History
In the 1870s, the lakeshore of Lake Ontario became a tourist destination for residents of the city of Rochester. Several hotels opened at the port of Charlotte and along Irondequoit Bay to entertain summer visitors, and rail lines were built from the city to both destinations. In 1879, the Rochester and Lake Ontario Railroad Company built a line from Portland Avenue in Rochester to the Sea Breeze neighborhood at the inlet of the bay. [2] The company purchased fifty acres at the end of the line to open a resort for picnicking and other summer activities, which opened to the public on August 5, 1879 as Sea Breeze Grove. [3] [4]
The Rochester and Lake Ontario Railroad went bankrupt in 1899 and was reorganized as the Rochester and Suburban Railway. Facing competition from other amusement parks along the bay and lakeshore, the park, which was then known as Sea Breeze Park, began adding carnival attractions. In 1903, the first permanent ride, a figure-eight roller coaster, was built in the park. [3] By the 1920s, Sea Breeze Park featured several permanent attractions, including roller coasters, dance halls, a Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters carousel, and a large outdoor saltwater pool known as The Natatorium, [5] which claimed to be the largest saltwater pool in the world. [6]
Sea Breeze Park was forced to downsize during the Great Depression, and the trolley line to the park, now owned by New York State Railways, [3] was decommissioned in 1936. George W. Long Jr. began renting the park from New York State Railways in 1937, and officially purchased it in 1946, changing the name to Dreamland Park. [4] Long added several rides during his tenure, including a log flume. [7]
Long retired in 1975 and was succeeded by his grandson, Robert Norris, as president. Norris renamed the park Seabreeze Amusement Park. A water park was introduced in 1986. The park's carousel was destroyed in a fire in 1994, and replaced two years later. [4] [8]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Seabreeze remained closed for the entire 2020 season. Operations resumed for the 2021 season. [4]
Current rides and attractions
Seabreeze Amusement Park features 25 amusement park rides and water park. The amusement park is home to a variety of roller coasters and rides, food concessions, midway games, an arcade, a museum, live entertainment, and picnic areas. The water park features a variety of waterslides, a lazy river, spraygrounds, a wave pool, sunbathing areas, a bathhouse, a retail location, and food outlets.
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