Silver Beach Carousel for kids and kids-at heart

A ring of horses colorfully trimmed and bejeweled, chase a flamingo, giraffe, tiger cub and a menagerie of other animals round and round but never catching them.  On the backs of the animals  kids and kids-at-heart wear looks of delight as they whir to the tune of bellowing calliope music. This is the Silver Beach Carousel in St. Joseph, Michigan.

Silver Beach Carousel

The carousel isn’t the original 1910 carousel that was a highlight of the Silver Beach Amusement Park for decades before the park closed in 1971. However, many of the horses on today’s carousel are replicas of the originals. They were carved by artists from the Carousel Works in Mansfield, Ohio, using the same techniques used over a century ago.  Above the horses, photos commemorating local history frame the carousel on rounding boards. Amusement park memorabilia displayed around the carousel include the last of the three carousel band organs used on the original Silver Band Carousel. Also displayed are a layout of miniature amusement park rides with a spinning Ferris wheel, Tilt-A-Whirl, and of course, several carousels.

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Silver Beach Carousel white horses\Rounding Board

 

If you go to the Silver Beach Carousel

The Silver Beach Carousel, open year-round, is housed indoors at 333 Broad Street in St. Joseph, Michigan, just steps off the beach at Silver Beach County Park.  The cost to ride the carousel is $2, with discounts for multiple tokens. Check the website for further details.

Look up into Michigan’s largest kaleidoscope while you’re there. Take the kids to Curious Kids’ Discovery Zone (admission charged) in the same building. Or throw fifty cents into an old-fashioned pinball machine before you leave to see if you’re still as good a pinball player as you used to be.

Accommodations

Need a hotel in St. Joseph? Check rates at area hotels here.

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Silver Beach Carousel

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3 thoughts on “Silver Beach Carousel for kids and kids-at heart

  • June 4, 2013 at 9:51 pm
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    I enjoyed an amusement park by the name of Kiddy Land. It was just a small park in Schererville Indiana. My father’s employer had some picnics there, so my family was able to enjoy the outings for a few years. A small train circled the entire park and I always looked forward to taking that ride around the park.

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  • March 15, 2019 at 5:43 pm
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    My Grandma’s address was 303 Broad street. Ehichbis basically where the Silver Beach Carousel sets. Behind it was a brewery. Since I lived with my Grandma alot during my time of growing up I had alot of great memories of walking down to the carousel and beach. The guys at the railroad station always told me that the RR by the tracks didn’t stand for Rail Road tracks it stood for my Grandmas name. ..Retha Robinson. Still smile when I see that at a railroad track. Cause then its like she’s everywhere I go. She always said she wanted me to marry our paper boy…lol that’s funny I remember that. Still remember his name…not that ill mention it here. We would ait on the porch and look at photo albums….and I found out I had another sister…we looked like twins… Long story short…. If my grandma hasn’t been dying from cancer I’d be living next to the carousel 😉 Because she wouldve never in a million years sold that house for any amount of money. And I did have my favorite horse….which I’m sorry to say its not there 🙁

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    • March 15, 2019 at 11:09 pm
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      Thank you for sharing your story, Theresa. It sounds like you have some wonderful memories of your grandma and your time around the Silver Beach Carousel.

      Reply

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