Carousel restorations honor tradition while preserving recreation for the future
When visitors buy a ticket to the Balboa Park Carousel in San Diego, their likely objective is a few minutes of traditional, family-friendly fun. But they’re actually experiencing part of the city’s history.
“Even among original carousels, ours is unique in that we still have all the elements intact,” says Carousel Manager Bill Brown. Built in 1910, the attraction boasts all of its original, hand-carved animals, paintings, and machinery, including its manual transmission, operated with a clutch and brake. Still in pristine shape are the carousel’s military band organ and brass ring game, where patrons try to grab a brass ring from the outer animals in order to win a free ride.
