Episode Details

Carousel restorations honor tradition while preserving recreation for the future

By Jefferey Spivey

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.  

Additionally, true to 1910, Brown says each five-minute ride is tracked using an egg timer, and, as an attraction originally intended for all ages, the carousel rotates at 13 miles an hour, faster than its modern counterparts.

It’s a truly authentic recreational experience, going beyond nostalgia to offer a window into something timeless. However, keeping this carousel—and so many others—in mint condition requires painstaking work.