As a former Rhode Islander, Rocky Point was a part of my childhood too. This really takes me back and I'm glad to have been able to partake in its rich history. So sad it is no longer there for future generations to appreciate.
I can still smell the clam cakes and the hot grease from the ride on the hot summers days while at the park. Thanks for the memories; they will never faid.
You had to be there,sunset when the cool breeze off the ocean would start to blow across your face ,sky turning pink and orange..and all of the sudden the lights come on!
As I Rhode Islander growing up this was just the most special place. Hard to describe if you never went but just fantastic, from the musical express to clam cakes and chowdah to the live music, man do i miss this place
Me too! My husband Kurt grew up within walking distance.... I always tell him how lucky he was... he agrees. That place shaped the lives of many locals... from summer jobs, to meeting people from all over the country, to just having fun being a kid. Great times for sure.
I actually bought this on DVD when people still used those. 😂😂 God this is still so hard to watch. I have such vivid memories of Rocky Point. God I wish I had a time machine.
@Dylan Weakly I don’t know you, but I love you ❤️❤️❤️and I’m sooooo downloading that and checking this out. Thanks so much for telling me, that is so cool! Looking forward to sitting at my computer and crying my eyes out reminiscing about the “good old days” tonight 😂😂😂
@Dylan Weakly Yeah, someone I know who makes apps said that it be cool if we made an app where you turned on your phone and went on the app, and if you were in front of the Arch in real life, the phone would show you the view from 25 years ago when it was a Popular Amusement Park. I thought it also be a good idea to have a setting where you could watch old videos of onride POVs taken by people throughout the years.
@@GildedTouch that’s how good I felt when my grandson showed me how to use Spotify while I’m playing Xbox!! Play my games and listen to MY OWN music??? 👍🏾👏🏾
This is one of the most bittersweet documentary videos I've ever seen. Wonderful to look back on so many fond memories of Rocky Point, but also extremely sad to see it's demise. Seeing the entry gate torn down in the end was utterly crushing. The park deserved so much better. You wouldn't think an amusement park could mean so much to some of us, but damn, this really hit home. Thanks for doing this, VERY well done.
Turning the corner and seeing the sign! The commercial on TV. The flume! I remember when they first built The Enterprise. The Shore Dinner Hall. So many memories!!
Outstanding documentary ! Growing up in Texas, I hadn't heard of Rocky Point before. I was recently in Rhode Island, and during the weekend was looking for a nice place to walk, and the hotel staff recommended I go to Rocky Point. Little did I know of the incredible history of this place, which was hinted at through the well placed markers in the park and a few remnants of the rides. After watching this documentary, I'm really blown away by how amazing this place was, and how much it must have meant to the Rhode Islanders that grew up going there. Thank you David Bettencourt and team for putting this together, my only wish is that I could have visited it before it closed !
I grew up in central Connecticut in the 80's and I never heard of Rocky Point. We went on vacation to Charlestown RI in the early 90's and I never heard of Rocky Point. I finally heard of Rocky Point a few years ago, and after watching this, I feel like I was there every summer. Amazing documentary.
Spent so many summers there! Lived in neighboring MA. The Flume, Music Express, and the clam cakes!!! Great memories! Was sad to see it close especially since Lincoln Park had closed.
When the ocean mist combined with the winds of the corkscrew was no match for my 80 bangs. Would ruin the hair every time. Such fond memories! Amazing documentary
Stumbled across this movie and so enjoyed it! I was one of a bunch of British students who worked in the park in 1989. I spent most of my time as an operator on the log flume and Maurice, 48.38, was my boss. He was a great guy, made being there 12 hours a day great fun. Made loads of mates and had such a great summer, many great memories. Thanks to all who pulled the film together.
So great to read everyone's fond memories of Rocky Point. I worked there in the summers of 1977 and 1978, working in the various games and the Penny Arcade - long, hot, boring days sometimes - but so glad I had the opportunity to be a part of the magic and excitement of the park in the glory days.
Watching this brought back so many memories from when I was a little girl. The Corkscrew was my very first roller coaster! I live in Georgia now and we have a small regional amusement park that always reminds me of Rocky Point. It's a family owned park. I really wish that a wealthy family would come together and open up something similar to Rocky Point again. You'd be surprised at all the people who would go.
So, many great memories... i remember jumping the fence and sneaking in through the woods to see the Beastie Boys in !992, but, sadly, found a Led Zepplin cover band playing inside the park; we had no idea the Beasties were in the Paladium. Dejected, my buddy and I circled the Paladium numerous times, and, on our final go-around, someone yelled from the bathroom, "Come climb in!" We climbed in and the concert blew our minds; the Beasties were amazing, and the Paladium was the perfect venue. We hung out afterwards and got to meet the Beastie Boys, who were stoned and shooting off fireworks. Besides losing my virginity, it was the greatest joy in my first 17 years on Earth... Thanks for the movie, Dave; you did a great job.
straight up satanic story. Taking pride in losing your virginity as a great joy in your life. LOL Yet, your YT "name" is bitch slap 666. I think 666 is gonna bitch slap you in the end.
I can literally remember the smell of the dining hall as I sit here watching this, and it's been a good 35 yrs since I've been there! Crazy! I live in Florida, but my grandpa lived in Warren, RI. He would fly my sister and I up every summer for a few weeks. Every summer, he would take us to Rocky Point. I feel such a privilege to have had shared a part in the history of this awesome place, having come from so far away, in Florida! I really never knew the history of it until now, watching this. It's fasinating! The Music Express was our favorite, and we would ride it over and over! I think my love of music, rock and roll, was born on that ride! Lol! We would be holding onto the bar for dear life, trying not to squish each other in the corners. It was the best! We would go home, bruised up in the ribs and hips for a week! The spider ride, the last time I got on that, it made me so sick, I never rode it again! Lol The last time I was there, the Freefall ride was new, and my Gramps actually got on it with me! I couldn't believe it! I will never forget it. His toupee flapping in the breeze before we dropped...😂 I guess since we were little kids, we were never allowed to go into the Castle of Terror. I regret that deeply... I just found out today, Rocky Point is no longer there, which is really sad. I've imagined all these years it has still been there, with other little kids enjoying it all these years. But to know it was abandoned, vandalized, and left rotting all that time I thought it was going strong, really made me feel some type of way...🥺💔 But it's awesome too, the land has been restored, and new adventures await! What an awesome documentary! I'm so happy to have found this, to share it with my kids. I've told them of this magical place my Gramps used to take us every summer, and now I can show them! Thank you so much! 🥲😎🤙❤
I used to go there every summer with my family during the late 70s to mid-80s. I live on the west coast now, and have for almost 23 years, but I still remember the fun times we had at Rocky Point.
I enjoyed watching this documentary. I only wish I had had a chance to visit before it was gone. I understand why so many are mourning its passing. Thank you for sharing its history.
not fighting them. lol. smiling and tears at the same same is my usual lately. Imagine having a redo of the original. wow. all the jobs this would create.
I worked at the shore dinner hall as a bus boy. My first job at 15. Never forget trying to roll the paper down the tables and not have it fall off. Loved those clam cakes and chowder. We used to get it to go also and ate a whole bag of clam cakes on the way home. My mother was not happy.
Thank you sooo much for producing this epic movie. I am sitting next to a photo of my entire family taken in 1958 in that studio with the horse and buggy; 8 kids, at the time, with Mom and Dad. We didn’t have much but we have that moment in that photo. Rocky Point visits were few, but they remain my BEST childhood memories by far.
Brought a tear to my eye. My parents would take me and my sister there starting in the early 60's. But first and foremost before you could even get on a ride my father wanted chowder and clam cakes. It would drive my sister and I to distraction because we weren't there to eat.
Being in the shore dinner hall as a kid was incredible!! All those people. The endless rows of tables, the view of the bay and that unforgettable smell of the chowder and clam cakes!! God I miss it!!!😢
I finally watched this for the first time tonight. Great film and lots of good memories. What the film is missing now is the newest chapter of Rocky Point Park. I visited Rocky Point twice in the past year and it really is a beautiful park still. If you haven't been in many years, it's worth the visit. While the old amusements, concessions and dinner hall are long gone, the tranquil natural beauty of the bay is once again its main attraction, and there are relics of the familiar park that have been preserved.
No thanks. We got "Greenways around this State" Taking the park for your "water vistas" is/was the absolute worst reason it could of have been done. We certainly have scenic viewing areas of the ocean, being the Ocean State. How can going to sit on a bench be "worth the visit"? This clearly doesn't equate to the log flume... But hey "We Are Preserving Nature and all it's beauty" Screw the tremendous amounts of energy from the joy children had. Generations of families playing and eating together. Nope, we got cut grass, nice benches, paved walkway and folks walking toy dogs with poop bags at the ready....
As a kid every summer I would go to rocky point for the chowdah, clam cakes, house of horror and corkscrew were the best and the log flumes! Man I miss these days!
Not a single mention (except video) of “The Enterprise”. By far my favorite ride in the park! Thank you for this documentary! It brings back such great memories and nostalgia, but at the same time it is also sad to see such a great place we use to go as kids no longer be in existence. I would love to have been able to bring my kids to Rocky Point every summer. At least we have this fantastic video now and for that I think we can all be grateful for! Thank you David and crew! 🙌🏻
Hi David. 2 things: I just bought your book and it was AMAZING, and thanks for putting this online for free. I am a teacher and a writer, and I know that only someone passionate would do that. This is my fourth time watching...amazing film!!
My dad grew up down the street from Rocky Point, my grandmother still lives in the same house. All of what remained of Rocky Point is torn down now, but a few years ago, my dad took me there. It was all fenced off, with 'no trespassing' signs everywhere, but we got through. This video doesn't talk about all the condos that were condemned and abandoned, too. We walked past all of them until we got to the big open lot where so many of the rides used to be. My dad pointed out where all of his favorite places were. I could tell it meant a lot to him, he spent so much of his childhood there. We even came across a couple of other people walking through, reminiscing. It still means a lot to so many people. Glad I got to see at least a tiny piece of it before it all disappeared. What sticks out most in my mind was seeing, spray painted on the side of one of the decrepit condos, "Goodbye Rocky Point! We'll miss you!"
I known this is old but Rocky Point was everything to me as a young 11 year old boy. My first kiss was with my first girlfriend Her name was April'. 1989. Thank you.
Thank you so much for documenting this incredible part of RI history... it brought tears to my eyes to remember the rides... to remember walking/running the concourse with my armband to ride and re-ride the amusements... but knowing that so many of the rides live on at other parks makes me smile.
Well done video, thank you! I still remember seeing Donny and Marie, rest her soul, perform at Rocky Point. I was about 10yrs old. My parents, me and my brother went to the All You Can Eat clamcake and chowder special and they both came out in there blue sparkly outfits, looking every bit of 20 years old and gave us all an amazing show. Unfortunately coming off the Spider ride afterwards, the spinning didn't stop in my stomach and left my mark on the Rocky Point pavement. But that Chowdah was sooooooo goood!
Ive heard so many people say "I wish it was still here today".Watching this I realize it would still be very different then it was all the yrs it was open. People would be on or worried about thier cell phones, posting everything on the web, taking away from the full experience as we remember it. Our ancestors had a gift for giving us the fortune of a full childhood while also preparing us for becoming adults.
Rocky Point every summer from 1965 to 70,what a blast.My sister and I would always get a batch of fried clams before the ride home to Newport. Thanks Mom and Dad !!!
All I can do is share my memories and this movie with my son. I never left RI and last time I was at that spot was in 90 when it was Rocky Point. Wow, almost 27 years and I live 6 miles away.
I've got fond memories going to Rocky point with my grandparents in the early 70s all the way to the midnight he's going with my girlfriend. I never knew the early history of the park. This is a great documentary, thanks for sharing this story 👍✌️🇺🇲
I spent 3 summers there, working for MRB, (the games) in 1974, 81, and 82. I still remember it fondly. Bo Diddley on Stage, Mrs. Leake running the Redemption Center, My major crush on Alice Kiselka, The great Zachhinai (cannon Guy). Amazing times.
I wish the the TARDIS or any other time machine was more than science fiction, because I would’ve LOVED to have seen this place in its heyday. House of Horrors would’ve been one of my favorites
OUTSTANDING!!!! Thank you for the trip to the best times of my life and childhood. The best days with my mother or grandmother. With friends. With family. Brought tears to my eyes too many times.
I received this video as a gift from a friend that I use to go to Rocky Point with while I was in high school. The video really brought back great memories. I did some of my best laughing there while hanging with my friends and just being a kid that wore an out of control mullet & uncomfortable braces.
I remember the House of Horror and how scary it was as a kid. But there was a wooden roller coaster next to it where I almost died. The bar that comes down and locks you in didn't lock in place and popped up. Before I knew it we were off, a boy next to me saw what was happening and held on to me for dear life as I wrapped my arms around the loose bar. I could've died that day but survived and I'm still here... That boy is now a man, if you're watching this and remember, you know.
I have so many fond memories of Rocky Point. The rides never changed but it was always the funnest place to be. I was born in 84. We always bought a bucket of clam cakes on our way in. I remember Dough Doys, and the musty smelling haunted house with Big Bertha. I was never courageous enough to get on the Free Fall. Those were the days.
Im From nh my gram lived in RI growing up we went to rocky point a few times.This doc made me think of her and the summers we spent w her as kids. We still got canobie up here but of course its changed alot.
Lol.. I never met the minimum height requirement, so my dad would take me to an office where he could sign a slip for me to be able to ride all the rides.. Just had to show operator the slip and i was good to go. We always stayed till way after dark. All the lights, smells, and sounds were like no where else.. Thanks for stirring up some good memories!
The two men Vincent Ferla was talking about : In 1945, the Harringtons sold the park to the Studley Land Corporation, which, in 1947, sold it to Rocky Point. lnc., headed by Frederick Hilton with Joseph Trillo (my great-grandfather!) of Providence as treasurer. Vincent Ferla later bought out Hilton’s interest and eventually became sole owner of the park.
I was there once. 1981 It was a day sponsored by Johnson and Wales College. I don't remember the rides. But I do have a fond memory Chowder and clam cakes.
Its sad to see these places close. The strange part is, when this park started, the person( people ) were able to make it work financially, build the rides, the houses........ FF to 1990's and what made it not a workable business, taxes, cost of....... It really is sad to see so many of these places close.
Yes, a Rhode Island Tradition, not there when it was an amusement park but won't forget the stories of EVERYONE jumping off the Skyliner, I also heard a story of my dad riding the freefall with 3 members of a famous band playing in the midway that day. Ah those memories.
I worked at Rocky Point Park when I was a kid for 3 years. I was there 1985, 1986, and 1987. I started working in foods 1985 and the following year I work in traffic and rides because there was a shortage of ride operators. 1987 strictly worked and rides. It would be easier for me to list the rides that I didn't work on as an operator versus the rides I did work on.
I'm from the west coast so it was fun to get a peek at what was going on across the states, much like the rides we enjoyed. We went to Knotts Berry Farm, and there was POP (Pacific Ocean Park), Disneyland, and the Orange Show all in So. Calif.
Great documentary that captures the spirit of Rocky Point when I went in the late 70s and 80s. I had to visit again in 2020 just to see where everything used to be and wonder where the past 40 years went. I remember slugging down Mello Yellos and hitting the batting cages before the gates opened. It was cool to me as a kid seeing 500 people pounding down clamcakes and chowder together. And man, that saltwater pool seemed pretty deep.
I have such wonderful memories of going to Rocky Point as a kid. Thanks so much for this wonderful documentary, it was nostalgic and made me relive the excitement I experienced as a child!
Great Memories of Rocky Point.. we will keep them close to our hearts forever,,I wish I could close my eyes and go back into time.... when we were all ther having the time of our lives, on the rides and going to the Shore Dinner Hall for Clam Chowdah and Clam Cakes.. those were the days for sure ..Seems like it was just yesterday..Sad for sure..Rhode Island will never be the same without it..
I loved going to Rocky Point to play the midway games. There was also the salt water taffy. I am the son of Ray Bussey. We opened up a snack and dairy restaurant in South Attleboro we had fried clams and clamcakes and one of the first to have 15¢ hamburgers the name of it was called the Big Joy and was at the corner of 1a and 1 highway we owned the business for 8 years.
This is a fantastic capture of a true Rhode Island Icon. Thank you so much for publishing on You Tube. Producing short, fun and personal movies on You Tube myself @RJUnleashed, I know most viewers do not realize or even think about how many hours this video took to produce. I do, and this movie did exactly what any good movie does. It was emotionally stimulating, which transitioned to much appreciation of this production. Thank you!
Thank You So Much for This Film! Rocky Point was a Magical Place! It Was Our Disneyland. I remember seeing Danny Bonaduce do a Show on the Midway in the early 70s. He did magic tricks and sang along with Partridge Family Recordings. What an Incredible Time for a Ten Year Old!
I went on 1994/1995 i was about 17/18yo. we went to see our favorite singer olga tañon a latin singer. i still have the pictures. me and my sister got on the sky diver and we cried like babies omg i was so sacry, but funny too lol. my friend friend lost her baby on the free fall, when she got home she was in pain then she knew whe was pregnant but it was too late. Rip baby, and Rip naomi, Rip rocky point park.
Thank you for taking the time to share this awesome video. I can remember going here with my parents and we had such a great time. I wish somebody would invest money in reopen that Park
I wish on the land rocky point was on they would make plaques or statues where each ride was with a little history written on it. I think that would be pretty cool!
This is a wonderful documentary. Although I had never been to Rocky Point, it parallels in many ways the amusement park I grew up next to in Pittsburgh; Kennywood Park. A lot of similar rides and games and a HUGE swimming pool that I spent many days at. Kennywood is still there and continues to evolve, but some people don't like the changes being made. I have many fond memories of Kennywood just as these people have for Rocky Point. My heart goes out to them for losing a part of their childhood.
I was at this park in 92 or so when I was a kid 14yo .... walkin around after going on the corkscrew and all a sudden I hear the band " Color me bad start singing " I adore (mi amore) " playing and they were on stage hahaha I went and watched the free show and few girls fainted and fell on the ground hahaha Ill never forget it . Rocky point was that crazy spot when you were a kid . My favorite rides were the haunted house , cork screw and the rockin roll thing that went in circles real fast lol
Getting there was sometimes a nightmare for me..6 years old, "Are we there yet", drove my parents crazy! On Fridays we would go to the Chowder House( actually the Rocky Point Shore Dinner Hall) Family settings, Rows of Tables and seats....Chowder , clamcakes and Watermelon..then to the park.Great memories...The shows were fantastic.At least my kids got to enjoy it before 1995. Someone Purchased the rights to "Rocky Point" and has an outdoor restaurant on Post Road(Old Ann&Hope) in Warwick, RI. Enjoy! I forgot, my Dad loved to dive and swim in salt water. I spent many days in that pool with the keys to my locker on my ankle with an elastic type attachment. Can't get that back.Sorry for your loss. I took my Granddaughter to(remainders of) Rocky Point Park in 2003 and photo graphed her with some of the remainders of the Park,outside fence. Made me cry. A great loss to Rhode Island. If you want to ride on anything like the "Sky Way", you will have to go to Southwick Zoo in Mass. The Skyliner is a 15 minute ride that is fantastic! Well kept Zoo! Rhode Island lost a great family place.
I really wish i was alive earlier. It seems like rhode island was actually a decent place to live at one point with things to do that werent always heavily patrolled by police + wanna be thugs. I wish i could of went to this park and experienced it. Thank you for the movie. I would love to know more about why it shut down + maybe talk to people that did go if they have old film from the park as well. Thanks!~
I grew up in Southern Rhode Island. I was born in 74 and my dad worked for Pfizer and every single year they rented out the park for one day for their employees. I can't describe to you the magic of those days. I've been to many larger and more fantastic parks including Disney. But none of them hold the special place in my heart that Rocky Point does. You are so right about how RI has changed
RP was a nice little amusement park, and was great for it's time. It was obviously small and simple, and offered little variety. It certainly paled in comparison to places like Six Flags and Disney, but it was a nice little regional park that was perfect for a day of fun. It closed because it was it was over-leveraged by it's owners, who used the funds for other bad investments.
I grew up in Providence & even Rhode Island Hospital had their annual outings there & this was a family fun day for the employees & their families! We went every year until the until they ended it for good & I can`t remember which year this was,maybe the early 80`s was the last event from R.I. Hospital i want to say,yet i do remember all of the fun we had on those special outing days! Waiting in that long line to get in for the chowder dinner that came with that ticket that sometimes was over an hour was so hard to do because we could smell it all along with hearing the comments of the people leaving after finishing their food speaking on how wonderful it all was,only made us more hungry,it was long yet well worth the wait!. Oh it was great,they would serve,corn on the cob with lots of butter,clam chowder,clam cakes,a pitcher of water was also placed there for those who only had that ticket as a means of eating that day,watermelon slices & bread & it was also "all you could eat," yes,they would bring it until you couldn't eat anymore,there were also special dinners one could order which also gave you a special & always wanted seat at the famed "long window to the ocean," that was against only the one side facing & giving an ocean view as you ate your dinner,this was from lunchtime on,there were also some people,who would be there quite a while longer than most because it was all you can eat & people were taking advantage of this as these dinners they served were normally quite expensive for the average person working a regular job,so one really ate all they could! There were some,who actually had to be asked to leave they`d stayed so long. Also,they held special events & many prizes were awarded at the many raffles they held for so many different things,like races & games,sports challenges & the like,remember,i am going way back in time,also there were baseball games played by the teams one would join according to the ticket given,at which people could also win prizes,oh,there were so many things from the 50`s-60`s i remember that started to disappear as the 70`s approached,yet there was so much joy in those early days for us just anticipating this special day,it was a family tradition & my Dad worked at the hospital for 45 years,so that`s where our tickets came from! Gratitude to Rhode Island Hospital for those outing days at Rocky point,& Gratitude also,to you David bettencourt for sharing this video & some really cool memories as well as the history!
I grew up in Smithfield. Didnt live here from 18-45. I can honestly say there is no place Ive seen like it. Truely one of kind places to grow up til early 90s.
All I can do is share my memories and this movie with my son. I never left RI and last time I was at that spot was in 90 when it was Rocky Point. Wow, almost 27 years and I live 6 miles away.
Hey Dave . I worked on the flume the summer of 1984! Van halen 1984 was playing on the music express and blue oyster cult was playing on stage. Rode on the skyliner smoking weed and dropping ice on chick's! . All for 2.35 an hour. Great stories I started at 17, lied and I was a tall guy so they put me on the flume because you needed to move stuck logs. 3 boxes of phone numbers , always something to do! Great memories. Then we played fooz ball at kerseys pub after work on the weekend. Good times!
Word travels fast in a small state like RI. We all heard rumors about cooks putting disgusting things in the chowder. I don’t eat clams or shellfish anymore but those rumors turned me completely off from eating chowder or clamcakes. 🤢
Me and my buddy where on the coaster in house of hours and as a joke jumped into the car behind us that two girls where in. We got thrown out of course.
It's always very sad when amusement parks close. I remember when Peony Park closed in Omaha during 1994. And when Joyland closed in Wichita during 2006. One of the best parts of childhood and being young disappears forever.
