Late 19th and early 20th centuries

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Playland's waterfront area of Westchester County along the Long Island Sound was the site of a growing collection of recreational developments, including hotels, resorts, and "amusement areas". Local residents concerned about "unsavory crowds" petitioned the Westchester County Park Association to purchase two existing theme parks, Rye Beach and Paradise Park, and replace them with a local-government-sponsored amusement park.

Frank Darling, a veteran park manager with experience at Coney Island and the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, was hired to design and run the new park, called Playland. The well-known NYC architectural firm Walker & Gillette and landscape architect Gilmore D. Clarke were commissioned to produce a comprehensive design of both buildings and grounds, making Playland the first planned amusement park in the country.^[4]

Construction commenced in September 1927, and was completed in six months. The park began operation on May 26, 1928. Rides that were operating on Playland's opening day included the Grand Carousel, Derby Racers, and the Dragon Coaster. The Airplane Coaster was added in 1928 while the Casino opened in 1929.

Late 20th century

In 1966, a major fire at the amusement park claimed some of Rye Playland's all-time classic attractions, including the original Bumper Car ride and the "Magic Carpet" Funhouse.

The Marriott Corporation managed the park in 1981 and 1982 as part of a two-year experimental period.^[5] During those two seasons, the park was run at a loss in excess of $5 million. Westchester County took over operation in 1983.^[6]

Playland was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.^[2][7][8] At the time, it was the United States' only Art Deco amusement park.^[9]

21st century

By 2001, Playland was Westchester's most visited park, seeing one million visitors that year. For the 2002 season, Playland unveiled three new rides: the Kite Flyer, Crazy Mouse, and Sky Skater.^[9] Until the beginning of the 2002–2003 National Hockey League season, the New York Rangers practiced at the Playland Ice Casino. Currently, as of 2023^[update] the hockey team from Manhattanville College, located in nearby Purchase, plays its home games at Playland.^[10]

In 2012, Hurricane Sandy claimed parts of Playland's boardwalk, flooded and caused substantial damage to the Ice Casino, and scattered debris throughout Read Sanctuary.^{[citation needed]}

In May 2016, the Westchester County Board of Legislators voted 13–4 to give control of the park to a management company called Standard Amusements. Standard Amusements agreed to invest $27.5 million into the park, which it will manage for 30 years. Westchester County maintains ownership of the park, and will receive an annual base rent and 8% of the park's profits after Standard Amusements has recouped its initial investment.^[11][12]

In 2019, Playland unveiled its first ride since 2008, a Disk'O half-pipe made by Zamperla.^[13] Playland did not operate its 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[14]

In 2022, Playland began its $125 million 5-year revitalization project. 2022 saw the rebuild of the Derby Racer canopy, new and updated bathrooms across the park, new and updated midway games, as well as 3 new rides- Catch N' Air, Old Rye Motorbike Factory, and the Tornado.^{[citation needed]}

Roller coasters

Thrill rides

Dark rides

Family rides

Kiddyland

Kiddyland is a section with children's rides in the southwestern section of Playland. Its rides include:^[27]

• Antique Cars
• Boat Ride
• Convoy
• Crazy Submarine
• Flying Dragons
• Fun Slide
• Himalaya
• Jolly Caterpillar
• Jump n' Bean
• Jungle Jamin
• Kiddy Carousel
• Kiddy Scrambler
• Kiddy Whip - a smaller whip ride
• Motorcycle Jump
• Mushroom Ride
• Playland Express - a ridable miniature railway
• Red Baron
• Slime Bucket
• Sun and Moon
• Swing Around

Casino

The "Ice Casino", built in 1929, originally contained a main ice rink as well as a full dance floor on the second floor that functioned as a dance hall through the 1940s and '50s. It also had a full service fine-dining restaurant and an outdoor café. It had smaller dining rooms upstairs for upscale private dinners. A renovation in the 1970s added a kiddie rink as well as a mid-sized ice rink. A renovation to the main ice rink that included a new surface, boards and glass was completed in 2007 for the Empire State Games.

Concert series

Playland features a free concert series every summer that is sponsored by tri-state radio stations, Pepsi, CulinArt, Manhattan Beer Distributors, Westchester County and the Westchester County Parks Department.^{[citation needed]} The free concerts are usually on Thursdays and Fridays in July and August.

In 2007, Plain White T's performed on July 31, Bowling for Soup on August 9, and Teddy Geiger on August 23. The Plain White T's attracted a very large young crowd.^{[citation needed]}

In 2008, four free concerts were scheduled at Rye Playland. On May 24, the new Menudo performed. On July 18, Michelle Williams of Destiny's Child, George Lamond, Kim Sozzi and DJ Serg performed. On August 7, second runner up on American Idol, Elliott Yamin, performed. Finally, on August 14, British pop star Natasha Bedingfield performed to a capacity crowd despite the rainy weather.^{[citation needed]}

In 2010, Shontelle performed for a very large, young crowd on August 4.^{[citation needed]}

Past free concerts at the park include Joan Jett, Lifehouse, Cyndi Lauper, The Bangles, Daniel Bedingfield, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, and Cheap Trick in 2004. Additionally, around 2010, popular 80's artists such as Pat Benatar and Flock of Seagulls played the park.^[28]

Flat Rides

Dark Rides

Roller coasters

Dragon Coaster

• On September 2, 1988, an 8-year-old girl choked to death while chewing gum on the ride.^[41]

Mind Scrambler

• On May 22, 2004, a 7-year-old girl from New Rochelle was killed when she fell out of the ride after she opened her restraining bar.^[41]
• On June 29, 2007, a 21-year-old female park employee from White Plains was killed when the ride was started by a second employee while the victim was still assisting guests with their safety restraints. Park officials stated that a safety precaution (put in place after the 2004 Mind Scrambler incident) was not followed. A report issued by the State's Labor Department on August 24, 2007, stated that the ride operators were running the ride improperly. The ride owner was cited for providing inadequate training. Due to this incident the Mind Scrambler was closed permanently.^[41]

The Whip

• On August 18, 1938, a 19-year-old man was killed after being flung off The Whip.^[41]

Wild Mouse

• On July 8, 1984, six people were taken to the hospital after suffering injuries when one of the trains they were riding in collided into another. The ride was shut down for investigation and later reopened. Park officials stated that a mechanical failure was the cause of the accident.^[42]

Music Express

• On July 28, 2023, the Music Express ride malfunctioned, leaving riders spinning backwards on the ride despite efforts to stop it until power was disconnected from the ride.^[43]

Ye Old Mill

• On August 3, 2005, a 7-year-old boy from Norwalk, Connecticut died of blunt force trauma to the head after he climbed out of a boat on the Ye Old Mill ride, where he became trapped underwater by a conveyor belt. The victim's family sued the county that owned Playland, and on March 24, 2009, the defendants were ordered to pay US$1.25 million, as well as create a scholarship in the victim's name. The scholarship will be awarded annually to Playland employees who exhibit excellence in safety and customer service.^[41]

Accidental drowning

• On July 4, 2006, a 43-year-old woman from Queens drowned after walking into a man-made lake that is off-limits to swimmers. An autopsy showed the victim had a blood alcohol level seven times the legal limit.^[41]