The National Amusement Park Historical Association has a listing of "Lost Amusement Parks in New Jersey" containing more than 50 parks that once existed in New Jersey but are now simply fond memories.
Some -- such as Bergen County's Palisades Amusement Park, which closed in 1971 -- were known statewide; others were not renowned.
The site notes, for example, that Arcola Park in Rochelle Park operated from 1926 to 1929, and "the entire park burned in a fire except the pool," which makes quite a bit of sense when you think about it. A fire destroyed part of Riverview Beach Park in Pennsville in 1966, leading to its closing, and Island Beach Park in Burlington suffered two fires in 1928 and 1934 that led to its demise.
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Fires at these parks usually centered on roller coasters, built of wood; the first all-steel roller coasters didn't start appearing until the 1950s.
The most commonly cited reasons for parks closing, however, were automobiles and highways. With the opening of the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike, it became easier for vacationers to travel to shore points that offered amusement parks; smaller local parks couldn't survive the loss of revenue in a business that only brought in income part of the year.
Here's a gallery of places we went for rides and fun in New Jersey. Don't see one you're thinking of? You'll most likely find it in one of these other galleries:
Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find Greg Hatala on Facebook.