There was a time when the Chicago area was dotted with several small amusement parks for children, the largest and most fondly remembered being Kiddieland in Melrose Park, at the corner of North and First Avenues. I made my first trip there in 1959 when I was all of four years old.
The miniature train ride, naturally, held out a special fascination, and Kiddieland had a roster of steam and diesel locomotives. Originally, the train went quite a distance around the perimeter of the park, but was unfortunately shortened somewhere along the way as the property got subdivided to create a driving range.
Being a kid in the 1950s and 1960s was a bit simpler than it is today. Kiddileand had a kiddie fire truck, made from a VW pickup, and if your parents arranged for it, it would drive out to your neighborhood to pick up you and your pals and bring you there so you could spend money. There weren’t any seat belts, so presumably if you fell out of the truck along the way to the park, that was your own damn fault and I doubt there was much that anyone would have done about it.
There were once a number of other small children’s amusement parks in the Chicagoland area, including Kiddie Town in Harwood Heights (adjacent to the Harlem Irving Plaza shopping center), Hollywood Kiddieland in Lincolnwood*, Playland Park in Justice, Adventureland in Addison, and Fairyland in Lyons. I’m sure there were others, but these are the ones that I recall. All are long gone.
There was a time after World War II when the US had many small amusement parks and outdoor drive-in movie theaters, but they are a vanishing breed. As cities expanded, developers moved in and purchased their land for strip malls, housing developments, and shopping centers.
The king of all local amusement parks had to be Riverview at Western and Belmont, where you could “laugh your troubles away.” I was fortunate also to have visited Riverview several times as a kid, and even rode on the parachute jump once, a scary but thrilling experience if there ever was one. After the park closed in 1967 it quickly passed into myth and legend.
Kiddieland too has passed into local legend, fondly remembered. It had an admirable safety record, but that was not always the case for its competitors, as this Chicago Tribune article about Playland shows.
There were other difficulties. The owners of Kiddieland sued Hollywood Kiddieland, accusing them of copying their name to trade off their good reputation.
Internet searches turned up some vintage home movies of Playland Park and Fairyland:
I also found some great articles about Hollywood Kiddieland and Kiddie Town. These pictures show that some amusement parks were not all sweetness and light, with uncut grass and dirt trails. But, based on how so many people have fond memories of these places, they made an incredible impression on young minds.
After Kiddieland closed on September 27, 2009, they held an “employee appreciation day” on October 3rd, to give anyone who had worked there over the years a chance to experience the park one last time. Since my brother Bill had worked there in 1971-72, we went there together, and I took the various Kiddieland pictures in this post.
I heard they were going to keep the famous sign, but did not discover where it had ended up until recently. I happened by the Melrose Park Public Library on 19th Avenue, just north of Lake Street, and there it was on the side of the building. Or there part of it was, at any rate, since the pole and many of the lights somehow were lost in the transition.
I’m glad that at least this much of Kiddieland was saved, but the overall effect of the sign (which does light up at night) will never be the same as it was when it was complete, and rotating, with an amusement park behind it, and the smell of popcorn and cotton candy.
Other parts of Kiddieland had an even better fate. The Little Dipper roller coaster is now at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, and at least one of the miniature steam engines is at the Hesston Steam Museum in Indiana. I rode it in September 2010. It’s actually quite a nice ride, and much longer than Kiddieland had in the final years. They have a big to-do every Labor Day weekend, and it’s well worth the trip.
-David Sadowski
PS- Some readers also mention Kiddieville in Niles.
You can also see more local amusement park photos here.
*I am informed that Hollywood Kiddieland was actually located in Chicago, on the border with Lincolnwood, which was to the north.
@Hesston Steam Museum, September 5, 2010.
@Hesston Steam Museum, September 5, 2010.
@Hesston Steam Museum, September 5, 2010.
Kiddieland plaque at the Melrose Park Public Library.
Kiddieland sign at the Melrose Park Public Library.
Kiddieland sign at the Melrose Park Public Library.
The Kiddieland train was shortened when the North Avenue Drive In was closed (ironically located on 5th Avenue) and the land sold to the state to expand Triton College in the early 1970’s. There was a miniature golf park located next to the driving range at this site where all that remains today is a huge golf ball sitting on a tee. This used to be the ticket booth.
You could also include Dispensas Kiddie Kingdom in Oak Brook, IL. The Drury Lane Theatre and the “leaning” high rise office building currently sits on this site. They also had a wonderful train ride.
Finally, there was also a miniature train that ran north of Lake St. about a quarter mile west of route 59 in Bartlett. A miniature depot still remains today on the north side of the road where a RV lot once stood. Any more information on this line is appreciated.
The drive-in was called the North Avenue Outdoor Theatre, which opened in 1949 and closed in 1973. This was a “sister” to the Harlem Outdoor Theatre, near the Harlem Irving Plaza. That one was in operation from 1946-1976. More pictures here. My family went to both of these drive-ins numerous times in my early years.
The train in Bartlett was called “Hoot, Toot and Whistle” and was quit a nice ride. We used to go there after Sunday dinners when we met my Grandparents who would come out from the city (we lived in St. Charles). As a kid, it was always a great bribe to get us to behave through dinner – you get to ride the train! I have an old postcard of it somewhere, if I can find it, I can certainly scan it and send you the picture.
Thanks!
none of the still pictures show up, reposte them somewhere please
They seem to be showing up for everyone else. If you have a slow Internet connection, they may take some time to load in your browser. If you don’t see them, try reloading the page, thanks.
The was another Kiddy Town located at 95th and Stony Island, which opened in the 1950s. It changed ownership and the name changed to Fun Town in the late 60s. Here is a link to an article about that park.
http://beltmag.com/elegy-fun-town-chicagos-south-side/
That’s a great article, thanks. I hope that more people will check it out.
[…] last post The Kiddielands of Chicago has been very well received, so we thought you might also like these videos we shot on October 3, […]
I used to take my daughter to Kiddieland when we lived in Westchester in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. Does anyone remember “Adventureland” amusement park at Lake and Medinah in Addison, Il ?
It closed in 1977 and the site along Lake St remained mostly undeveloped for many years. Also, in addition to “Dispensa’s Kiddie Kingdom” in Oakbrook Terrace, nearby off Illinois Route 83 was a waterpark called “Ebenezer Floppen Slopper’s Wonderful Water Slides” opened in 1980 and closed in 1989.
I almost forgot about the “Old Chicago” indoor amusement park in Bolingbrook (I have LIVED in Bolingbrook for 19 years!). It was in the center of an indoor shopping mall which was opened in 1975 and closed in 1980. Today, a short stretch of road crossing Ill Route 53 called “Old Chicago Drive” is the only clue to its existence.
Why are all the pictures watermarked with http://www.thetrollydodger.com? You don’t own the rights to the private copyrighted photos or the pictures in the “public domain.”
How about I take your pictures from The Trolly Dodger and remove the fake watermarks to use as I see fit?
The watermark is just there to show where the pictures appeared. I can’t stop people from reusing them, for example my stuff is all over Facebook, but at least with the watermark, you can go back and look at the captions and other information I provided on my site. Copyright is a different issue. I took the pictures of Kiddieland right before they closed, so I own the copyright, whether there’s a copyright notice or not.
There was also Green Oaks Kiddyland, at 95th and Pulaski in Oak Lawn. Was there a couple of times with my family when I was really young. IIRC 1971 was the last year it was open.