousel. My wife and I have been carousel enthusiasts since we visited the New England Carousel Museum a few years ago. We were spending the day in the Greater Providence Area and decided to visit the Crescent Park Looff Carousel in Riverside (which is absolutely beautiful!) We learned that Charles Looff built another carousel in 1895 that was located nearby at Slater Park, so we made a drive there afterwards. We were a little disappointed that the Slater Park Carousel's horses don't move up and down and that there isn't a brass ring device like the one featured on the Crescent Park Carousel. That being said, the Slater Park Carousel is still exceptional. All of the horses and menagerie animal figures have been beautifully carved and painted. We also noticed that this carousel moves quite fast (about 9 mph). In fact, the speed has been slowed down over the years and used to be as high as 14 mph. Overall, we had a fun experience at the Slater Park Looff Carousel and would recommend carousel enthusiasts to visit it as well as the nearby Crescent Park Looff Carousel.

Glow in the dark paddleboats review: First off with the…read morepaddle oats, the musuem and the pumpkins there is way too much happening in the park and not enough parking! 2nd: the paddleboat employees ask you don't linger and keep moving. So enjoying your $ spent goes very fast. 3rd: 2 adults and I 1 kid you can all fit but I know we were squished! 4th: we did not get wet. It was a fear of mine (driving home wet=not fun) This was a perfect event on a Friday night for a 4 year old but I don't think my husband was pleased...

As i walked the Roger Williams park i noticed people riding swan boats ??? immediately i had to ask…read morewhat that was about. For 36$ mu husband and I both got drinks and rode for 30 minutes. The staff was overly friendly and even offered to take a picture of us on the boat! I LOVED IT! it was soooo romantic and special. DEFINITELY A HIDDEN GEM! it was not busy at all. two other families there but its a big lake. FIVE STARS ! i love you Clark Dalrymple Boathouse !

Beautiful waterfront park in Salem. I really enjoyed visiting here yesterday. Salem Willows has…read morelots of shady, grassy areas and several covered picnic pavilions. There are lots of benches where you can sit and watch the water, and there are paved walking paths. The new fishing pier is beautiful and there is a Marina and kayak rentals here as well. The park has restrooms, and even a clam shack restaurant. Other restaurants are also only a short walk away. Parking is very reasonable at just 50 cents per hour. The park is clean and very pretty - a true gem!

Trolley stopped by this locaiton during my tour with them, I came back around to get another look…read more Ocean front views a plenty with some shaded areas as well. Very nice place. Looked like parking was free, and it seems like a good place for locals and tourtists to congreate and keep cool.

Next time you're in the North End, you gotta stop by this park. It's very well maintained and there…read moreis something for everyone. My favorite part is the the Rose Garden. They take such great care of it and it's a nice spot to take a break. Throughout the year, they hold various events at this park. My favorite is when Santa comes to town in his red helicopter. They also have a very cute "Tunnel of Love" during February. This park is very dog friendly and there are bathrooms nearby too - just right at the Marriott hotel. They have some outside or if you prefer, you can go inside the Marriott and go up the escalator. FYI, right now the escalator is out of order, but you can take the elevator up to the UL. Oh, and they have a Starbucks right inside too. Next time you're in the area, check the park out for yourselves.

Lovely waterfront park only steps away from Quincy/Faneuil Market…read more Lots of green space and picturesque views of the Harbor.

Such a special place from my childhood, and still enjoying it today as an adult. Time to go if you…read morehaven't, and go again if it's been a while!

Bushnell Park is located in the downtown area of Hartford, Connecticut. It features an historic…read morecarousel and numerous monuments such as the Corning Fountain. Bushnell Park is the site of many major events each year, including the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz and the Hartford Marathon. My daughter and I came this week to Bushnell Park for Caribbean week and part two was at Bushnell Park. This was my second year here and the festival was good but in my opinion the other festival at Mortensen Riverfront Plaza is better, just because I love the riverfront. There were a lot activities for families and there was plenty of food trucks to choose from. Many of the lines were long but my daughter and I came across a tent called Cuisine and Pastry, which serves West Indian food, American food, and baked goods. As we thought the line was short, we still waited in line for about an hour. I believe the staff we're having problems with there debit card machine. I ordered the Stew Chicken, Cabbage, and Rice and Peas. My daughter and I took are first bite and we looked at each other and we both had a skeptical look. The cabbage totally lacked flavor and the chicken was dry. Stew Chicken is supposed to be like a stew with Caribbean seasoning and flavors. It lacked the stew part but the Rice and Peas were the best thing on the plate. My daughter stopped eating it after three bites. Two stars for BP Cuisine & Pastry. I actually looked them up on Google and it says there establishment is temporarily closed but on Yelp it doesn't indicate if there closed. I was confused. The event was great and they even had a live Caribbean show. My daughter and I had a great time and we look forward to going next year.