Riverfront Park Carousel, Historic carousel in Riverfront Park, Spokane, United States
The Riverfront Park Carousel is a historic carousel housed in a covered pavilion along the Spokane River in Spokane, Washington. It holds 54 hand-carved wooden horses along with a giraffe, a tiger, a goat, and two ornate chariots, all carved by hand.
Charles I. D. Looff built this carousel in 1909 as a wedding gift for his daughter Emma, and it first operated at Natatorium Park in Spokane. It was moved to its current location in Riverfront Park in 1975, when the area was redeveloped for the Expo 74 world fair.
The band organ that plays during rides was made in Germany in 1900 and is one of the oldest working organs of its kind in the country. Riders can hear it fill the wooden pavilion with sound as the carousel turns.
The carousel is inside a covered pavilion in Riverfront Park, which is climate-controlled and open year-round. Large windows inside the building look out over the Spokane River, and there is a small snack counter and a gift shop on site.
During the ride, passengers can try to grab brass rings hanging on one side of the carousel as they pass. Catching one earns a free extra turn, which is a tradition that goes back to the early days of American amusement parks.
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