Rhode Island may not have any amusement parks in operation today, but many years ago, the Ocean State was full of them, from Crescent Point to The Enchanted Forest to Rocky Point Amusement Park.
Theme parks were a historic Rhode Island tradition, full of attractions such as carousels, Ferris wheels and, of course, plenty of historic roller coasters. In fact, the very first roller coaster in the state dates all the way back to 1872, when Rocky Point first opened an “inclined railway.”
Here’s a brief history of the first roller coaster in Rhode Island.
History of RI’s inclined railway
According to George LaCross, volunteer at Rocky Point State Park, Rocky Point’s first-ever roller coaster was installed by the American Inclined Railroad Company in the spring of 1872…