Trimper Rides Of Ocean City is a historic
amusement park
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...
located near the inlet at South First Street and the
boardwalk in
Ocean City, Maryland,
United States. It was founded in 1893 as The Windsor Resort. It is located at the south end of the boardwalk and consists of three outdoor lots as well as an indoor section.
History
Daniel B. Trimper and his wife, Margaret, arrived in Ocean City in 1890. By 1893, they were owners of boardwalk property between South Division and South First Streets, including two hotels: The Eastern Shore and the Sea Bright.
Rebuilding the Sea Bright in 1900 following a severe storm, the Trimpers modelled the new structure after Great Britain's Windsor Castle. The two hotels, together with a theater and an amusement park, thus became known as Windsor Resort.
A 1912 purchase also adds to the historic significance of Trimper's Rides. It was that year that Daniel Trimper purchased a massive
carousel
A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...
from the Herschell-Spillman Company in North Tonawanda, NY. It was 50 feet in diameter with a uniqueness derived from the only other carousel made by the firm at that time having been sent to Coney Island, and that one was later destroyed by fire.
The carousel's 45 animals, three chariots, and one rocking chair were driven by a steam engine, with rides originally costing a
nickel. One-hundred years later, the ride (now electrified) costs four tickets, or $2.00. Classified as one of the oldest still operating
carousel
A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...
s in the nation, the carousel includes a standing and jumping menagerie of standing and jumping horses, a mule, a zebra, a cat, a dog, a pig, a frog, a rooster, a rabbit, a deer, a lion, a tiger, an ostrich, a camel, a giraffe, and a dragon.
Over the years, the Trimpers added numerous rides, several of which offer historic significance such as a kiddie carousel which is smaller and dates to the 1920s, as does a kiddie ferris wheel. All the rides are kept in working condition.
In the 1950s, the Trimper family added outdoor rides. The pace of expansion has increased since the mid-1960s, with a new ride being added nearly year after year. The most popular ride in the outdoor park was bought in 1985: the triple loop boomerang "Tidal Wave" roller coast