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Carousels
Around the World

I do have a fondness for carousels.  As I have traveled the world, I have seen and photographed many different styles, and learned that many are referred to as merry-go-rounds.   I include many of them below and have, as well, asked my fellow travel writers, photographers, and bloggers to share here a favorite picture they have snapped of a carousel. 

National Carousel Day is July 25.

1.  This is the carousel my children grew up on, in Tilden Regional Park in Berkeley, California.  Here, a new generation is enjoying it.  Built in 1911 by the Herschel-Spillman firm in New York, it is one of only four classic four-row carousels remaining in Northern California.  A menagerie carousel, in addition to horses it sports an assortment of other colorful animals, including a stork, a dragon, and a frog.  Its large band organ operates like a player piano and is regarded as one of the finest examples of its kind.
Photographed by Carole Terwilliger Meyers, Weekend Adventures Update

2. This photo is of the harbor at dusk in Honfleur, France, on the Normandy coast, not too far from Le Harve. We weren’t expecting to find a carousel. We were take by its reflection in the glassy surface of the boat basin. A visit to Normandy can be an emotional experience with the ghosts of D-Day in so many places. This was a welcome reminder that life has gone on and that people still play.
Photographed by Suzanne Fluhr, Boomeresque

3.  The Carousel of Happiness is a unique feature in my mountain town, Nederland, Colorado. Each of the 50 wooden animals was hand-carved by one man. The peaceful image of a carousel in a mountain meadow comforted him while enduring the horrors of the Vietnam War, and he began carving animals upon his return home, taking several decades to complete them. The town held fundraisers to purchase a 1910 carousel frame and build a shelter for it. Adults and children come from all over to ride these darling, whimsical animals and share in the happiness. (And it only costs $1!)
Photographed by Shara Johnson, SKJtravel

4.  Germany is known for its Christmas markets where you can sip on mulled wine, eat sausages and generally enjoy the festive spirit but these kinds of markets also spring up at Easter. The Easter market in Berlin’s Alexanderplatz gets traffic from shoppers, locals passing through the busy transport hub and tourists who stop by to see the famous TV tower. This particular market is also home to a beautiful French style carousel which draws kids into another world for a few minutes while they circle around to the traditional music.
Photographed by Andrea Anastasakis, Rear View Mirror

5.  A visit to a carousel in Montana inspired Salem, Oregon resident Hazel Patton to bring a similar old-world style carousel to her hometown. Work began in 1996, and Salem’s Riverfront Carousel opened for rides in 2001. Each of the animals is hand-carved by volunteers, who spend hundreds of hours creating what are truly works of art. Volunteers continue to create new figures in a workshop adjacent to the carousel.  The new figures are rotated into service seasonally or when repairs or repainting is needed on one of the ride figures. The carousel is located in Salem’s Riverfront Park, which runs along the Willamette River on the western edge of downtown Salem.
Photographed by Greg Vaughn, Wanders And Wonders

6.  This carousel is in the center of Florence, Italy.  It is very close to the Duomo which is one of Italy’s largest churches.  This carousel is a major tourist attraction with many fine places to shop and eat very nearby.
Photographed by Michelle Raponi, Wandering Searching

7.  The Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round in Los Angeles, California was built in 1926 by the Spillman Engineering Company and brought to Griffith Park in 1937.  It has 68 finely carved horses, and each is a jumper.  They feature jewel-encrusted bridles, are detailed with draped blankets, and are decorated with sunflowers and lion’s heads.  A loud Stinson 165 Military Band Organ, reputed to be the largest band organ accompanying a carousel on the West Coast, plays over 1500 selections of marches and waltz music.  My 5-year-old granddaughter wasn’t convinced she would stay atop her antique carved-wood horse, though her father had strapped her on and was holding on to her at the start of the ride.  Pretty soon her discomfort turned into a BIG smile. 
Photographed by Carole Terwilliger Meyers, Travels with Carole

8.  The brightly colored Flecto Carousel at Children’s Fairyland in Oakland, California was fittingly donated by the Flecto Paint Company. 
Photographed by Carole Terwilliger Meyers, Weekend Adventures Update

9. The fanciful characters on the Wonder-Go Round at Children’s Fairyland in Oakland, California are from “Alice in Wonderland.”
Photographed by Carole Terwilliger Meyers, Weekend Adventures Update

10. When my niece was small (before moving to the USA) she lived in Annecy, France, not far from where I live now.  On weekends I’d drive over and ‘borrow’ her for a few hours and having no children of my own would let myself be guided on our Sunday timetable.  Inevitably we would end up here, at this gloriously twinkling carrousel, which during the milder months sits in the center of town, a few steps from Lake Annecy, possibly France’s most stunning.  Walking by with a three-year-old without stopping was, obviously, impossible.
Photographed by Leyla, Women on the Road

11.  The old town of Zurich in Switzerland is called Aldstadt and is a medieval center, filled with winding cobblestone lanes.  Along the way you can always see the magnificent spires of the Fraumunster cathedral.  This area is full of history, cafes, and people.  We found the carousel on the Rathaus Bridge, the Rathausbrucke.  This beautiful vintage carousel, or Rosslirytschuel, has been totally restored.  It was originally built in the 1880s and now people can ride the brightly plumed horses.  Unfortunately, we were too early for this.  A shame, because I love riding a carousel.
Photographed by Paula McInerney, Contented Traveller

12.  This absolutely delightful carousel in a permanent fixture in downtown Boston, Massachusetts, right across the Massachusetts Bay.  Its vibrant colors and an even more lively location in the heart of the city, makes it a fun ride for families and friends alike.  The first time I saw it, I instantly felt like a child all over again, and somehow it just makes the short summers even more special in a very, very cold Boston!
Photographed by Shraddha Gupta, StreetTrotter

13.  Paris is best experienced on foot–through its streets and its many parks.  This is the carousel in the Jardins des Tuileries, which has surely given pleasure to hundreds of kids (and perhaps their parents, too).  The photo was taken on an autumn day when the park is not so busy and the carousel not so much in demand.
Photographed by Michael Schuermann, Easy Hiker

14.  Situated at the end of Pier 39 in San Francisco, California, this two-tiered carousel was made in custom-made in Sernaglia, Treviso, in Italy.  It is hand-painted with famous San Francisco landmarks and trimmed with 1,800 lights.  
Photographed by Carole Terwilliger Meyers, Weekend Adventures Update

15. This carousel was found in Weston-super-Mare, England, at Banksy’s Dismaland, a strange place where the rides are art and the employees are instructed to basically hate everything. It was quite the adventure! The rest of the carousel was a normal, functioning carousel you could ride on, but at one spot was this sculpture of a butcher, and the ominous hanging horse and lasagna boxes. This was definitely a strange piece of art, and was a great experience to check out!
Photographed by Danie Ditzian at Like Riding a Bicycle

16.  Thie beautiful and elaborate carousel is at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. 
Photographed by Carole Terwilliger Meyers, Travels with Carole

17.  Found amid the kiddie rides at the Oakland Zoo in Oakland, California, this carousel offers a plethora of typical zoo animals.
Photographed by Carole Terwilliger Meyers, Weekend Adventures Update

18. This 1901 Seetaler carousel was spotted in bella Bellinoza, Italy.
Photographed by Carole Terwilliger Meyers, Travels with Carole

19.  This hand-carved 1911 Herschell-Spillman “Noah’s Ark” carousel goes round and round at the Oaks Amusement Park in Portland, Oregon.
Photographed by Carole Terwilliger Meyers, Travels with Carole

20.  This antique 1922 Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel at the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, California, features 44 original hand-painted hand-carved wooden horses–not to mention a pig and ram.  Parts of “The Sting” with Paul Newman were filmed here.
Photographed by Carole Terwilliger Meyers, Travels with Carole

22. This Endangered Species Carousel at the Riverbanks Zoo & Garden in Columbia, South Carolina, is populated with three pandas as well as tigers and zebras and more, oh my!.
Photographed by Carole Terwilliger Meyers, Travels with Carole

more carousels
article:
8 carousels that offer a splendid spin

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