Conneaut Lake Park sits on the shore of Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania’s largest natural glacial lake, in Crawford County. Founded in 1892 as Exposition Park and renamed in 1920 as it grew into an amusements-and-rides destination, it ranks among the oldest amusement parks in the state, having survived more than a century of fires, bankruptcies, and ownership changes.
After a 2021 bankruptcy sale brought the roughly 200-acre property to Keldon Holdings, LLC, the park has been gradually reviving a scaled-back lineup of rides, with most attractions running seasonally around the park’s Pumpkin Fest and Phantom Park events rather than as a traditional daily-operating amusement park.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Conneaut Lake, Crawford County, Pennsylvania
- Operator: Keldon Holdings, LLC
- Opened: 1892 (as Exposition Park; renamed 1920)
- Size: about 200 acres
- Attractions: about 12 rides, mostly seasonal
- Signature Attraction: 1914 carousel, one of the park’s oldest surviving rides
A Park Built Around the Lake
Conneaut Lake Park grew up alongside Conneaut Lake itself, with hotels, a boardwalk, and a beach developed after the Pittsburgh & Shenango Valley Railroad took over the property in 1901. The park’s Hotel Conneaut, long associated with ghost stories after a 1943 fire destroyed much of the building, remains one of the site’s most storied structures.
For decades the park’s main draw was Blue Streak, a wooden out-and-back coaster built in 1938 by Ed Vettel that earned ACE Coaster Classic and Coaster Landmark honors in 2010. Blue Streak last ran in 2019 and was destroyed by an accidental fire in January 2022 during its planned demolition, ending the park’s run as a wooden-coaster destination.
A Park in Transition
Today’s Conneaut Lake Park operates on a much smaller scale than its early-1900s heyday. Rides like the 1914 carousel and go-karts run through the summer, while most of the rest of the current lineup, including the Devil’s Den dark ride, Tilt-A-Whirl, and a newly purchased Scrambler, operate only during the fall Pumpkin Fest and Phantom Park events.
Ownership under Keldon Holdings has focused on incremental refurbishment, bringing back rides like the Little Dipper steel kiddie coaster after years of inactivity, while the lakefront beach remains open to the public year-round.
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Conneaut Lake Park FAQs
Is Conneaut Lake Park still open?
Yes, but on a limited, mostly seasonal basis. Since a 2021 bankruptcy sale to Keldon Holdings, LLC, the park has reopened a scaled-back selection of rides, with most attractions running only during fall events rather than a full daily summer season.
What happened to the Blue Streak roller coaster?
Blue Streak, a wooden coaster built in 1938, last operated in 2019. It was destroyed by an accidental fire in January 2022 while being demolished, and the park currently has no full-size roller coaster.
Where is Conneaut Lake Park located?
The park sits on the shore of Conneaut Lake in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, on Pennsylvania’s largest natural glacial lake.
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Photo: Allen.O272 / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.