Knoebels Amusement Park
Elysburg, PA
Photo courtesy Steve Felder

You know you're getting close when this great old roadside sign comes into view. Knoebels Amusement Park in Elysburg, Pennsylvania has been welcoming visitors since 1926, and the colorful marquee along the road is a pretty good introduction to what's waiting inside.

Knoebels is one of those amusement parks that still feels like an amusement park. Admission and parking are free, you can buy tickets for the rides you want, and much of the place has that old picnic-grove atmosphere. There's a 1913 carousel where riders can still grab for the brass ring, plus plenty of old-fashioned park food and rides scattered beneath the trees. Then there's the Phoenix. Originally built as the Rocket in Texas in 1947, the wooden coaster was moved to Knoebels and reopened here in 1985. It's become one of the park's signature rides and another good reason to make the trip.

UPDATE: Knoebels remains open and family-owned, celebrating its 100th season in 2026. 08-26

Playland
Elysburg, PA
Photo courtesy Steve Felder

Here's another reason to wander around Knoebels after the sun goes down. The glowing Playland sign lights up the midway with colorful neon and looks right at home among the old rides and attractions at this classic Pennsylvania amusement park.

Knoebels has had arcade games going all the way back to 1926, when the old Pennyland Arcade opened. Playland came along later and still mixes some old-fashioned amusement games with newer machines. Skee-Ball, mechanical games, flashing lights, ringing bells, and neon overhead. What more do you need?

The best part may be that you don't even need an admission ticket to wander over and check it out. Knoebels is still a free-admission park, so just follow the midway until that great Playland neon comes into view.

UPDATE: Playland remains open at Knoebels as the park celebrates its 100th season in 2026. 08-26

Astroland (Gone)
Coney Island, NY
Photo courtesy Mark Hackett

Now here's an entrance sign with some bite. The big space-age Astroland marquee greeted visitors along Surf Avenue at Coney Island with colorful lettering, a futuristic star overhead, and enough personality to let you know there was plenty more waiting beyond the gate. This was definitely not your average amusement park sign.

Astroland opened in 1962, right in the middle of America's fascination with rockets, astronauts, and the space race. The futuristic theme fit right in with Coney Island's already wild collection of rides, lights, food stands, and boardwalk attractions. Once the neon and bulbs came on after dark, the place must have been pretty hard to pass up.

And then there was the Cyclone. The famous wooden coaster had already been rattling riders around its Surf Avenue track since 1927, long before Astroland arrived. Astroland took over operation of the Cyclone in 1975 and kept the old coaster running as one of the park's biggest attractions. With its steep drops, sharp turns, and plenty of wooden coaster shake, the Cyclone offered about as classic a Coney Island ride as you could get. It became a New York City landmark in 1988.

Astroland
Brooklyn, Coney Island, NY
Photo courtesy Rod Holcomb

For years, that Astroland sign and the Cyclone made quite a pair along Surf Avenue. One promised all the flashing lights and carnival action inside, while the other gave you a pretty good idea what all that screaming was about.

Astroland closed for good after the 2008 season, and the big entrance marquee was removed soon afterward. The Cyclone, however, keeps right on rattling around the track.

UPDATE: The Coney Island's Burger Boy and Girl are still on on the Boardwalk but the rocket was removed in January 2009 and remains in storage. More information can be found here. Many thanks to Tricia Vita for info. 10-10

Coney Island Cyclone
Brooklyn, Coney Island, NY
Photo courtesy Jim Zahniser

Here's one roller coaster that really doesn't need an introduction. The towering wooden framework and big Coney Island Cyclone sign have been part of the scenery along Surf Avenue in Brooklyn since 1927. 09-10

The Cyclone took its first riders over the tracks on June 26, 1927, back when a ride cost just 25 cents. There's 2,640 feet of wooden track packed into the tight Coney Island layout, including an 85-foot first drop and plenty of twists and turns to keep things interesting. This isn't exactly the smooth, quiet type of coaster ride.

Over the years, the Cyclone became as much a part of Coney Island as the boardwalk and Nathan's hot dogs. Astroland operated the coaster beginning in 1975, and when Astroland disappeared after the 2008 season, the Cyclone stayed right where it had always been.

The old coaster became a New York City landmark in 1988 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. But forget the landmark plaques for a minute. Standing beneath all that white wooden framework and hearing a train rumble overhead probably tells the story a little better.

UPDATE: The Cyclone is still running at Coney Island and celebrated its 99th birthday in June 2026. 08-26

Wonder Wheel Sign
Brooklyn, Coney Island, NY
Photo courtesy Mark Hackett

You can't spend much time wandering around Coney Island without spotting this one. The colorful Wonder Wheel sign has been welcoming riders since 1950, but the giant wheel towering behind it has been part of the Coney Island skyline even longer.

The Wonder Wheel first started turning in 1920 and rises about 150 feet above the boardwalk. This isn't quite your ordinary Ferris wheel either. Sixteen of its 24 cars actually slide back and forth along curved tracks inside the wheel as it turns. Just when you're enjoying the view, your car starts moving. Nice touch.

The wheel became part of Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park in 1983 and was designated a New York City landmark in 1989. Through all the changes around Coney Island, the old wheel and its great neon entrance sign have managed to stick around.

Come back after dark and the sign may be worth the trip by itself. Add the lights of the Wonder Wheel turning overhead and you've got a pretty good slice of old Coney Island.

UPDATE: Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park remains open, with the 1920 Wonder Wheel still carrying riders high above Coney Island during the 2026 season. Luna Park now occupies the former Astroland site, while the 1927 Cyclone remains in operation at Coney Island. 08-26