Funland, Rehoboth Beach

Funland
Location Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, United States
Website https://funlandrehoboth.com/
Owner Al Faschnacht (died 2025)
General Manager Chris Darr
Operated By Seaside Amusements
Opened 1939
Previous names The Rehoboth Beach Sports Center
Operating season Mother's Day Weekend - Weekend After Labor Day
Visitors (per annum) 250,000 - 350,000
Area 1 acre
Rides 18, as well as a kids play area total
Slogan Today's Fun at Yesterdays Prices

Funland is a small family owned amusement park in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. It has 18 rides, as well as midway games, and an arcade.[1] It is located right off the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk. The park opened in 1939 as The Rehoboth Beach Sports Center. It was purchased by the Faschnacht family in 1962, and was renamed Funland. Today, it is still owned and operated by the Fasnacht family.[2] Funland still has some rides that were there when it was purchased. The two oldest rides are The Boats and The Fire Engines. Both of them were likely opened in 1946 or 1947.[3]The park is known for its cheaply priced tickets, its Haunted Mansion ride, which was custom built specifically for Funland, and for being the only amusement park in the state of Delaware.[4]

History

Before the name was changed to Funland in 1962, the park was known as The Rehoboth Beach Sports Center. It was owned by the Dentino family. On March 6, 1962, nine days before the sale was final, the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962 started. The storm lasted three days. The Rehoboth Beach Sports Center was one of the few business that were not destroyed by the storm. It was damaged but the Faschnacht family decided they still wanted buy it.[5] Now, excluding during the COVID-19 pandemic, Funland gets between 250,000 and 350,000 visitors each year.[6]

Rides

Funland has 18 rides, as well as a kids play area. 5 of the 18 rides were there when Funland was purchased. These rides are the Merry Go Round, Boats, Fire Engines, Sky Fighters, and Helicopters.[7][8]

Rides[7] Attraction Type Year Ride Opened[9]
Boats Red Baron Likely 1946 or 1947
Fire Engines Red Baron 1946 or 1947
Merry Go Round Carousel 1960
Sky Fighters Red Baron Between 1956 and 1962
Cycles Red Baron 1971
Swinger Swing 1984
Kiddie Wheel Kiddie Ferris Wheel 2005
Trucks Red Baron 2000
Cruisers Music Express 1988
Helicopters Red Baron 1961
Crazy Dazys Teacups 1964
Free Spin Kiddie Drop Tower 2022
Paratrooper Paratrooper 1982
Gravitron Gravitron 1984
Bumpler Cars Bumper Cars 2001
Sea Dragon Pirate Ship 1990
Superflip 360 Pendulum 2017
Haunted Mansion Haunted House 1979
Former Rides Attraction Type Year Removed
Flying Cages Swinging Gym 1983
Moon Bounce Inflatable Castle 1978
Crack The Whip The Whip 1977
Outdoor Train Train Ride 1978
Chaos Chaos 2000
Spinning Tubs Tubs of Fun 1978
Wagon Wheel Wagon Wheel 2011
Trabaunt Wipeout 2011

References

  1. Funland, Amusment Park. "Funland Rides". Funland Rehoboth Beach. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  2. CBS News (2015-08-09). "A Fun Ride Back in Time". CBS News. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  3. Lindsley, Chris (2019). Land of Fun: The Story of an Old-Fashioned Amusement Park for the Ages. Tocoma Park, Maryland: Lindsley Publishing. p. 48. ISBN 9780578468259.
  4. Funland, Amusment Park. "Tickets Per Ride". Funland Rehoboth Beach. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  5. Funland, Amusement Park. "History of Becoming Funland". FunlandRehoboth. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  6. The Oldfather Group (2019-05-09). "Funland in Rehoboth Beach is 57 Years Old and Still Creating Treasured Memories for Generations of Families". Cape Gazette. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Funland, Amusment Park. "Rides". Funland Rehoboth Beach. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  8. Lindsley, Chris (2019). Land of Fun: The Story of an Old-Fashioned Amusement Park for the Ages. Tocoma Park, Maryland: Lindsley Publishing. pp. 47–56. ISBN 9780578468259.
  9. Lindsley, Chris (2019). Land of Fun: The Story of an Old-Fashioned Amusement Park for the Ages. Tocoma Park, Maryland: Lindsley Publishing. pp. 6, 48, 50, 52, 53, 54. ISBN 9780578468259.