Sites of mass entertainment, incorporating rides (rollercoasters, carousels, etc.), games, shows, curiosities, animals and junk food, which became staples of American urban leisure in the late nineteenth century, exemplified by New York City, NY’s Coney Island or trolley parks like Philadelphia, PA’s Willow Grove. Suburbanization and urban conflicts (including desegregation) pushed many of these local amusement parks into hard times as they were eclipsed by new regional/ national destinations like Disneyland.

The late twentieth century mega-park represents corporate investment in a multi-day family vacation destination whose tab may run to hundreds of dollars. Contemporary options include chains (Six Flags, King’s Island), cross-corporate developments (Hershey Park, with links to chocolate, or the Busch Gardens chain linked to brewers) and media synergies like Disney, Universal Studios and Sesame Place. Their success has also changed entertainment development in zoos and aquaria, urban centers and tourism outside the US. “Theme parking” is also an accusation leveled against many recent urban development schemes as well as the creation of new private public spaces (such as malls).