I miss Rocky Point! I wish my children were able to experience what I did at Rocky Point. I saw Color Me Bad in concert there. I remember wearing my brand new converse high tops getting ready to spend the day at Rocky Point with my family. The Musical Express was my FAVORITE ride! I can hear Poison and Def Leopard playing in the background now as I think about those days and riding the Musical Express! Thank you for teaching me something new today! I never knew the history of Rocky Point. Very interesting! Awesome video!
The whole experience of mixing a concert with a night at the amusement park was just something that I haven't seen matched anywhere. I went to a concert in the grove at Six Flags New England several years ago where I worked on the stage crew and they gave us free passes to the park for the day. It was the closest I've come to that feeling in 30 years!
I guess when it really comes down to it, my favorite ride is a tie between the corkscrew and the freefall. They were top notch thrill rides for a small, regional amusement park tucked next to the shore in the middle of suburbia. The only downfall (heh) of the freefall was that the ride was so short. At least with the corkscrew, you could count on the operator occasionally misfiring the brakes, keeping the cars from lining up. "Everybody wanna go again???" "YeahhhhhhH!!!!!!" 😀
Thank you so much! It's always been a special place that's meant so much to me, and with such a fractured history I thought it deserved a comprehensive video of the past, present and future.
@@marcberm Hey bud. I suited up in my blue uniform with the colored stripes and they sent me to different rides each day. It had to be roughly 1990-1991. The freefall was installed. I used to make more money in dropped change working the freefall than i did from my hourly wage. I was always eager to work on the freefall :). I know I never worked the flume, only certain people worked that one.
Took middle school students from Mount St. Charles to Rocky Point every year for a day of fun. The shore dining hall provided the chaperones with a free clam cake and chowder lunch. Rocky Point was and will continue to be a huge part of the history of Rhode Island.
I liked both Musik Express and Apollo 11 which were pretty similar. But Musik Express was so much better because it was also kind of a mini DJ concert experience as much as a ride.
@@marcberm Not gonna lie- I am scraping my brain on ride specifics. I DO recall the Skyline as well. And the Horror House. Also recall stopping at the "classic" McD's (old type "arch ended" building) somewhere along the route from Cumberland to RP.
My favorite ride at RP was the Free Fall. You were suspended up in the air for at least 20 seconds and could see the coastline all around you...I think they even bounced up back up to the top a few years later it was a double free fall. It was super intense. Before the installation of the Free Fall it was the Corkscrew! Also I wanted to mention the Palladium, as someone who loves live music I cannot help but remember that I saw several concerts there in the 90's including Physical Grafitti ( A led zepplin cover band) AND my mom tells me she saw Janis Joplin there!
My great grandfather and his brother bought the park from Randall Harrington. My grandmother would tell stories about growing up as a kid and spending her summers there till they had to sell it in 1938 after the hurricane.
CASTLE OF TERROR!!! Hands Down still to this day is my favorite Dark Ride. It was such a classic, and when ever I visit the state fairs... there dark rides make me miss it even more.
We drove to Rocky Point every summer in the 60's until the early 80's from Connecticut. I loved the log flume! Thanks for a great video and the memories!
I lovehow you tell the store of the park. I use to bring my children and there friends for all day fun. Thank youfor bringme back all the great memories.
I am a history and abandoned places buff, so after having moved here 1.5 years ago, and not too far from RP, this is the best summarization and visual information I have been able to find on this place! Thanks.
Thank YOU! Glad you liked it; I tried to pull as much together as I could from as many places as possible and lay it out in a logical chronology. Almost every other reference, article, or video there is on the subject feels at least a little bit incomplete.
Born and Raised Rhode Island. Worked at Rocky Point during college. I do miss it. My favorite ride was the Scrambler and the corkscrew when it got added.
I was afraid of the corkscrew for so long, then one time my dad and uncle brought us and had a stack of vouchers for rides on the corkscrew and freefall which cost extra. I think I rode it nine times in a row. And a couple times the operator didn't hit the breaks in time to line-up so put us through again! 😂
@@marcberm, that was the best part to me. 😂 I love going there now and walking around remembering the joy we experienced just being there. Thank you for a great video.
Being lucky enough to grow up enjoying Rocky Point and all the great rides & food, It's always hard to watch or listen to documentaries and see pictures of the park. Besides going with family as young as I can remember, Myself, my cousin and a few buddies used to go almost every weekend as teenagers. Part of me loves the memories but there's also a part of me, like others, that is angry that the park is gone and no one stepped up to the plate to save it or at least build another one. This state has virtually NOTHING for kids to do and a park like this would be a big boost to the state not only financially but in morale. What is there now is nice but boring. Such a waste of land and opportunity......
Great video, brings back memories, the pool was fun, sad when they filled it in, my favorite rides were the Enterprise and the Sky Wheel aka the double ferris wheel. saw Blue Oyster Cult, Foghat and Steppinwolf there.
Thank you! Sadly I was never brave enough to ride the Enterprise. If I ever come across one at another amusement park though I'm definitely giving it a shot! The HUSS/Schwarzkopf Enterprise is or at least was a fairly common ride, but I've yet to run into one anywhere but Rocky Point.
I'm from Florida, but my grandpa lived in Warren, RI. He would fly my sister and I up every summer for a few weeks. Every year he would take us to Rocky Point. It was the highlight of our summer every year. We would spend the day riding rides, then go eat chowder, and hush puppies at the dining hall. I just found out right now it is no longer there, which makes me feel some type of way. I came across some pics of it being abandoned, and vandalized, which made me sad. I had no idea all those bands from the 90's used to play there! That's really cool! The last time I was there, my Gramps and I rode on the Freefall ride. It was new to the park. I couldn't believe he got on it with me. It will be something I will never forget. I'm glad the park is no longer there sitting and rotting, but being preserved, and used for new adventures. Thank you for bringing back so many wonderful childhood memories of my summers with my wonderful, loving Gramps!! Awesome video! 😄💝🤙
Those are some great memories!! As clear today as if you were there with him yesterday I'm sure!! Love to hear stories like this and so glad that you liked the video! 😊
Being born into an RI family in ‘91, my only memories of Rocky Point are vague, but I do have a solid memory of “remembering it” from when I was 6 one day… when we were backing out of the driveway to head to the former Riverside Park (which is now Six Flags New England), I had said that I couldn’t wait to go to a big-kid amusement park that was much rougher than Rocky Point. Back then, Rocky Point felt familiar and safe-and it was; especially compared to Riverside! At the time, Riverside was also in its fast decline (those were probably just the years of amusement park changes?) and it was almost dangerous before it was saved by the Six Flags “empire”… Walking out of Riverside that day-through streams of puke in the parking lot, no joke-I vividly remember feeling accomplished, but being grateful for Rocky Point. I couldn’t wait to go back to my own backyard…. and you know what’s really sad? I think it closed that next summer. I don’t think I ever got to go back to my home park. If I had, I’m sure I’d remember it much better after the Riverside experience. SADDDD!
I never made it there that last year either. My last visit was a year or two before. I remember knowing that bankruptcy and bad things were on the horizon even at that age, but it still wasn't enough to get me to realize it might be gone before I'd expected.
@@marcberm Amazing job so far. I paused the video and will continue once I'm home safe from my job. Will defintly be lo ok king forward to seeing you're finished hard work Marc! Rhode Island holds A special place in my hard
Another interesting fact- the guys that owned Rocky Point ended up purchasing part of the former Taft Peirce complex in Woonsocket from my dad & uncle (who purchased it from TP circa 1980). Not sure on the exact date, but my Dad/Uncle had leased it to Tupperware for their Northeast regional distribution warehouse and then shortly thereafter the Rocky Point people bought it. Probably part of the "leveraged" activities to which you refer.
Interesting! I wouldn't be surprised if it was. The actual details around that were a little hard to come by other than general statements about financial health.
Music Express! Great video covering the history of the park. Never knew most of the history you covered, especially with the really early days of the park. Glad to see it isn’t just houses built on the land and was made into a state park for others to enjoy, even if it isn’t the same manner that we did growing up. Really enjoyed this video and seeing all the pictures. Brought back some great memories. I’ll have to take a drive by it next time I’m in RI.
wow, i had no idea, especially about the shore dinner hall being conceived so long ago! admittedly, one of the things I miss most about Rocky Point is the clam cakes....tho being from Boston originally, the Manhattan Clam Chowder never made sense to me LOL! Loved the flume ride-- can't believe it's in the Philippines now! Feel like I need to go there and see it. Oddly enough, the same year I moved out to Washington, the roller coaster came with me and indeed is still active at Wild Waves Amusement Park. I remember tho when you had to pay an extra $1 to ride the coaster in RI. I thought that was kinda crappy. Anywho, thanks for the awesome information!
You're welcome! And thank YOU for watching! I remember the extra $1 too... And a $1 seemed like a lot more back then!! Not just the Corkscrew... It was extra for the Freefall too!
One time they forgot me on the Ferris Wheel. My parents had taken my little sister to the kiddie rides, with instructions for me to meet them after my ride ended. When I didn't show they were in a panic, especially when the operator said I wasn't there! I don't remember how it was sorted out, but it was pretty exciting for me! Years later my Christmas ball and Senior prom were held at the Windjammer. Nice, but not nearly as exciting as endless loops and amazing views from the tippety top of that Ferris Wheel!
Great video. My favorite rides were the log flume and enterprise. However, you had mentioned that the flume had gone to the Philippines, but there's no physical evidence that it's there. The amusement park that it was scheduled to be located isn't the same log flume whatsoever.
I know it doesn't look right, but believe it or not that flume in the Philippines IS the one. It doesn't look the same because it's configured differently and raised higher on stanchions rather than following the natural grade of the land as it did at Rocky Point. When a ride like that is sold, it's only specific parts that have value like the logs, hydraulic parts, lift hill friction belt mechanism, pumps and control systetms. Parts like the actual old fiberglass track tub sections end up replaced and/or put together in a wholly different layout suitable to the new site. Other elements end up being completely reconstructed from scratch too like queueing, safety and guardrails, control/monitoring booths, etc.
@@marcberm OK, but I've studied the design of this flume, which was from the Sensei Corporation of Japan, which the design -- even the log boats are completely different in design. The lift hill, which only one exists in the Philippines doesn't even have the same design in either the crown, the incline angle, which is impossible to retrofit into, using the same Sensei flume design from the RP one. Furthermore, the pump station is clearly not the same. The track flume trough sections are clearly from a different manufacturer than the original. It's just like you have two different Enterprise rides, but from two completely different German manufacturers. And, when I had inquired about the original flume from RP from that park in the Philippines, they never replied. Furthermore, why would a park buy a used ride with no warranty just so they can use the specic parts when they can easily purchase a new one with no spare parts? That makes no sense on a business plan. It would cost more to retrofit and grade the terrace rather than to have a manufacturer do the same with a warranty and technical support attached to the ride.
@@brazillo19 Rocky Point's flume absolutely had a lift hill. Are you remembering a different ride/different park? The lift hill/belt took you up to the left of the pumps and "FLUME" sign, before you looped around the woods and came back down the final drop to the right of the pumps/sign.
@@marcberm Nope, I'm remembering the same flume ride you had mentioned, which is the RP. The issue here is that the Enchanted Kingdom park that the RP flume supposedly has gone to, and featured in the "You Must Be This Tall" video is not the same log flume model, layout and design from Rocky Point. I can even tell you how the RP flume sounds like, both the two lift hill conveyor belt mechanism and electric speed reduction motors, and the water pumps that pumped the water throughout the ride, which is completely different from the one in the Philippines.
@@brazillo19 I came across a Projo article from a few days ago that purports to tell us where certain rides ended up. Of the Flume, it confirms that it was purchased by Enchanted Kingdom in the Philippines, however with the qualifier "where various components were installed in its Jungle Log Jam flume ride." This leads me to believe that it was more of a parts purchase to either expand/retrofit an existing ride, rebuild with new components as an entirely different configuration, or strictly to have replacement parts on hand for a similar vintage log flume ride.