Entrance

NEW PICS!!!!!! Thanks, Motts!!! Did you spin a doughnut there in front of the gates?.....brings back memories of rear-wheel drive v-8's from my younger days....

Thanks for the link to the Rocky Point website...It's nice to see the before and after shots. I still like your shots better than the sites after pics.
I kinda feel I missed out here. When I was younger, we always went to Riverside Park in Mass. Now its Six Flags. I never heard of this park before....

O.K. I am toataly speechless from the song on the link you put up. really takes me back

New pictures!!! **gets settled in here**

Great links Motts thank you!

New Pics...Poor the wine and cut the cheese....YAY!

woo hoo!! new pics!!! That must have been a hell of a vacation Mr. Motts!!)

I wonder if the doughnut was from the Crown Vic.

I like how the sign says "No hunting and no fishing" before "No trespassing". =-)

Wow, great pics..They are conjuring up memories of the Rocky Glen, and HaNSens parks that i used to visit in my youth.

Such a retro entranceway!!

as a native rhode islander this brings back memories...i used to visit this park when i was a kid...sad to see it gone to crap

I saw Quite Riot in this place when I was in college! BIG HAIR FOREVER!!

Wow. I was at that park several times a year from Birth till I left RI at the age of 20. Now I have been working at Disney World for the last 15+ years. But that park will always be special to me. Thank you for those photo's, I am amazed the Haunted house still has anything in it at all.

i had gone there as a kid in the 60's and was told they had a little zoo there that was damaged by a hurricane . the monkees escaped and lived wild in the area for a while,anyone else hear this, or were my folks goofing on a little kid?

i just found this totally amazing photo timeline of this place. check it out
http://www.joenisil.com/rockypoint/
apparently it was built in the early 1900s

Awsome photos! I grew up and spent my Summers at Rocky Point. Those photos capture the faded memories of my childhood. Nice site you have here, great photos. Thanks for sharing these.

Joe Nissil has an awsome historical site for Rocky Point. Rocky Point Park first opened in 1847, this WAS one of the oldest amusement parks in America. In the eraly days this was a Victorian Amusement Park with beautiful architecture. At that time this park had state of the art rides including a Loof Ferris Wheel. The park is rich with history as well. In 1877, President, Rutherford B. Hayes was the first U.S. President to make a telephone call. The call was between the President and Alexander Granbell who was in Providence, R.I. Later such famous people as George M. Cohen sang his song, Yankee Doodle Dandy for the first time. Even the Three Stoogies performed here early in their careers. It is sad that this great piece of American history is gone. If you want to know more, there is a book called: RHODE ISLAND AMUSEMENT PARKS. I am thankful that I experienced this great park before it closed.

Wow i c ant believe that place is closed.didnt they used to have concerts there in the early 90's??? it's sad to see a place where so many had sooo much fun turned into a derelict weed farm....
Hey motts do you know anything about the old pier/amusement houses in asbury park,n.j?

It was this set of photos that attracted me to your website.

Rocky Point was a part of every kids summer while growing up in Rhode Island (I still have the layout of the park burned into my memory)

At the front gate, there were two lobsters wearing straw hats and they had signs on them that said "ROCKY WELCOMES YOU TO ROCKY POINT"

There was a guy on eBay who was selling on of the lobsters for $1500. He never sold it.

Kahuna is right, they use to have concerts there in the early 90s to try and save the park, but it didn't help

It is very sad, this was one of the original amusement parks in America. They just let it go... I also have that park layout burned in my brain too... Some of my best childhood memories are there...

I was there in the 1980's and I was front row for Blue Oyster Cult. Then my car overheated on the way home. Good times. Too bad they closed RP. Now all Rhode Island has left is the Foxy Lady.

Motts, do you always do donuts outside of your urban ruins?

i wish i could go back in time a goog fifteen years ago

it looks cheery yet menacing in a way

I heard from my cousin that they were gonna rebuild it and when they do i want to go there

NOPE.... They are going to build Condos... Boring, over priced Condos...

this looks virtualy intacked

<sigh> How I still miss Rocky Point!! Such a shame to build more useless, overprice condos!

Hi all, Remember the little DJ booth? they used to have a D J from 92 pro fm doing his show from there! Brings back many good memories. Its a shame whats happening in this world. no more famillies doing this kind of stuff together anymore. Whalom park in Lunenburg, mass. another trolleystop park gone forever

Oh wow. My childhood amusement park.
I remember when my dad, brother and I went there to find it closed. 1996 it was. So it been ten years since I seen this place.

I remember I got freaked out on one of those rides. It spins as a whole but the seats also spins.

Well, thank you for these pictures. Means alot.
Pretty sad it going to be turned into condos.

It makes me so sad to see the place like that. I spent so much time there as a kid. It was our #1 summer attraction. As a kid I could bearly get to sleep the night before knowing we were going there. I loved it and miss it. It truly saddens me, especially seeing the "Rocky Point" sign.
Love your pictures, I will check out your others.

This is such a ghost town now. That sign that just kind of automatically makes you upset like that.

The TROLLY STOP Amusement Parks were the best. They were the first ever built. We were lucky living in New England as this region had more of these parks than any other place. Rhode Island alone had atleast five great old parks. Rocky Point was the first to opwn back in 1847 and then the last to go on the auction block.

Coney Island in N.Y. was a Trolly Stop Park, Thank God most of it is still there and in operation...

i remember the place as if it was just yesterday that was there. i spent my summers at my grandparents cottage on rocky point beach i remember as a child playing outside the cottage you could hear the people from the park screaming from the corkscrew or the music playing. i even remember you could drive around the park and see everything from your car. the clam cakes going on the flume. looking at this place now saddens me i had some of the best memories of this place

Aww! This was the place where I went on my first up-side-down rollercoaster!

All i know is that for most of my young childhood this was my favorite thing to see....at least 1-2 times each week i would be here....the day it closed was like losing your best friend.....doesnt look like much now, but it was the best.

I used to live in a summer cottage right next to the park with my family for many years, and my brother, myself and our friends from other cottages would spend hours at the park. We went every day. We were crazy teenagers who would be exploring the grounds (even the dump looking for metal items to cash in to put towards gas money for our friend Scott's truck), jumping off the dock, finding new ways to sneak in, and checking out the soaking wet girls who were leaving the "Flume" (log ride) that were trying desperately to cover themselves up because had white t-shirts on ;), I wouldn't trade those years for anything. I've got a story for every one of those rides.

This is just fantastic!! I love abandoned amusement parks for some reason! A really great website is www.amusementparknostalgia.com. Thanks, once again, Motts!

Thanks for the pictures Motts.

This photo brings back some fond memories.......after riding the flume, my dad would always take us on this ride to dry out.....but instead of calling it "sky line".......he would call it "the clothes line"

Pretty amazing pix. I love pix of old amusement parks. Most people I have met who do them have to kind of gatecrash to get in because of al the red tape from various realty agencies,etc who own them. Really brings back some fond fond memories. And not that long ago, what...the early 90's. Conrad Ferla who use to own all this, and the Warwick Musical Tent(now a Lowes) died and, so they say, the kids didn't want to take care of it all, so Rocky Point went bankrupt (it was headed that way anyway thanks to Six Flags, Disneyworld, and the general drop off of people going to these places. Warwick changed alot in the 90's and at the end of that decade, alot of places were gone, another being the Meadowbrook Cinema which had been standing for close to 30 years. Great photos, they bring back a lost time for many of us.

I was in the park 2day.No 1 saw me,I was walking around-looking 4 the last time,it was 50 out!Wonderful Day!I wish is place was still alive!Long live the NPG!!!

I remember the Warwick Musical Theatre. That was the best place for a concert, you always had a good seat no matter where you sat. As a kid I use to go there to see the Stars. I was able to not only catch a great concert. But I got many autographs and photos of the Stars there.

We just tear down and throw away our culture and history in this country... Sad...

Minor corrections to some of the above posted information.
Conrad Ferla ceased to own the park sometime in the 80s. 1984 I think.
The Bonoff family (Christof Bonoff?) owned Warwick Musical Tent. To the best of my knowledge Conrad had nothing to do with WMT.

I went here when i was a child. What a throwback! I remember it like it was yesterday.
sorry to hear it no longer operates.

Mr. Motts,
Everyday I find more and more on this site.
This is my favorite pass time. I love how you document the days gone bye..to think of all the fun people had and now it's all gone.... oh the memories....

So sad, I had so many memories of this great place, and the shore dinners!!!! We will never see a place like this again. I loved the Flume!! and your commercial brought back a flood of memories.

So sad this wonderful place is gone. I remember the excitement of finally getting to Rocky Point (after an hours drive) and seeing this sign. It is so sad that these places (including the Warwick Musical Theatre) no longer exist for families. Parks like Rocky Point, Whalom and Paragon were so much better then the "Six Flags" corporate parks. These parks had charm and personality, not to mention great old fashioned rides and fun.

I live about a 25 minut walk away from there and today is the 3rd day since they bagan tearing it down, i snuck into today and took some pictures. I wish it was still open and operating that place was the best

Hey, we are doing a documentary on Rocky Point. Check out our site: www.rockypointmovie.com. Also, to see more pics go to: nicolegesmondi.imagekind.com

This wouldn't happen to be the Rocky Point in Utah would it? I love places like this. Although it makes me sad that it's alone and empty.

I am working with the folks at RockyPointMovie.com and the documentary You Must Be This Tall: The Story of Rocky Point Park. We are trying to compile a list of all the bands that performed there over the years. Please feel free to contact us with any information you may have or even if it is just the name of the band and nothing more. Regardless, anything you can offer is helpful

Thanks in advance and long live the memories of Rocky Point :).

nascarmodman134@cox.net

This is in response to the request for a list of bands that played at RP. There are many more than what is listed here and I'll add more as I think of them.

Here's what I can remember in no particular order. Some are cover bands, some are very well known.

1. Steppanwolf
2. Max Creek (Grateful Dead Tribute Band)
3. Crazy Train ( Black Sabbatch Tribute Band)
4. Gloria Estefan
5. Kim Wilde
6. Jody Watley
7. Taylor Dane
8. Cover Girls
9. Expose
10. Dread Zeppelin (you guessed it - Led Zep tribute band)
11. The Machine (Pink Floyd tribute band)
12. Janes Addiction (at the Palladium)
13. TA Phlash (Original Music)
14. Huey Lewis and The News
15. Kenny Loggins (ie. Footlose Fame)
16. Foghat
17. Men Without Hats
18. Beaver Brown and the Beaver Brown Band
19. Tiffany
20. Stevie B
21. The Ramones
22. Blue Oyster Cult
23. Frank Sinatra (real old time back in the day at the Palladium)
24. Fabian (also back in the day in the Palladium).
25. Boston (I think)
26. Ted Nugent (I think)
27. Level 42
28. TKA
29. Atlantic Starr
30. The Outfield

I view the the Rocky Point Documentary: You must be this tall.
Good documentary, but Mr. Rocky Point, Conrad Ferla, was not in the picture.
Very strange, the man dedicated his life to RPP and he was forgotten.
37 years as manager and president, 24/7, gone, not even a mention.
I guess that's life.
Very sad !
I write this note in his memory.

Yes, a correction is due.
Conrad Ferla was not the owner of Rocky Point Park, his brother Vincent and partners bought the property in 1947.
Conrad was manager until the Park was sold to Butco in 1969, he then became a share holder.
Budco sold in 1973 to a Company from Boston.
He was named president and general manager in 1973, until he resigned in 1986.
The Shore Dinner Hall, Palladium and Windjammer were the backbone of the operation.
Conrad is gone, but I would like to thank and remember all the wonderful people that worked for us and make the Park successful for so many years.

Hi Anita,
I just spoke with David and we feel terrible that you are not happy with Conrad not being more of a focus in the film. Unfortunately due to the structure of the movie we just weren't able to fit in as much about as we wanted. We are however producing a feature on the DVD which will focus just on Conrad and his memory. From everyone we have spoken with we know he was a great man and the Park would not have been the same without him. David is going to be giving you a call shortly to talk about it. We couldnt have made the film without you, so we certainly want you to be happy with the finished product.

Thanks!
Liam Gray
Production Designer
You Must Be This Tall: The Story of Rocky Point Park

Hi Liam,
David has contacted me, it's important to keep the facts and dates straight....
Looking forward to see a sample of the DVD.
Thank you for you reply.

Anita

Ahhh, it was so good to see new pics of Rocky Point (thank you), but sad to see it in this state.

I can still remember riding the swings and my jelly shoe coming off and hitting someone in the head. lol

Good times, that park and all it's fun is definitely missed by all Rhode Islanders!

If someone knows how to get in touch with the folks who did the film, call them asap...the you tube site has some submissions under friends posted yesterday with bad language and drug references; doubt they want that on there since the topic is "family" related!

Not JUST Rhode Islanders, Little Rhody Girl! I grew up and still live in Connecticut, and I remember taking family trips to Rocky Point. I can remember once going through the Hauted House with my cousin, but my favorite Rocky Point memory is of its carousel, because that was the first merry-go-round I ever saw that had all kinds of different animals on it, not just horses. It was wonderful! When I first heard that Rocky Point was going to close, I wondered what was going to happen to that carousel and all its animals, would it be sold intact, or the animals sold off individually.

I guess Rocky Point's famous Shore Dinner Hall is gone now, too.

What Rhode Islander can forget Rocky Point.......I first went there in 1986, and last went 1996; the last season. Always a great time. Too bad. It was one of the Few 'cool' places in RI. Another poster mentioned Whalom Park in Lunenburg MA......I went there many times as a kid as well!! Next time you go to Six Flags in Springfield MA; take a look at the smaller wooden roller coaster smack in the middle of the park; it is IDENTICAL to the old Whalom Park coaster. Purchsed from Whalom, possibly? Anyone remember LIncoln Park, out in the Fairhaven area?

It's presently illegal to trespass on the RP property, but wouldn't it be cool if someone could arrange to open the park up at some point to let those of us who are interested go in to see what is.......and remember what was?

Motts, did you happen to check out Whalom Park in Lunenburg MA? That park closed in 2001, and basically sat untouched for the next five years or so, before they finally demoed it 2006-2007. If you did, I will be looking forward to seeing the pics because that will be one hell of a gallery: a mostly intact abandoned amusement park!!

Motts - was the wooden rollercoaster still intact at Lincoln Park??

That particular ride you could actually feel the rollercoaster structure shift back in forth at the highest points in the ride on a windy day.

Further, it was a ride that claimed several lives. The first being a ride mechanic who managed to get himself hit by a car.

I loved the pictures. brought back so many memories when I was little. My family used to have family reunions there in the Chowder House. The rides were great. Thank you very much for the memories

does anyone know what happened to Paul Bunyan? Was he sold intact? I would love to have him in my front yard. My neighbors would love me!

i love rock point park it was the best .

why would people try to nock down roky point when we should be trying to rebuild it

Not from Rhode Island... But I've been to Rocky Neck park , Riverside Park, and also Rocky Point... im getting all misty eyed.. I can't remember alot , but I do know I went there as a kid many times with my school. It will be missed...

is it just me or were the majority of the places on this site closed on or around 1996?

You know that the three stooges where there and that larry fines wife did while he was there and he had to fly home?I Think It was is 1967

Is it possible to visit the abandoned park these days, in 2010? Or is it considered tresspassing?

Is it possible to visit the abandoned park these days, in 2010? Or is it considered tresspassing?

For the band list add The Scorpions!! I saw them back in the 90's..possibly 93 or 94 my son (who is almost 19 now) was still in his stroller.

i have found this website to be amazing ive probably looked at every building you have posted.I am truely fascinated by all the history you have captured across the world with your cameras keep em coming

Rocky Point will be missed, forever. It was like a little Disneyland for the people of Rhode Island, and we supported it. When youre a kid, heck, a ride is a ride!

In the 1970s, my cousins and I would go and spend the day, we were completely safe. Well, that was when we all looked out for one another, and we didn't have to worry so much about being snatched by some creepy bicycle seat smeller.

A little bit of RI history is gone.

Hey, I'd almost forgotten about Whalom Park!!

What a shame... My first experience of an amusement park as a child was at Rocky Point. I went away for a long while, forgetting what "Rocky Point" was. After some time I returned to my family's home in Massachusetts due to deaths in my family. I then recalled "Rocky Point", a wonderful summer breeze of hope and spirit kindling. Once I ventured to embrace my childhood and its dreams, to my dismay found that it too had passed away. What a wonderful memory and feeling. One that you never wish to let go, like a dear friend or family member.

Feel free to share your Rocky Point experiences with others at http://www.facebook.com/RockyPointParkStories.