Funland, Rehoboth Beach

Funland

Previously known as The Rehoboth Beach Sports Center
Location	Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, United States
Status	Operating
Opened	1939
Owner	Al Faschnacht (died 2025)
Operated by	Seaside Amusements
General manager	Chris Darr
Slogan	Today's Fun at Yesterdays Prices
Operating season	Mother's Day Weekend - Weekend After Labor Day
Attendance	250,000–350,000
Area	1 acre
Attractions
Total	18, as well as a kids play area
Website	funlandrehoboth.com

Funland is a small family owned amusement park in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. It has 18 rides, as well as midway games, and an arcade. ^[1] It is located right off the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk. The park opened in 1939 as the Rehoboth Beach Sports Center. It was purchased by the Fasnacht family in 1962, and was renamed Funland. Today, it is still owned and operated by the Fasnacht family. ^[2] Funland still has some rides that were there when it was purchased. The two oldest rides are The Boats and The Fire Engines. Both of them were likely opened in 1946 or 1947. ^[3] The park is known for its cheaply priced tickets, its Haunted Mansion ride, which was custom built specifically for Funland, and for being the only amusement park in the state of Delaware. ^[4]

History

Before the name was changed to Funland in 1962, the park was known as The Rehoboth Beach Sports Center. It was owned by the Dentino family. On March 6, 1962, nine days before the sale was final, the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962 started. The storm lasted three days. The Rehoboth Beach Sports Center was one of the few business that were not destroyed by the storm. It was damaged but the Faschnacht family decided they still wanted buy it. ^[5] Now, excluding during the COVID-19 pandemic, Funland gets between 250,000 and 350,000 visitors each year. ^[6]

Rides

Funland has 18 rides, as well as a kids play area. 5 of the 18 rides were there when Funland was purchased. These rides are the Merry Go Round, Boats, Fire Engines, Sky Fighters, and Helicopters. ^{[7] [8]}

Rides [7]	Attraction Type	Year Ride Opened [9]
Boats	Red Baron	Likely 1946 or 1947
Fire Engines	Red Baron	1946 or 1947
Merry Go Round	Carousel	1960
Sky Fighters	Red Baron	Between 1956 and 1962
Cycles	Red Baron	1971
Swinger	Swing	1984
Kiddie Wheel	Kiddie Ferris Wheel	2005
Trucks	Red Baron	2000
Cruisers	Music Express	1988
Helicopters	Red Baron	1961
Crazy Dazys	Teacups	1964
Free Spin	Kiddie Drop Tower	2022
Paratrooper	Paratrooper	1982
Gravitron	Gravitron	1984
Bumpler Cars	Bumper Cars	2001
Sea Dragon	Pirate Ship	1990
Superflip 360	Pendulum	2017
Haunted Mansion	Haunted House	1979

Former Rides	Attraction Type	Year Removed
Flying Cages	Swinging Gym	1985
Moon Bounce	Inflatable	1978
Crack The Whip	The Whip	1977
Outdoor Train	Train Ride	1978
Chaos	Chaos	2000
Spinning Tubs	Tubs of Fun	1978
Wagon Wheel	Chance Rock N Roll	2011
Trabant	Wipeout	2011

References

1. "Funland Rides". Funland Rehoboth Beach. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
2. "A Fun Ride Back in Time". CBS News. 2015-08-09. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
3. Lindsley, Chris (2019). Land of Fun: The Story of an Old-Fashioned Amusement Park for the Ages. Tocoma Park, Maryland: Lindsley Publishing. p. 48. ISBN   9780578468259.
4. Funland, Amusment Park. "Tickets Per Ride". Funland Rehoboth Beach. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
5. Funland, Amusement Park. "History of Becoming Funland". FunlandRehoboth. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
6. The Oldfather Group (2019-05-09). "Funland in Rehoboth Beach is 57 Years Old and Still Creating Treasured Memories for Generations of Families". Cape Gazette. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
7. Funland, Amusment Park. "Rides". Funland^{[ permanent dead link ]} Rehoboth Beach. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
8. Lindsley, Chris (2019). Land of Fun: The Story of an Old-Fashioned Amusement Park for the Ages. Tocoma Park, Maryland: Lindsley Publishing. pp. 47–56. ISBN   9780578468259.
9. Lindsley, Chris (2019). Land of Fun: The Story of an Old-Fashioned Amusement Park for the Ages. Tocoma Park, Maryland: Lindsley Publishing. pp. 6, 48, 50, 52, 53, 54. ISBN   9780578468259.

38°42′52″N75°04′35″W / 38.71444°N 75.07632°W / 38.71444; -75.07632