Classic carousels still taking riders back in time.
6 places to go round and round, up and down memory lane
Lee Cervantes still dreams of carousels. The brightly colored horses rising up and down to the sweet notes of calliope music. The light bulb-lined canopies showcasing their counterclockwise gallop back to a simpler time.
And, of course, all the laughter of children and grown-ups, who never forgot their first go on a merry-goround.
“It’s a magical ride,” said Cervantes, 79, a retired foreman from the aptly named Carousels USA, a San Antonio metalworking shop that specialized in forging and fixing carousels and other amusement park rides before closing in 2017.
For 56 years, Cervantes repaired and rode his share of Alamo City carousels, from the merry-go-round at the long-gone Playland Park off Broadway to the still-spinning carousel at Kiddie Park just up the road.
“I don’t think they’ll ever go out of style,” Cervantes said, “not as long as there are kids.”
Here are several classic carousels in San Antonio that still work like a dream.
Kiddie Park carousel
The long-running amusement park has delighted San Antonio families since 1925, but its original HerschellSpillman Co. carousel actually was built during World War I in 1918.
The merry-go-round’s three-dozen colorful, handcarved horses and two handcarved chariots first stormed out of North Tonawanda, just outside Buffalo, N.Y.
P.W. Curry, one of Kiddie Park’s original owners, purchased the carousel and brought it to San Antonio from Miami in 1935.
The carousel’s painted clowns and mirrors have witnessed generations of Kiddie Park patrons, young and old. For the ride’s recent centennial, park owners Rad and Ashley Weaver restored the carousel, as much as possible, to its original glory, right down to reattaching real horsehair tails to a few merrygo-round horses just like the ones they sported so many years ago. 3015 Broadway, kiddiepark.com
San Antonio Zoo Zootennial carousel
The custom-designed Zootennial carousel from Chance Rides in Kansas heralded the San Antonio Zoo’s 100th anniversary in 2014. The 50-foot brass carousel at Zootennial Plaza is a lot like a zoo in its own right, with a hand-painted menagerie of 60 animals, both real and imagined.
Those colorful, saddled creations include exotic creatures — a white ostrich, a tiger shark and a polar bear — as well as more familiar Texas critters, such as a white-tailed deer, a Texas horned lizard and a whooping crane. The carousel’s more fanciful beasts include a sea dragon and the Texas jackalope. 3903 N. St. Mary’s St., sazoo.org
Six Flags Fiesta Texas Grand Carousel
Originally called the Dornroschen (German for “Sleeping Beauty”) Fiesta Texas’ carousel from its 1992 opening was recently restored and returned to its original home at the heart of the park.
Reopened last summer, the meticulously painted and polished Grand Carousel now resides in the German-themed Spassburg area, where the merry-goround’s 58 animals, which include horses, lions, zebras and giraffes, bask in the glow of retro-styled carnival lights and soothing strains of classic carousel organ music.
DH Morgan Manufacturing in California based the 47-foot-diameter ride on carousels in Germany. The Grand Carousel likewise highlights its current surroundings with customsculpted German-motif cherubs and hand-painted German and Texas scenes, all framed between a new canopy top and new flooring. 17000 W. Interstate 10, sixflags.com/fiestatexas
Morgan’s Wonderland carousel
True to its mission of providing ultra-accessible fun, Morgan’s Wonderland has featured a decorative carousel designed for kids of all ages and abilities since the theme park opened in 2010.
Park founder Gordon Hartman worked with Chance Rides of Wichita, Kan., to design the 36-footdiameter carousel, which houses special chariots for riders in wheelchairs and animal figures with highback cushions for upright support. The ride’s 24 animal figures include horses and African wildlife, while a carousel horse at the ride’s entrance helps any hesitant guests get acclimated to the experience before they give the carousel a go. 5223 David Edwards Drive, morgans wonderland.com
Summit Christian Center carousel
During the last years of Central Park Mall (it closed in 2002), an ornate indoor replica of an 1898 Italian double-decked carousel took patrons for a whirl.
Now the gilded wonder enjoys a second life at Summit Christian Center, where its 28 horses provide free rides for around a half-hour after the 5 p.m. service on Saturday and after the 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. services on Sunday.
The carousel is open to the public and available for party rentals. Its steeds have even presided over a few weddings since the facility opened in 2008.
Pastor Rick Godwin purchased the 36-foot-diameter carousel, which stands 25 feet tall, and features hand-painted Venetian murals and more than 1,000 lights. The ride’s horses have real horsehair tails, while a spinning “tea cup” seat flanks each of the two stairs that lead to the carousel’s upper deck with more horses and swings. 2575 Marshall Road, sum mitsa.com
Traders Village San Antonio carousel
The Southwest Side flea market that opened in 2011 houses several familyfriendly rides, including a restored 1908 Allan Herschell antique carousel that was renovated less than a year ago.
According to Traders Village, the handcarved wooden carousel is one of 148 such merry-go-rounds still in existence in the United States and Canada. One of the few remaining gear-driven carousels, the ride’s colorful horses coast beneath a crown of ornamental lights and painted winter vistas. 9333 SW Loop 410, tradersvil lage.com/san-antonio