Joyland Amusement Park, Former amusement park in Lubbock, Texas, USA
Joyland was a family-owned amusement park in Lubbock, Texas, laid out linearly along a midway inside Mackenzie Park. About 30 rides stood there, among them three roller coasters, a carousel at the entrance with classic advertisements on top, and a park train painted in ATSF colors. Water sprayers overhead misted guests along the paths.
The location started in the 1940s as Mackenzie Park Playground before the Dean family purchased and renamed it Joyland in 1973. This change marked the shift from a simple recreational area into a fully developed amusement destination.
The name Joyland was adopted by the Dean family in 1973, replacing Mackenzie Park Playground. The entrance carousel carried classic advertisements along its top, and the park train was painted in ATSF (Santa Fe) railway colours. Visitors could pay per ride or buy a single admission price.
Joyland closed permanently: the Dean family announced on September 12, 2022 that it would not reopen, and liquidation began after buyers backed out on January 10, 2023. The park lay between U.S. Route 82 and Mackenzie Park, entered from a midway lined with overhead water sprayers. Its train ran end to end, so riders had to complete a full loop from the single station.
The Galaxi, a steel coaster built by the Italian firm S.D.C. in 1971, came to Joyland from White Swan Park in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, in 1989. Its single train had two cars, each seating two rows of two riders, eight in all. The park's other coasters were the Little Coaster, replaced by a Wisdom Dragon Coaster in 2016.
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