Rhode Island's Largest Abandoned Amusement Park Is Now A State Park With Coastal Views

When an amusement park shuts down, it can be hard to know what to do with the site. Theme parks often stand empty and abandoned for years, ending up on lists of the world's most haunted places, with creepy rides slowly rusting and nothing but echoes of laughter on the wind. Sometimes, local government finds new uses for them, repurposing abandoned amusement parks as public green spaces or water parks. Sometimes they are preserved, kept as modern ruins for tourists to visit and wander around, with an ethereal yet charming atmosphere.

When Rhode Island's Rocky Point Amusement Park in Warwick closed in 1996, no one seemed to know what to do with it. It reopened briefly in 1998 as a one-off haunted attraction called Halloweenland, but this was short-lived, and it remained closed, ruined, and abandoned for almost 20 years. After significant vandalism and a series of fires, the City of Warwick purchased the site in 2008, and in 2014, reopened the land as a wonderful state park with gorgeous sea views, preserving several eerie remnants of the original rides.

Rocky Point State Park is situated outside the city of Warwick, just south of Providence in Rhode Island. It is easily accessible from both I-95 and I-295, as well as being just a 15-minute drive from Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport (PVD), one of America's best airports, which is served by routes from around the U.S., Mexico, and Cape Verde.

Rocky Point Amusement Park was first used as a place of recreation in 1840 by Captain William Winslow, who used the spot as a destination for Sunday outings for his Sunday school. Rides began to be built in the 1850s, and the park slowly took shape, becoming a popular spot for Rhode Islanders. It was also popular among more famous names, with President Rutherford B. Hayes using the park in 1877 to make the first-ever presidential phone call, and Babe Ruth playing baseball on the field in 1914.

By the middle of the 20th century, Rocky Point was the largest theme park in Rhode Island, and one of the most popular leisure destinations in the state. It boasted a wide selection of roller coasters and water rides, as well as a large Ferris wheel, a haunted house attraction, an aerial gondola, and a large dining room for events. The concert hall was an immensely popular part of the park, hosting famous bands including Janis Joplin, Steppenwolf, Thin Lizzy, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, and Weezer.

However, by the final decade of the 20th century, Rocky Point Amusement Park began to struggle. Although it remained a popular destination for locals and tourists alike, behind the scenes, the financials were in a poor state. In 1995, the park filed for bankruptcy, sold off the rides, and finally closed its gates in 1996.

Rocky Point State Park opened in 2014, giving new life to this much-loved park and providing a new space for outdoor recreation for Rhode Islanders. Visitors can now explore the park, wandering among the remnants of the amusement park, learning about its history, and enjoying delightful coastal views, nature trails, and picnic areas.

The rides and ruins of the amusement park that remain include a graffiti-covered water tower, the central support for the Circle Swings, stairs that once led to a house of horrors, and an Olympic-size swimming pool. Roller coaster rails lie hidden beneath foliage, and the structure of the Skyliner, the aerial gondola ride, heads off up the hills and into the trees. The highlight of the ruins is probably the massive arch that was relocated from the site of the 1964 World's Fair, which was held in New York.

Activities in the park include hiking, bicycling, and rollerblading along paths and trails, and fishing off the newly restored pier. Interpretive signs are scattered about the park, offering glimpses of the site's history, and everywhere you turn you are confronted with marvelous views of Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island's northern shoreline. The park is also a great place for birders, as it is regularly visited by ospreys, cormorants, orioles, and a wide variety of seabirds.