Freedomland U.S.A. - Themed Areas and Attractions

Themed Areas and Attractions

Freedomland opened with seven different themed areas (later expanded to eight), each representing a location and era of U.S. History. They were:

Little Old New York (1850-1900)

• Grape Juice Bar - A beverage bar
• Harbor Tug Boats - A boat ride through the Great Lakes
• Horse-Drawn Streetcar - A transportation ride to the Chicago area
• Horse-Drawn Surrey - A transportation ride to the Chicago area
• Horseless Carriage - An antique car ride in a 1909 model Cadillac through a mock-up of New England
• Ice Cream Parlor - Ice cream parlor designed in an 1890's style
• Political Pep Rally - A live street show that included a German Band, an 1880's Tammany speech, rallying suffragettes and a New York gangland robbery of the Little Old New York Bank
• Schaefer's Brewery - An old-fashioned brewery sponsored by Schaefer Beer
• Shuntz's Delicatessen - Served New York style Pastrami and Corned Beef Sandwiches with Cheesecake for desert. Operated by Brass Rail Restaurants

Chicago (1871)

• The Chicago Fire - A live street show every 20 minutes during which fake Chicago buildings "burn" and are put out by actors portraying firemen and audience volunteers; it was based on the Great Chicago Fire of 1871
• Chippewa War Canoes - A boat ride in which the guests paddle canoes, led by an Indian guide
• Curio Shop - A souvenir shop
• Great Lakes Cruise - A boat ride through the Great Lakes on one of two 110-foot, 400 passenger sternwheel boat, complete with calliopes
• Great Lakes Snack Stand - A snack bar
• Indian Village - A mock teepee village which housed Northwestern Indians making handicrafts for sale
• Santa Fé Railroad - One of two stations on the park's railroad; the ride was six minutes in duration
• Stockyards Restaurant - A steak restaurant

The Great Plains (1803-1900)

• Borden's Barn Boudoir - A fully furnished apartment for the Borden Company's mascot, Elsie the Cow
• Borden's Farm - A working farm exhibit sponsored by the Borden Food Company that included horses, cows, sheep, pigs, poultry, corn and hay
• Cavalry Rifles - A shooting gallery
• Chuck Wagon Snack Stand - A snack bar
• Fort Cavalry - A log-by-log replica of an Army stockade
• Fort Cavalry Stage Line - A stage coach ride past a buffalo herd, through the Rocky Mountains that ended with a mock robbery by actors playing outlaws
• Horse-Drawn Station Wagons - A transportation ride through Fort Cavalry and Borden's Farm
• Milk Bar - A beverage bar
• Mule-Go-Round - A merry-go-round pulled by western mules
• Pony Express - A transportation ride to The Old Southwest area

San Francisco (1906)

• Barbary Coast - A mock-up of San Francisco's entertainment district
• Chinatown - A mock-up of San Francisco's Chinese district, with shops and restaurants
• Chinese Restaurant
• Fisherman's Wharf - A snack stand with an actor dressed as an old salty sea man telling stories
• Hollywood Arena (added c. 1962) - An amphitheater with animal acts and big top stunts, it also featured appearance from television personalities such as Sonny Fox, Joe Bolton, Claude Kirchner and Fred Scott
• Horse-Drawn Surreys - A transportation ride to the Southwest area
• Indian Trading Post - A souvenir shop
• Italian Restaurant
• Northwest Fur Trapper - A boat ride adventure, similar to Disney's Jungle Cruise
• Oriental Bazaar - Souvenir shops
• Railroad Station - The second stop on the Santa Fé Railroad
• San Francisco Earthquake - A dark ride that simulates the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
• Seal Pool - A display of real Pacific harbor seals on rocks

The Old Southwest (1890)

• Burro Trail - An outdoor ride on real burros
• Casa Loca - A walk-though house where the law of gravity is repealed
• Gunfight - A live street show with actors having a Western gun fight
• Mexican Market - Souvenir shops
• Mexican Restaurant - A restaurant with a patio
• Mine Caverns - A dark ride on an underground mine train through lava pits, giant bats and cave monsters
• Opera House and Saloon - A soft drink bar and 30 minute stage show featuring a four-piece band, dancing girls, singers and Western comedians
• Texas Longhorns - An actual herd of steers with a cowboy looking after them
• Tucson Mining Company - A 2 passenger double Vonroll type 101 skyrideAn aerial lift ride to the top of the Rockies in gondolas designed to look like bucket ore cars

New Orleans-Mardi Gras

• Buccaneers - A pirate-themed boat ride, similar to Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean
• Civil War - A horse-drawn wagon adventure ride through recreations of American Civil War battle ground, camps, derailed trains and burning houses, which ends in the middle of a mock battle
• Crystal Maze - The world's first glass-walled house of mirrors maze
• Danny the Dragon - A ride on a 74-foot (23 m) long fire breathing dragon, suitable for children
• Kandy Kane Lane - A children's play area with a helicopter ride, a swan boat ride, a toy fair and a sandpile
• King Rex Carrousel - A merry-go-round
• Mardi Gras Snack Stand - A snack bar
• New Orleans Restaurant
• Pirate Gun Gallery - A shooting gallery
• Plantation restaurant
• Pop Corn Stand
• Spin-A-Top - A spinning ride, similar to Disney's Tea Cups ride
• Tornado Adventure - A dark ride that simulates driving though the cone of Louisiana twister

Satellite City-The Future

• Blast-Off Bunker- An authentic reproduction of a Cape Canaveral control room in which visitors could witness a simulated rocket launch from start to finish
• Moon Bowl (added c. 1961) - A performing arts stage and 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m2) dance floor that featured celebrity performers and guests, including Paul Anka, Count Basie, Dick Clark, Brenda Lee, Patti Page, the Everly Brothers, the Benny Goodman Orchestra, the Harry James Orchestra, Xavier Cugat and Abbe Lane, Ricky Nelson, the Lennon Sisters, Bobby Rydell, Bobby Darin, and the stars of Car 54, Where Are You?, Fred Gwynne and Joe E. Ross. At every performance, Chick Darrow was the Master of Ceremonies.
• Moving Lake Walk - An automated moving sidewalk across a lake
• Satellite City Turnpike - A miniature auto ride in futuristic cars
• Space Rover - A simulation of a space journey in a 250-seat theatre designed to look like the inside of a rocket
• Satellite City Snack Bar
• Special Exhibits - An area which presented exhibits about modern science and industry

A moving cable bucket ride, with several buckets, took people over the Rockies from the Southwest border to the Canadian border.

State Fair Midway (added in 1962)

• Astro-Ride - A space-themed roller coaster
• Harbor Tugboats - A new dock for the old ride
• Wriggly Worm

Additional Areas (never constructed)

• Florida - Was planned as an area below Satellite City, on the recreation of the Florida peninsula
• Movie Lot - Presumably a recreation of a Hollywood set, this was to be located below San Francisco