Loads of fun at the Balboa Park mini-train and carousel
That time of the year is here again—when everybody and nearly everything is decked out in their holiday best. Balboa Park always turns up as one of the best-dressed places in the city during the holidays. Amid the rushing around and the festivities, pick up the kids and visit two of the park's best little spots offering top-notch fun for the whole family: the miniature train and the nearby carousel.
Adjacent to the zoo is a tiny train that anyone can hop aboard. On a zig-zag and curving mini railroad through imaginary jungles and forests, riders will find elephants and tigers and gorillas—life-like statues, that is. When the train goes through the tunnel, nearly everyone whoops it up, the echoes ringing around. The ride is a load of fun for both children and adults to go on a safari hunt through the different sections of the train ride.
This rare, antique train is one of 50 remaining G16 models. Those with a fondness for old-fashioned and operating railroads and trains will particularly find this little adventure meaningful. Between breaks of the train rides occurring about every five minutes, the conductor is happy to chat. Operated by the San Diego Zoo, the ride runs a half-mile through four acres of the park. Well worth the $4 for each ticket, the mini-train ride lasts a little over three minutes.
After one or two rides on the Balboa Park Miniature Train, it's just a hop, skip and short walk down to the gorgeous Dorothea Laub Balboa Park Carousel . This amusement park ride can be a challenge for the little ones, so an adult will need to hoist them up onto the colorful horses. All riders must also strap themselves in. The carousel spins around at 13 miles an hour.
Ever heard of the brass ring on carousels? As a child, I used to read stories about kids grabbing the ring and getting a free ride. I had always thought it a myth of some kind, because on the carousel rides I'd been on, I never heard mention of going for the gold, so to speak.
Then one year I went to Balboa Park with a 12-year-old girl whom I had befriended through a mentoring program. She asked to go on the carousel. I agreed, as excited as she was. While standing in line, she told me to be sure and reach for the brass ring. I never knew that was a real thing, I told her.
When it was our turn to get onto the carousel, she pointed out the small red beam sticking out with a ring in it. Grab it as you go by, she instructed me. But it has to be a brass ring in order to get a free ride.
The organ music cranked up, the carousel started moving faster and faster, and I watched my friend grab a ring. But it was iron, so she turned to me and said it was my turn the next round. I did reach out for the ring—and it was brass. It's amazing what one can learn from kids.
The Balboa Park Carousel has an interesting history. It is just one of a handful of merry-go-rounds in the world that operates the brass ring game and an organ using original paper music rolls. The three-ring menagerie figures were hand-carved in 1910 at the Herschell-Spillman factory in North Tonawanda, New York.
In 1922, the carousel was moved to Balboa Park at the east end of El Prado. Since 1968, the painted horses, chariots, and other figurines are completely at home at their current location across from the mini-train. It was restored and reopened last year.
People of all ages are sure to delight in the park's mini-train and carousel. These vintage rides are the perfect gift during the holidays for the kids in all of us.
