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Your Earliest Theme Park Memory

Will

Will

Strata Poster
I was having this chat with a non-goon and figured it was probably better placed here.

My first theme park trip was Alton in '92. I was 4 and of course, that was the season it really transformed into a 'theme park' rather than a random collection of rides.
I don't have many memories other than thinking the Skyride was the best thing ever, wanting to ride Black Hole because I was obsessed with astronomy at the time - and of course as my Mum delights in reminding me, getting off Around The World in Eighty Days and proclaiming 'Thank goodness we didn't go to Yugoslavia, Mummy!'

None of us realised it at the time, but from that moment on, no other day out was ever going to truly satisfy me. Mum still blames herself :p

I have a picture of me riding the teacups circa 1997 somewhere - but I can't find it. If I remember, I'll post it when I'm allowed back to the parents' house :)
 
I remember:

Crying in some sort of show at Thorpe Park where there was a dinosaur and my Nan having to take me out. Not sure on the year but I reckon 1993.

Standing with my pregnant mother in 1994 whilst my dad rode Nemesis.

Crying in the queue for Haunted Mansion at WDW in 1994 and my Grandad having to take me out.

Losing my scrunchie on Space Chase at Adventure Island (then Peter Pans Playground). I reckon it was 1995/6?
 
My very first memory I still remember, surprisingly.
Nothing exciting, I just clearly remember being awestruck by the roof of this building in BPB (on the right). That was probably around 92-93.

Other memories I have from a similar period include lapping the Magic Mountain ride at BPB (annoying music has entered the chat), digging for gold at Gulliver's World in Warrington, and arsing about on a slide in the old fun house at Frontierland Morecambe.
 
Ahhh, how did I forget?!
We also rode Haunted House that day. I spent the entire ride with my head hidden inside my Mum's coat. Both my friends of a similar age were doing exactly the same.

I remember watching Nemesis from the Beastie (then in Forbidden Valley) with warped fascination in what I'd guess was 1995.

...I rode a Pirate Ship at WMSP in what I *think* was 1997. I really, really disliked it.

In fact, for a long time, although I loved theme parks, I wasn't that keen on rides!!
 
I remember crying on Dragon at Legoland Windsor sitting next to my Nana. Don't really know why, but I remember hating it.

Somehow, that got me hooked on coasters though...
 
Earliest one (which also doubles as my earliest memory) is from Disneyland Paris for my 3rd birthday (so 1997). Was queueing to get my photo taken with Mickey Mouse. I don't remember meeting Mickey Mouse, or having the photo taken, but I remember being in the queue to get my photo with him. Fortunately I have the photo in question for proof I did in fact meet him...

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For a more positive memory, it was crossing the entrance bridge at Thorpe in the 1999 season (so would have been 4, just going on 5). There were adverts for the new-for-that-year Pirates 4D, and I was asking my mum about it. She was explaining what it was, and I distinctly remember her saying "it's like a new version on Cinema 180" (which was a previous cinema experience at the park, in a different location), whilst also hearing the entrance music in the background.

It's weird how vivid those two memories are in my mind too. Funny what sticks in our brains, isn't it?
 
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Hixee said:
I remember crying on Dragon at Legoland Windsor sitting next to my Nana. Don't really know why, but I remember hating it.

Somehow, that got me hooked on coasters though...
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Really interesting how many of us seem to have been drawn to the things that scared us as kids - I know that's partly how I ended up getting into scare attractions at the age of 23! I talked to Jordan recently about how it's why I reckon I can spend an hour at the zoo just eyeballing a komodo dragon.

Hell, it's arguably why I talk to Jordan ;)

It'd make me interested in psychology - except that I knew a few people with psychology degrees who say it's a load of bull**** ;)
 
Earliest theme park memory is riding the Giant Slide at Cedar Point, which stood where Planet Snoopy now sits.

Earliest roller coaster memory was riding Wildcat at Cedar Point with my dad. Scared me off of coasters for many years actually. 😅
 
My first theme park memory is from Blackgang Chine on the Isle of Wight, I used to love visiting there, especially at night, so many happy memories. I have some photos somewhere too. The dinosaurs and cowboy town are still there and haven't chnaged in the last 37 years! Hopefully I'll be able to take my youngest over at some point in the next year or two.

My first park w/rides would have been Alton Towers, I have a picture from the Congo River Rapids in opening season (I think) that was taken from what can best be described as a CCTV camera on a pole. The shot is from so far away you cannot even make out who is the boat, you paid for the picture without seeing it and they posted it to you about a week later! I also have a picture on the Chair-o-planes and specifically remember going on the 1001 nights which was awesome. I'll try to dig out some pictures.

I have some vague memories of Thorpe Park with Space Station Zero and mini land as well but no pics from there.

These memories are part of the reason I love going with my kids to parks, it's something they'll never forget and they'll have tons of pictures and videos to remind them when they're older (or more accurately for me to bore them with!).
 
Being 4 years old on the Batman Simulator at Movie World and getting scared and yelling out "Jane, stop this crazy thing!" (I watched the Jetsons)

And then on the same trip riding the Monorail at Sea World and that night getting in the showertub at the hotel and then sliding the glass door back and forth repeating the monorail automatic door announcement.
 
My earliest memories are of Six Flags Over Georgia standing in line for Great American Scream Machine for 3 hours, marathoning Dahlonega Mine Train, riding the Flying Dutchman pirate ship in Jolly Rogers Island (now Gotham City approximately where Catwoman Whip is now) and the daily fireworks display. That would have been summer of 1976 when I was 5.
 
Probably riding the park train at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. The exact date/age is pretty hazy, but I couldn't have been any older than 5 at the time given how massive those bench seats looked to me.
 
Riding Jabber Jaw's Tubs (mini tumble bug) at Kings Island around 1988. Maybe '89? I got grape juice that came in a plastic container shaped like a bunch of grapes. What a time to be alive.
 
When I was 6, I went to Everland.
I saw Double Rock Spin in front, and I got frustrated by people hung upside down.
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(Finally rode that thing when I became 15)

And rode the chair lift, and saw T Express in front. The train was making loud noise (known as Intamin fart) I was scared of the Intamin Fart sound, and the massive wooden structure.
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Yes. That's it.

But when I become 9, my height became 130cm+ and tried that giant. The feel of airtime was the sensation which I never felt anywhere. So I got to like riding coasters. When I was 15, I marathoned that woodie for 7 times with my friends. and grabbed a last train front seat ride. Just one lifetime example of overcoming the fear of height.
 
The first coaster I remember riding was the Texas Giant in 1991, but I have vague recollections of going to Peter Pans Playground when I was young, not sure what age, could have been prior to that.
My parents weren't big on theme parks until we went to the US.
 
Oh blimey, what a great question.
Strap yourselves in folks, old-guy post comin' up.
Picture the scene: it's the Howie household, sometime during the early 1980's. Dad's doing the Littlewoods pools in his brown flares. Mum, sporting a massive perm, is quaffing a bottle of Black Tower and a box of After Eights and big sister is dancing round the living room in leg warmers to Duran Duran on her Sony Walkman. On the telly - the only tv in the house, a 14" square thing with no remote control and only 3 channels - we have a choice of The Good Life on BBC1, darts on BBC2 and On The Buses on ITV. That's it. No streaming, no cable, no Sky, shiiiiit we didn't even have Channel 4 back then.
On this occasion, we'd opted to watch On The Buses. "I'll get you, Butler!"
During the commercial break, along with the Shake 'n' Vac ad and a safety message from the Green Cross Code man (he was Darth Vader, don't ya know), this advert comes on:

Well, that was it. For a little, 6 or 7 year old Howie, that was the trigger point right there. That's where it all began. It's safe to say that I'm here now, on a goony theme park forum, with 400+ creds under my belt, because of that single, epoch defining moment 40 odd years ago. Of course, being so young and impressionable, I actually believed the claim on the advert that Blackpool did indeed have the 'world's greatest collection of big thrill rides'. Who knows, maybe at the time it did? 🤔
Whatever, I had to get there.

"Daaaaad, can we go to Blackpool Pleasure Beach please?"

Now, we didn't have tonnes of money growing up (get the violins out) and an impromptu trip to the seaside was not something that could just be done on a whim back then, so it was a year or two before we actually managed to get to Blackpool. However, Dad's family live in North Wales not far from Rhyl so on our next family visit he did take me to Ocean Beach Fair, which brings me to my earliest memory of actually being at an amusement park. I found particular favour with the Water Chute, which is kinda like a wooden coaster crossed with a splash boat ride. An old fashioned version of Tidal Wave if you like, and I remember riding it over and over again. I'd absolutely love to ride another one someday, so if anyone knows where I can find one (outside of China) please let me know.
That's it. Those are my earliest theme park memories. I could easily ramble on about subsequent firsts and the various stages of goonhood - first coaster, first inversion, first solo trip, first overseas trip, joining CF, first Live etc.. but I'll be here all day.
Might come back to this topic though. S'fun. 😁
 
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This isn't an early memory - though it IS old.

I was tidying a desk drawer and found the shorthand version of my Swarm opening weekend trip report...
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I particularly like the bit where I've written 'apparently RHAPSODISE is word of the day!'

EDIT: In the next drawer down was an unfinished trip report from the Flamingoland Live in 2005. ****ing hell. I should probably tidy my drawers more often.
 
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My handwriting has only got worse over the last decade ;)

To be fair, as the first paragraph says - I did write that on a sofa I was sharing with Neal Riley, Richard Stone and at least one cat ;)
 
Legoland Windsor for my 6th birthday, though we went two years in a row with different friends and family and it's a bit of a blur as to what happened on what occasion, even my parents can't quite figure it out sometimes.

I specifically remember:
Sitting on a bench halfway up the hill from Miniland eating a packed lunch and watching Concorde fly over (clearly the most thrilling part of the day).

Failing to ride the stupid tricycles on the weird attraction called Bone Shaker. My legs weren't long enough to reach the pedals, you were supposed to just ride round a circular track that had a short section of cobblestones and my Dad had to jump the fence and give me a push (clearly the most traumatising part of the day).

Spinning spider being the most intense thing ever and riding it six times (realistically probably only twice at most), again aided by my Dad.

Never remembered that very first Wacky Worm though, did I? Hard to believe it could have such little impact on my life.
 
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