Flying Horses Carousel
About
The Flying Horses Carousel is the nation’s oldest platform carousel. Since 1884, the Flying Horses Carousel has delighted visitors in the town of Oak Bluffs.
Constructed by Charles Dare of New York Carousel Manufacturing in 1876, it is one of only two Dare carousels that still exist. Originally operated as an attraction on Coney Island, it was moved to Oak Bluffs in 1884 and includes stationary hand-carved wooden horses with manes and tails of real horsehair and inset glass eyes. Each horse is brightly painted and fixed to the rotating platform by a metal post.
In the 1870s, when the Flying Horses Carousel was designed, summer recreation in America was expanding. At its peak, Coney Island, the most famous of the country’s amusement parks, had 25 carousels in operation – including the Flying Horses Carousel.
Vineyard Preservation Trust acquired the carousel in 1986 to prevent it from being dismantled and sold piecemeal to collectors of antique carved horses. The Trust undertook an extensive restoration of the Flying Horses, returning the carousel to its original appearance, complete with the historic panel paintings that were done by a Dare factory artist.
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Open Saturdays & Sundays 11 AM – 4:30 PM and weekdays 12 – 2 PM for viewing until Memorial Day Weekend.
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