ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – August 16 is National Amusement Park Day and WDBJ7 is celebrating by looking back at the legacy of Lakeside Amusement Park.
Lakeside Amusement Park opened in 1920 and is located at the intersection of Route 419 and Route 460, near Dixie Caverns and the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The name Lakeside referred to the 1,900,000-gallon (7.6 million litre) lake-like swimming pool, which was about the size of a football field. The pool was the first public swimming area in the surrounding counties and was built over Mason’s Creek. The pool was located on a concrete slab and was later expanded to include a sandy beach.
In the early days of the park, the swimming pool was the main attraction. In 1923, a roller coaster and various rides were added.
According to the History Museum of Western Virginia, the first rides added were the twirl-around Ferris wheel, “Lindy Planes” (named after Charles Lindbergh), pony rides, and roller coasters such as Thriller, Mountain Speedway, and Wildcat.
In 1936, the park was purchased by RL Roberts, whose family would operate the 47-acre park for 50 years.
In the following years, many more attractions were added, such as bumper cars, a wooden roller coaster called “Shooting Star” and a train that chugged along the edge of the park.
According to Roanoke Public Library records, the pool closed in 1960, around the time swimming pools were integrated. The owners of Lakeside paved over the pool, which never reopened, and over the years the area became better known for its rides, attractions and concert performances.
Country music shows took place every Saturday night from June through August, featuring artists such as Conway Twitty, Lloyd Price, Chuck Berry, the Everly Brothers, Jimmy Clanton, Roy Acuff and Rick Nelson.
While Lakeside was a Salem landmark at the time, public interest gradually waned with the increasing popularity of Bush Gardens and Kings Dominion, as well as the damage the park suffered in the 1985 flood.
Lakeside closed on October 19, 1986 after the park was sold for $1.6 million, ending the park’s 66-year history. On the final day, over a thousand people came to experience the park one last time.
Starting in 2024, a permanent exhibition of Lakeside Amusement Park will be located at the Salem Museum.
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