Boblo Island Amusement Park - Amherstburg,ON, Canada - Defunct Amusement Parks on Waymarking.com

Ontario’s Bois Blanc Island, frequently abbreviated as “Boblo Island” opened its amusement park in 1898. With whirling rides, organ music, baseball diamonds, roller rink, pool, picnic areas and brightly glowing lights, it attracted thousands to the shores of the island to revel in wholesome family fun.

For almost 100 years it was only accessible by classic steam-powered riverboats: The SS Ste. Clair and SS Columbia brought passengers from Detroit, each boat could bring up to 2,500 visitors each at a time. Smaller ferries brought visitors from nearby Amherstburg, Ontario and Gibraltar, Michigan.

The dance hall, financed by Henry Ford, was once the second largest in the world and capable of holding 5,000 dancers. It also featured one of the world’s largest orchestrions, an automated self-playing orchestra machine, which features 419 pipes and its very own percussion section. There were also big band nights, which drew crowds of people during the 1920s.

Later attractions included rides such as the Nightmare, the Wild Mouse, and the Screamer as well as a Ferris wheel, a zoo, and the popular Scootaboats (Bumper cars on water).

But the old-fashioned charm of Boblo Island was outdone by more modern attractions like Cedar Point in its later decades, leading them to close the gates for good in 1993. Since the amusement park’s closure, Boblo Island has been renovated for luxury homes. Though many of the amusement park structures have been auctioned off or torn down, you can see the century-old ruins of Boblo Island.
The island is only accessible by ferry - Free if you visit the Island Restaurant or Captain Bob's Island Ice Cream and Coffee Cabin:
Thursday 12 noon to 10 PM
Friday 12 noon to 10 PM
Saturday 12 noon to 10 PM
Sunday 12 noon to 8 PM
(visit link) For a peek at Boblo Island

Date Park Opened: 01/01/1898 Date Park Closed: 09/30/1993 Address: Ferry Dock (Drive to Island) 340 Dalhousie St Amherstburg, Ontario Canada N9V 1X3 Current Use or Function: Exclusive luxury homes. Is the park still there?: No If not, what is in its place now?: Abandoned amusement ride structures, many very dilapidated.

Visit Instructions:
You must post at least one original picture at the posted coords to post a visit log for this waymark. Extra points if you are in the spirit of the park (i.e., in costume, etc.).

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   09/01/2024 Skyecat visited it