Carlin's Park was a park in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

. It was founded in 1918 by John J. Carlin.The Billboard. Death Claims John J. Carlin, Balt. Operator. May 29, 1954. The park was noted among members of the outdoor

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

industry for the development of profitable winter operation and activities. Carlin's Iceland hosted indoor

ice skating Ice skating is the Human-powered transport, self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. ...

, winter

carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic d ...

s, and was home to the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

in the

Eastern Amateur Hockey League The Eastern Hockey League was a minor professional United States ice hockey league. Eastern Amateur Hockey League (1933–1953) The league was founded in 1933 as the Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL). The league was founded by Tommy Lockhart ...

. Carlin's Park was hailed as "Clean Fun For the Entire Family",Carlin's Park. Kilduffs.com. www.kilduffs.com/parks.html because it was a place where the entire family could be entertained. There was a

roller coaster A roller coaster is a type of list of amusement rides, amusement ride employing a form of elevated Railway track, railroad track that carries passengers on a roller coaster train, train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements, usua ...

, a tea cup ride, a

swing ride The swing ride or chair swing ride (sometimes called a swing carousel, wave swinger, yo-yo, waver swinger, Chair-O-Planes, Dodo or swinger) is an amusement ride that is a variation on the carousel in which the seats are suspended from the r ...

, and many other attractions including a large

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...

, some

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...

acts, and

firework Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...

s. A common suggestion in ads of the time was to "make a date to roller skate" at Carlin's

roller rink A roller rink is a hard surface usually consisting of hardwood or concrete, used for roller skating or inline skating. This includes roller hockey, speed skating, roller derby, and individual recreational skating. Roller rinks can be located in ...

. Carlin's park also held all night dance parties with live bands. Traveling shows, including

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

s, would also make appearances at Carlin's Park. A series of events in the mid-1950s spelled the end of Carlin's Park. The first event was the death of owner John J. Carlin in May 1954. Next came a fire in 1956 that destroyed the ice skating arena. The final blow to Carlin's Park was being overlooked by the City of Baltimore in the awarding of the new Civic Arena.Joseph R. L. Sterne. "Clifton Lake Moves Up As Center Site: Rising Building Costs May Swing Choice of Location". ''The Baltimore Sun''. April 10, 1957

References

External links

* http://www.kilduffs.com/BaltimoreAmusementParks.html Defunct amusement parks in Maryland Parks in Baltimore 20th century in Baltimore {{Amusement-park-stub