Santa Cruz Looff Carousel - Santa Cruz, CA
Posted by: 
Metro2
N 36° 57.856 W 122° 01.049
10S E 587462 N 4091359
This historic carousel is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Waymark Code: WMRJBH
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 06/27/2016
Views: 1
Wikipedia (
visit link) informs us:
"Santa Cruz Looff Carousel and Roller Coaster On The Beach Boardwalk is a National Historic Landmark composed of two parts, a Looff carousel and the Giant Dipper wooden roller coaster, at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk...
The Looff Carousel includes a brass ring dispenser. Riders on the outside horses can reach out and try to grab rings which then get tossed at the target which is a large clown's mouth. It is one of the only ring dispeners still operating in the world. Sometimes, riders keep the rings to remember their visit.
Roof of the Carousel
The Looff family was one of the major early manufacturers of carousels, including this 1911 example. Only five other intact Looff carousels remain in the United States. The 1924 Giant Dipper roller coaster is the older of the two large, wooden scaffolded roller coasters remaining on the West Coast.
The Looff Carousel and Giant Dipper roller coaster were both declared National Historic Landmarks in 1987.