Amusement Park News

New York's Sylvan Beach Amusement Park spent the summer of 2024 opening a new family ride as well as showing off a range of park upgrades.

The new ride was a Bradley and Kaye Kite Flyer, newly positioned right in the center of the park's midway, supplied by International Rides Management from Wildwood, N.J. Bradley & Kaye was an amusement ride company located in Long Beach, Calif. specializing in children's flat rides and roller coasters. Chance Rides acquired the company in the mid-80s. With its unique, lie-down flying gondolas, the ride creates a sensation of gentle flight. Bradley & Kaye also built Red Barons, Jeep rides, and dark rides. The Kite Flyer is a throwback classic, and a solid fit at Sylvan Beach.



The ride was part of a multi-ride package arrangement between International Rides Management and the park, which plans to add additional rides in upcoming seasons.

But the ride was only one change at the park this year, which is in the process of completing their five-year park upgrade. The revamp has included upgraded lighting and replacing neon tubing on illuminated signs, repainting every single ride in bright new shades, and overall general updates for park lighting, roofing, and flooring. The upgrade project began in 2020, when the park was closed due to COVID-19 but continues off-season annually.

The park, which is located approximately 40 minutes from both Syracuse and Utica, is positioned along the shore of Oneida Lake. It houses a variety of classic game arcades as well as nostalgic amusement rides such as a Chance Rotor, the SDC Galaxi coaster, and Laffland, a custom dark ride circa 1954, from the Pretzel Ride Company. Despite its name, Laffland is more of a haunt than a romp, spooky and, of course, dark, per park PR, eliciting screams as much as laughter. And no wonder: as with several other sections of the park, it's reputed to be a haunted location.

Besides the new addition of the Kite Flyer, the park also offers a selection of ten kiddie rides, traditional flat rides, and food and retail sites. The Eyerly Rock-O-Plane as well as the Galaxi coaster are among the draws. The Kiddieland area features tot-sized classics such as a kids' Ferris Wheel, and boat rides.

The park's selection of vintage rides fits its history, which began in the 1880s when two amusement parks and hotels drew vacationers via New York's Erie and Oneida Lake Canal system. Over the years, Sylvan Beach has come to be known as “the Coney Island of Central New York.”

The park is typically open from June to Labor Day, weather permitting. The on-going restoration of rides, as well as the addition of new classics keeps the vibe mellow and classic. The iconic Galaxi Coaster was revamped and reopened in 2023. The park is home to approximately two dozen rides, including a separately ticketed carousel.

The park was purchased back in 2007 by Empire Attractions' Doug Waterbury along with Yesterday's Royale restaurant. Waterbury, who experienced some legal troubles unrelated to the park prior to the pandemic, has long sought to preserve the park's “old fashioned…charm,” he relates, one that harkens back to the Coney Island of the early 20th Century – only a bit smaller.

Yesterday's Royale, while undergoing significant renovations, is currently closed, and is looking for a new operator. The dining spot accommodates a bar and lounge, an ice cream shop with an ice cream maker, and is essentially rehabbed and ready to roll – once a restaurant operator comes in to do so. Hungry guests can presently dine at Cone Corner ice cream stand, Kahuna's Burgers and Floats, and the Snack Shack for quick fair-food treats such as popcorn, cotton candy, and big pretzels.

Games are a big focus at the park, with unique gaming sections, including an arcade that features the old-school game Fascination. This toss-a-ball game is described as a cross between Skee Ball and Bingo, in which players roll a ball down a table to light up five balls along a row. It first arrived at amusement arcades in the 1920s, and is now only available in a few U.S. locations, with Sylvan Beach being one. Priced at just .25 cents a play, this game alone is a key vintage attraction at the park.

The park's arcades includes a mix of oldies such as Playalnd's Skee Ball and Pokerino, and newer goodies such as video games. A Bonanza shooting range; Sportland, with its basketball and Bowler Roller games; and Fun n' Games, with its Pick-a-Duck and darts games round out the collection of gaming arcades at Sylvan Beach.



This year, along with the addition of the new ride and continued fresh paint and upkeep at the park, Sylvan Beach also rolled back prices to pre-Covid levels with a daily admission rate of $35.95; a Wacky Thursday promo priced at $29.95; and Kiddie Land admission alone for just $19.95 on Wacky Thursday are also draws. Individual ride tickets were priced at $2 each, with most rides costing between 3 and 5 tickets. Waterbury says the roll-back pricing was much appreciated by guests.

Looking ahead to the 2025 season, the park offered a Fall Back/Stocking Stuffer promotion that provides a season pass for $99.95; a Kiddie Land wristband for $19.95; and an adult general admission wristband for $29.95.